Crock Pot Corned Beef / Silverside.... with Yummy White Sauce

Yet another masterpiece from George..... I'm going through a phase of trying out retro dishes I grew up with, but have never made. I did try trifle the other week and it was a colossal failure. I didn't even complete it before tossing it. I shall go back to letting Mum do that one... once bitten, twice shy I say!

This dish, on the other hand, was a winner! And it was so easy to make, with plenty to go around.... mum got a serving, I got a serve for dinner and plenty of leftovers for lunches! No offence to mum but her's never quite turned out this tender and tasty... I was really impressed with the impregnation of flavour - and now I won't cook this any other way. Good on George. Good on me.

And don't forget to save the stock.... it was marvy recycled into the Porcini Mushroom Risotto.

Slow Cooker Corned Silverside with Mustardy White Sauce

1 Piece Silverside / Corned Beef
3 Carrots – cut in halves
4 Potatoes – halved, unpeeled
2 Onions - small, whole, peeled (pickling)
Peppercorns – black (about 10)
Ginger - small knuckle (fresh)
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
½ Cup Vinegar – I used white, with a splash of white balsamic
Warm Water

Spray inside of crock pot with non stick spray, layer carrots in the bottom. Add beef, poke in the potatoes, onions and ginger and then sprinkle peppercorns around the meat.

Mix sugar with Vinegar until dissolved. Pour over beef, and top up with warm water until meat is covered. Cover and cook.

I cooked this on low for 10 hours and it was meltingly, fall apart tender. I’d almost go as far to say it was slightly overdone, but I was at work and unable to turn it off!

Serve with vegetables and white sauce.

*** Reserve stock for the White Sauce and the Mushroom risotto (see other posts)! This must be strained though..... Line a sieve with paper towel, strain, discarding all the peppercorns and bits.

White Sauce with Mustard

2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Plain Flour
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Stock/Cooking Liquid from Silverside
1 teaspoon Mustard

Melt butter until bubbling. Stir in flour and cook for a minute or two. Add mustard and stir to combine. Add milk slowly, stirring to thicken taking out the lumps as you go. Add stock slowly until the sauce reaches desired consistency and taste.

Tasting Notes:

• This was super! Yay for retro dinners!


• The meat was divinely tender – it fell apart on carving but was the tenderest corned beef I’ve had. It also had a lovely mellow flavour from slow cooking with the sweet carrots, vinegar and brown sugar.


• Next time, I may shave an hour off the cooking time.


• Most recipes say to discard the stock, but it was just so lovely and tasty that I couldn’t part with it. It worked beautifully with the porcini mushroom risotto.... and would be equally as fab with pumpkin.


• This was so easy.... 2 minutes to prepare, and lovely comfort food. Don’t peel the potatoes as they will hold their shape and remain waxy rather than watery.


• A recommended cooking this in Ginger ale - I didn't have any. Hence I added a nice chunk of fresh ginger and it worked! It was a subtle flavour and could be done without, but I liked it....