Corned beef is typically boiled, but why not try baking this delicious cut of meat? Baked with Dijon mustard and brown sugar, this corned beef is slowly braised in the oven. We found this to be a delicious and unique taste. This was good both hot and cold, sliced for sandwiches, and finally, the leftover meat made it into potato salad.
Baked Corned Beef Brisket
Have you ever tried cooking corned beef in the oven? Slow cooking a brisket in the oven means you will have wonderfully tender corned beef. Corned beef is typically boiled, but why not try baking this delicious cut of meat? You can enjoy meat that is fork-tender when you bake the brisket in the oven.
Encrusted in Dijon mustard and brown sugar, this corned beef is slowly baked. We found this to be a delicious and unique taste. This was good both hot and cold, sliced for sandwiches, and finally, the leftover meat made it into potato salad. I know that you are going to love this corned beef recipe.
When you bake corned beef you are essentially making an oven braised brisket. The slow cooking breaks down the connecting tissue so the meat just turns into something wonderfully fork-tender.
Recipe Ingredients
You only need 3 simple ingredients for this incredible corned beef recipe:
- Corned Beef Brisket
- Dijon Mustard
- Brown Sugar
That’s it! So add these to your shopping list and get ready to make the best tasting and most tender corned beef ever.
How do you pick out the perfect corned beef?
Corned beef is sold in three basic sizes, the whole brisket, the thick-cut, and the thin cut. Your choices really depend upon how many people you are serving.
The whole brisket is pretty self-explanatory. This is ideal for when serving a large group, it will serve 6 to 8 people.
The thick-cut is the point part of the brisket. It is the thicker piece of the brisket, has more fat in it, and it does have more flavor due to the fat content. The point or thick-cut is perfect for when you are serving about 4 to 6 people.
The thin cut of the brisket is also known as the flat. The flat portion has the least amount of fat. It is great for 2 to 4 people.
Why the brown sugar and dijon mustard?
Sometimes when you buy a commercially prepared corned beef brisket, the meat can be a bit salty. I always take the brisket out of the package and rinse it off in the sink, then I pat it dry with a paper towel.
Then I spread on the Dijon mustard and sprinkle on the brown sugar. As the beef cooks in the oven, the brown sugar and mustard slowly marinate and give the beef a lot of flavors.
How to Cook Corned Beef in the Oven
Cooking corned beef in the oven could not be simpler! Here are the recipe steps:
- Remove the corned beef from the package and rinse off the corned beef. Pat it dry with paper towels.
- Discard the seasoning package. Many corned beefs come with a seasoning package, you can discard this, it isn’t needed.
- Place the beef fat side up in the pan.
- Spread the mustard on the beef.
- Sprinkle brown sugar on top of the mustard.
- Add water to the pan. Add enough water to fill 1/3 of the pan.
- Wrap the pan with foil.
- Bake at 375°F for 2 1/2 hours or until the internal temperature is 145°F.
For super tender corned beef, cook an additional hour or two. Corned beef is extremely tender when the internal temperature is 195°F.
How Long Should You Cook Corned Beef in the Oven?
Beef is fully cooked at 145 degrees, but at that temperature, it may not be tender as you would desire. My personal recommendation is to cook the beef for 3 to 4 hours.
I find corned beef to be fork tender when the internal temperature reaches 195 degrees. Consider using a meat thermometer to help you serve corned beef that is super tender.
Baked Corned Beef Encrusted in Dijon Mustard and Brown Sugar
We have all had boiled corned beef, you can even make corned beef in Instant Pot. An oven-baked corned beef will soon become a favorite of yours. You don’t need to serve corned beef for St. Patrick’s Day, you can serve this slow-roasted corned beef brisket all year long.
I hope you give this recipe a try soon!
Looking for more Irish recipes? Try these!
- Champ Potatoes Recipe
- Colcannon
- Guinness Dipping Sauce
- Instant Pot Irish Stew
- Irish Coddle
- Irish Coffee
- Shamrock Shake
- Shepherds Pie
More of my Reader’s Favorite Recipes
- Roast Beef Recipe
- Copycat KFC Coleslaw Recipe
- Honey Baked Ham Crunchy Glaze Recipe
- How to Cook a Brisket in the Oven
- Tri Tip Roast
Be sure to check out these restaurant copycat recipes and copycat seafood recipes.
Baked Corned Beef with Mustard and Brown Sugar
Ingredients
- 5 pounds corned beef
- 1/2 cup Dijon mustard you can use more
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Open the packaged corned beef and rinse well. Discard the seasoning packet. Place the corned beef fat side up on a large piece of foil (you will be wrapping the corned beef with the aluminum foil).
- Pat the brisket dry with a paper towel. After the brisket is patted dry, spread the mustard over the corned beef and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Add enough water in the pan so the water is 1/2 inch deep.
- Place the wrapped brisket in a roasting pan and place in the oven. Cook for about 2 1/2 hours. The internal temperature should be 145 degrees. For super tender corned beef, cook an additional hour or two. Corned beef is extremely tender when the internal temperature is 195.
- Open the top of the foil to expose the brisket and turn the oven to broil. Broil long enough for the mustard crust to brown
Vickie
I’ve been making this recipe for over 30 years with a sauce that takes it over the top. I can’t give exact measurements as I don’t measure anything but: mix about 1 to 2 tablespoons of yellow mustard and maybe 1 tablespoon of horseradish with 8 oz container of sour cream. I mix it up in the morning and keep it in the refrigerator until dinner is served. Don’t heat it up, just slather the sauce on your corned beef and enjoy!
Douglas Forrester
Hi Steph, i like the taste of the Corned Beef Seasoning but I want to try the oven method. I want to try half with the mustard and half with the seasoning to see which one i like best!! Do you think if i put the seasoning in a coffee grinder and make it a powder i could put it on the corned beef and baked it or would you put it in the the bucket with water and leave it in the refrigerator over night ? Thank You Very Much!!!
Stephanie Manley
I am sorry I have not tried that before, I would just toss the seasonings under the meat in the dish and cook it.
Lesa
I am cooking this tonight, do I put the lid on roaster pan while the meat is cooking in the foil, or leave the lid off?
Stephanie Manley
You do not need to put the roaster lid on the pan while with meat is cooking in the foil.
Karen
So, do you wrap it in foil or put in a pan with water? Fat side up or fat side down?
Stephanie Manley
Please place the meat fat side up on a piece of foil, then add the mustard and brown sugar. Wrap it with foil. Place it into a pan, then add the water to the pan.
Sara
Do you think Turbinado sugar would work as a replacement for brown sugar?
Stephanie Manley
Yes I do.
Holly Hyden
I have made this several times. Have it in the oven now. My husband is NOT a fan of corned beef but he loves this recipe. Will never go back to boiled again. This recipe is a winner.
Stephanie Manley
I am so glad you liked it!
Jenn
I followed the instructions given…..I wanted to cook it in a crock pot but I went with how the recipe was written. It was so tough it wasn’t edible. 🤦🏼♀️ Needs to cook longer at a much lower temp I believe.
Stephanie
I am really sorry it didn’t work out for you. The cooking time should depend upon on the weight of the corned beef. I will update the recipe with some cooking time suggestions.
Barbara
The recipe says far side up and you put fat side down!?
Stephanie
You should put the fat side up, I made a mistake.
Anaya
Hey Stephanie, This dish looks delicious! At end of this month, I am gonna throw a party and that time I will surely try this recipe out. My friends like the Corned Beef. Hope they would love it. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Mike Lake
Something I’ve been doing for the last several years is reverse-brining my corned beefs for 24 hours before cooking. Where regular brining is a way to get salt into the meat, reverse brining pulls out the salt. I place the meat in a plastic container filled with fresh water and leave it in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning I change the water. With the excess salt removed, you can taste the flavor of the meat much better. This trick works equally well with ham steaks.
Stephanie
This is a great idea, I will try this on my next one.
Steph
I love the idea of the reverse brine!