This Baked Corned Beef is hands down the best! Slathered in mustard and braised in stout beer, you’ll never make it another way.
If you’re looking for an easy, delicious way to try corned beef, you’re going to want to try this Baked Corned Beef ASAP.
Googling “corned beef recipes” always seems to lead one to boiled corned beef or slow cooker corned beef. And while those recipes yield tender, shreddable beef, I crave that crispy outer crust. If you do too, or are simply looking for a different way to prepare corned beef, then this recipe is for you.
You only need a few ingredients, few hours in the oven and voilá! Some of the best corned beef you’ve ever had.
First things first, what is corned beef?
Corned beef is a beef brisket that has been cured in a salt solution. Beef brisket is naturally a tough cut of meat so it responds well to cooking techniques like braising and slow cooking. Low and slow is what is going to give you the most flavorful corned beef. If your beef isn’t tender and fall apart, chances are you haven’t cooked it long enough.
What ingredients you’ll need:
CORNED BEEF BRISKET: Because we aren’t curing our own beef here, you’re going to want to buy a brisket that is already cured. It comes with a seasoning packet that you’re also going to use in this recipe.
STONE GROUND MUSTARD: Mustard pairs well with this corned beef and the mustard seeds in the stone ground mustard really take it to the next level.
GUINNESS STOUT BEER: Corned beef and Guinness are a match made in heaven so it seemed obvious to use it as the braising liquid for this recipe. You can use any stout beer that you like, though.
How do you make baked corned beef?
Some people opt for slow cooker corned beef because of the ease factor, but this baked corned beef is just as easy!
STEP #1: Pat the brisket dry with a paper towel. Rub both sides of the corned beef brisket with stone ground mustard.
STEP #2: Place the brisket fat side up in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Pour the beer around the corned beef. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 325 for 2 hours. Remove aluminum foil and cook f or another hour or until it reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
DES’ TIP: We are cooking the brisket fat side up so that as it cooks, it helps keep the meat tender as it cooks. It will also give you that perfectly crisp topping that we are looking for.
STEP #3: Remove the brisket from the baking dish. Allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing against the grain then serve.
To round out the whole Irish feel of the meal, I served this Baked Corned Beef with Colcannon and it was the perfect comfort food meal for my whole family!
And if there are any leftovers you’ve got to try these Ultimate Corned Beef Sandwiches.
Baked Corned Beef
This Baked Corned Beef is hands down the best! Slathered in mustard and braised in stout beer, you'll never make it another way.
Brush both sides of the corned beef with stoneground mustard. Place corned beef in a 9 x 13inch baking dish with the fat side up. Sprinkle with seasoning packet. Pour both Guinness beers around the corned beef.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 325 for 2 hours. Uncover and bake for an additional 45 minutes – 1 hour or until an internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Remove from oven and allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing.
Slice against the grain and serve.
Notes
We are cooking the brisket fat side up so that as it cooks, it helps keep the meat tender as it cooks. It will also give you that perfectly crisp topping that we are looking for.
Letting the meat rest 10 minutes before slicing is essential. It allows the juices to redistribute and ensures a more tender bite.
Nutrition information for estimation purposes only.
Hi hi! I bought a 2.8lb cut before I found this recipe. Would I need to make any temp / time adjustments to account for the smaller size?
Reply
Deseree
March 14, 2024 at 4:25 pm
Hi Brigit! You can leave the temperature the same but I would recommend cooking for about half the time. I would cook it covered for 1 hour then uncover and start checking the temperature after another 30 minutes or so. Hope this helps!!
Reply
Jessica
March 13, 2023 at 8:42 am
Do you use flat cut or point cut?
Reply
Deseree
March 13, 2023 at 9:36 am
Hi Jessica! You can use either in this recipe, I’ve done it with both. With the flat cut the cook time might be a little less but not by much. Hope this helps!
Reply
Ron Scott
March 14, 2022 at 10:16 am
Thanks !
Reply
Ron Scott
March 11, 2022 at 5:43 am
Der Des, the picture looks like you put this n a cooling rack in the roasting pan. Is this right ?
Reply
Deseree
March 11, 2022 at 11:54 am
Hi Ron! I didn’t put it on a cooling rack. I wanted it to simmer in that Guinness. Just put it right in the baking dish! :)
OVEN: Set the oven for 350 °F (or no lower than 325 °F). Place brisket fat-side up. Barely cover the meat with water—about 1 inch—and keep the container covered throughout the cooking time. Allow about one hour per pound.
OVEN: Set the oven for 350 °F (or no lower than 325 °F). Place brisket fat-side up. Barely cover the meat with water—about 1 inch—and keep the container covered throughout the cooking time. Allow about one hour per pound.
Should You Boil or Bake Corned Beef? Really, it's up to you. Both methods create a juicy, tender corned beef when done properly. Traditional recipes, like our corned beef and cabbage or glazed corned beef, call for simmering corned beef in spiced water for about three hours.
Simmering corned beef on the stovetop is a tried-and-true method that results in very tender beef. One of the keys to simmering corned beef correctly is the amount of water in the pot. When there's not ample liquid to cover the meat, your dreams of tender corned beef may be replaced by a tough, chewy result.
Sprinkle seasoning packet over beef, then pour in water until potatoes are almost covered. Cover with a lid or heavy aluminum foil. Roast in the preheated oven until corned beef is so tender it can be flaked apart with a fork, about 5 to 6 hours.
Corned beef is safe once the internal temperature has reached at least 145 °F, with a three minute rest time, but cooking it longer will make it fork-tender. Corned beef may still be pink in color after cooking. This does not mean it is not done. Nitrite is used in the curing process.
Cover the pan – with a lid or with aluminum foil – and bake for 1 hour per pound. During the final 15 minutes of baking, remove the lid to allow the seasoning to brown. Remove from the oven and allow the corned beef to rest on a cutting board for about 10 minutes before slicing.
Do this instead: Whether you bought a ready-to-cook corned beef or you cured your own, rinse the meat several times under cool water to remove any excess salt. But don't think this means you're rinsing away all the flavor; by this point, the meat is fully infused with it.
Since corned beef needs to cook with moist heat, you'll cover the pan or wrap the roast with aluminum foil to prevent it from drying out. Check the liquid as it cooks, replenishing it if needed. You can add vegetables during the last hour of cooking.
Boiling is the most common method, but you can also slow cook, bake, grill, or pan-fry your corned beef. Each method has its distinct flavor and cooking process, so it's worth trying them all to find the best fit for you. The most common method for cooking corned beef and cabbage is boiling.
Corned beef is typically made from beef brisket – a relatively inexpensive cut of beef – cured in salt brine, with some pickling spices: bay leaf, peppercorns, mustard seed, juniper berries, coriander seeds, and whole cloves. Corned beef gets its characteristic sweet and tart taste from the brine.
As a cut of corned beef derived from the fattier end of the whole brisket, it's distinguished by its significant fat marbling and denser connective tissue, characteristics that promise a juicier and more flavorful feast.
Place the corned beef on the foil, in a baking dish, fat side up. Sprinkle with seasoning mix and pat into the brisket. Bring the foil up & around the corned beef, do not close up the foil. Bake, unwrapped, for 2 hours.
And while brisket can take a much higher temperature than a steak can, it too can be overcooked. If all the collagen turns to gelatin, that's good, but if all the gelatin cooks out of the corned beef, you'll just have a crumbly, dried out piece of salted beef.
The USDA recommends simmering corned beef on the stovetop for 1 hour per pound of meat. If you're cooking yours in the oven, plan for 3 to 3 1/2 hours for a 2 1/2- to 3-pound cut.
As long as you don't crowd it too much, braising corned beef should take 2 1/2 to 3 hours on top of the stove. If you try to put too much meat in the pot it may take longer. The FDA recommends an internal temperature of 165°F. How long do I cook corned beef brisket in a slow cooker on high?
What temperature is corned beef done? You'll want to keep your water temperature at a high simmering temp. If you want very firm but tender corned beef that means 180°F (82°C); for flakier but faster corned beef 190-195°F (88-91°C).
Slow cooker cooking is a popular and effortless way to cook corned beef that results in tender and succulent meat. The slow cooker, or crock pot, lets you cook food over a long period. This lets the meat absorb the flavors of the cooking liquid and spices.
Further testing showed that for my taste, 180°F cooked for around 10 hours was just about ideal, producing meat that was simultaneously tender and succulent. How does one maintain this ideal temperature of 180°F? Well, if you've got an immersion circulator, that's your best bet.
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