An all-time family favourite — ours included. This is the way I do corned beef now: quick, clean, full of flavour, and no fuss. The Ninja 11-in-1 does the heavy lifting, and the result is pure comfort on a plate. Even if you’re only cooking for one or two, don’t write this off — you’ll get a second meal for later, the best corned beef sangas (go the Reuben!), and a pantry hero moment with our Drunken Sailor Whisky Piccalilli.
👉 Watch the tutorial on the Ninja 11-in-1 link
👉 Caramelised Onion recipe + tutorial link
Recipe
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 60–75 minutes (based on 1.2–1.5 kg beef) + resting
Ingredients
For the Corned Beef
- 1.2–1.5 kg corned silverside (trimmed)
- 1 onion, quartered
- 12 whole cloves
- 12 black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 150 ml apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Canadian maple syrup
- 2 tbsp golden syrup
- 1 tbsp seeded mustard
- Cold water (enough to just cover the meat)
Vegetables
- 4 small jacket potatoes, halved (skin on)
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- ¼ small cabbage, cut into 4 wedges
To Serve
Method / Instructions
1) Prepare the Beef
- Rinse silverside under cold water to remove excess brine.
- Place into the Ninja pot with onion, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, golden syrup, and seeded mustard.
- Add cold water to just cover the meat.
2) Pressure Cook
- Lock the lid and set to Pressure Cook – High.
- Cook 15 minutes per 300 g (approx. 60–75 minutes for 1.2–1.5 kg).
- When finished, natural release 10 minutes, then quick release remaining pressure.
3) Rest the Meat (Don’t Skip This)
- Remove silverside carefully.
- Cover loosely with foil and rest 15–20 minutes before slicing.
4) Cook the Vegetables (In the Flavourful Stock)
- Add potatoes and carrots into the hot cooking liquid in the pot.
- Position steamer tray above the liquid and place cabbage wedges on top (above stock level).
- Pressure cook High for 9 minutes, then quick release.
Chef Tip / Skill Highlight: The “Two-Level Cook” in the Ninja
This is the big win with the Ninja 11-in-1: corned beef cooks in the bottom of the pot, then later you use the same cooking liquid to finish the veg in one hit.
- Potatoes + carrots go into the stock (bottom of pot) so they soak up flavour.
- Wire rack / steamer tray sits above the liquid, and cabbage goes on top so it steams (not boils).
Result: no grey, salty cabbage - just sweet, tender wedges with bite.
5) Serve
- Slice corned beef across the grain.
- Plate cabbage with potatoes and carrots.
- Arrange beef neatly over the cabbage.
- Spoon Whisky Piccalilli and Caramelised Onion to the side.
- Finish with parsley.
Chef Tips / Skills
- 15 min per 300 g is the tenderness rule.
- Resting = juicy slices. If you cut too early, you lose moisture.
- Seasoning balance: maple + golden syrup smooth out the vinegar/mustard tang beautifully.
- Use the cooking liquid as a built-in flavour base - it’s gold.
Plating / Serving Notes
- Stack the cabbage wedge as a base, lay slices of beef over the top, then add your Piccalilli + caramelised onion like “condiments with purpose” (not a messy splodge).
- A little parsley lifts the whole plate and makes it feel fresh.
Optional Variations / Make-Ahead Hack
- Make-ahead: Corned beef is even better the next day. Cool, slice, and store with a splash of cooking liquid to keep it moist.
- Leftover hero: Reuben-style toastie with Whisky Piccalilli + cheese.
- Classic comfort: Dice leftovers and fry with potato for a quick hash.
Optional: White Sauce (Using Cooking Stock)
For a traditional touch, make a light white sauce using sieved cooking stock instead of milk — it keeps the sauce glossy and full of flavour without feeling heavy.
Skill Focus / Techniques
- Layered cooking: Beef first (bottom of pot), veg added later so nothing overcooks.
- Two-zone veg method:
- Boil/simmer zone (in stock): potatoes + carrots
- Steam zone (on rack above): cabbage wedges
- Flavour transfer: using the corned beef cooking liquor as your built-in stock = instant depth.
- Rest + slice across the grain: keeps silverside juicy and tender.
Final Thought from Chef Ian
“This is comfort food done smart. Let the Ninja do the hard work, then you just slice, plate, and enjoy the payoff — with enough leftovers to make tomorrow’s lunch the real winner.”
Chef Ian
