Amazing, tender corned beef brisket cooked in the oven with just three ingredients. All you need is tangy and flavorful Dijon mustard, brown sugar for the flavor balance, and corned beef, of course! This brisket is flavorful, easy, and comes out so tender.
There are many more ways to enjoy corned beef like in a Reuben Sandwich or Reuben Dip.
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It’s been so many years of me making this delicious corned beef brisket recipe and my husband and I are still completely in love with it. This is one delicious (and totally easy) corned beef and I don’t think we’ll grow tired of it.
This corned beef made in the oven is not just flavorful but also incredibly tender and juicy. It’s the whole package, no matter what you want to do with it after. As good as Instant Pot Corned Beef Brisket is, this oven baked version is still my family favorite. And I absolutely love that I only need 3 ingredients to make it.
The aroma that fills your kitchen as it cooks really is wonderful. Get your side dishes ready while it cooks because you will want to dig in the moment it’s out of the oven. And make sure to make enough to have some leftovers! This corned beef is perfect for making Reuben sandwiches, Reuben egg rolls, and so much more!
What Is Corned Beef Brisket?
Corned beef is simply a beef that was cured in salty brine for several days. The process of curing the beef (and other meats) was originally done to preserve it with salt. The term “corned beef” is synonymous to “pickled beef” because the brine used for corned beef is similar to the pickle brine.
Traditionally, corned beef is made with a brisket cut of beef. Since it is a tough cut of meat, it’s best to cook it for a long period of time at lower temperature to make it tender. Sometimes, beef round or rump is used instead of brisket.
You can make your own corned beef by curing a brisket in salty brine in the refrigerator for about 10 days. After curing, you can cook it with additional spices, beef stock, and even beer.
The most traditional dishes that use corned beef are: Reuben sandwiches, corned beef and cabbage, and corned beef and potato hash.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Corned Beef Brisket – make sure to get uncooked corned beef brisket. I like to get closer to 4 lb. one so that we have leftovers. Remember, you can easily increase the amount of Dijon mustard and brown sugar to cover a larger brisket.
Dijon mustard – make sure to use Dijon mustard, NOT yellow mustard. Some other gourmet mustards can be used, just try not to use ones with competing flavors.
Brown sugar – it’s okay to use either light or dark.
How Long To Cook Corned Beef In The Oven?
Calculate cooking time for the brisket to be about 60 minutes per pound. Cook corned beef brisket covered in aluminum foil but not too tight, leave some room between the brisket and the foil.
After the time is up, open the aluminum foil and briefly place the brisket back in the oven under the broiler. Make sure that the brisket is at least 8 inches away from the broiler. If you have an option between high and low broil, choose low broil and keep an eye on it.
After you take it out of the oven, take it out of the roasting pan as well. Make sure to give the brisket about 10-15 minutes to rest before slicing.
How To Make Corned Beef Brisket In The Oven
Preheat the oven to 350°F and either get 1 large sheet of aluminum foil and two overlapping ones. The goal is to be able to completely cover the corned beef brisket loosely and create a pocket inside. Fit the foil in the roasting pan.
Bring the corned beef to boil: To get rid of some of the excess salt in the brisket, don’t skip this step. Take the beef out of the package, discard the seasoning packet, and rinse it in an empty sink under cold running water.
Place the brisket into a pot and fill it with cold water until brisket is covered. Bring the water to boil and once it starts to boil, turn it off, and take the brisket out (1). Place the blanched brisket into the prepared roasting pan (2).
Rub and wrap: place the brisket onto the aluminum foil in the pan. Rub it with a generous layer of Dijon mustard (3) on all the sides and the sprinkle brown sugar evenly all over the top and sides (4).
Bring the aluminum foil together and close it, covering the brisket loosely, leaving a little space between the brisket and the foil.
Cook: bake the brisket for about 2 hours and then take it out and open the foil (5). Turn on the broiler to low and put the brisket back in. Let the top caramelize but don’t walk away far, keep an eye on it (6).
Let the corned beef brisket rest on the cutting board for about 10-15 minutes before slicing it.
Recipe FAQs
Since corned beef is cured in salt brine, it contains quite a bit of salt. So bringing the corned beef to a boil in a pot of water, gets some of the saltiness out. It will decrease the amount of salt in the brisket and therefore make it less salty.
You absolutely can add some potatoes and if you wish cabbage and carrots to the brisket. Since beef will take MUCH longer to cook than vegetables, you will need to cook the brisket for a while first. Baby gold potatoes will need about an hour of total cook time, covered and uncovered. So set aside about an another hour at the end of meat’s cooking time to cook potatoes.
If your potatoes are larger, you can always cut it in half.
If you wish to add cabbage, cut the head of cabbage into 4-6 wedges and place them around the meat. Depending on the size of the cabbage wedges, it would take 45-60 minutes.
You can see the steps and get the idea of how to cook it in my Baked Corned Beef Brisket and Potatoes recipe.
Store leftover cooked brisket in an air-tight food storage container, in the refrigerator. Properly stored, it should be good for 3-4 days.
To reheat the sliced of corned beef brisket, I recommend doing it in the oven to preserve the juiciness. Wrap some slices in foil and reheat in the oven at 350°F just until heated through.
Serving Suggestions
With a Side Dish: serve it with sides like mashed potatoes, Colcannon, fried cabbage, and roasted potatoes.
Make something else out of it like:
More Beef Brisket Recipes To Try
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3-Ingredient Oven Baked Corned Beef Brisket Recipe
Ingredients
- 2-4 lb corned beef brisket
- 3-4 Tbsp Grey Poupon Dijon mustard (more for larger brisket)
- 3-4 Tbsp brown sugar (more for larger brisket)
Instructions
- Take the brisket out of the package and discard the spice pack that comes with it.
- Place brisket in a pot of water and bring it to boil. As soon as it starts to boil, take the brisket out. This will remove some of the excess salt in the meat.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place the brisket, fat layer up, in the middle of aluminum foil big enough to cover the whole brisket.
- Rub the whole brisket with Dijon mustard. Then, evenly sprinkle brown sugar over the top and gently pet it on. Pat some onto the sides as well.
- Bring the aluminum foil together and close it, covering the brisket loosely, leaving a little space between the brisket and the foil. Place the covered brisket into a rimmed roasting pan.
- Bake it for 2 hours. Open the foil and turn on the broiler on low, if you have an option for low or high broiler setting. (If not, move the brisket to a lower rack.) Let the top caramelize for a few minutes but watch it so it doesn’t burn.
- BAKE TIME: the 2 hours recommendation time is for the 1.75-2 lb. sized corned beef brisket. If you have a larger piece of meat, you will need to cook it longer. Give it about 45-60 minutes per pound. Lean towards the 60 minutes per pound time.
- Take the corned beef brisket out and let it rest for a 10-15 minutes on the cutting board before slicing.
- Make sure to slice the meat against the grain! Luckily, with the corned beef brisket, it's very easy to see the grain.
Video
Notes
- Why boil first? Since corned beef is cured in salt brine, it contains quite a bit of salt. So bringing the corned beef to a boil in a pot of water, gets some of the saltiness out.
- Adding potatoes and/or cabbage: You absolutely can add some potatoes and if you wish cabbage and carrots to the brisket. Since beef will take MUCH longer to cook than vegetables, you will need to cook the brisket for a while first. Baby gold potatoes will need about an hour of total cook time, covered and uncovered. So set aside about an another hour at the end of meat’s cooking time to cook potatoes.
If your potatoes are larger, you can always cut it in half.
If you wish to add cabbage, cut the head of cabbage into 4-6 wedges and place them around the meat. Depending on the size of the cabbage wedges, it would take 45-60 minutes.
You can see the steps and get the idea of how to cook it in my Baked Corned Beef Brisket and Potatoes recipe. - Store and reheat: Store leftover cooked brisket in an air-tight food storage container, in the refrigerator. Properly stored, it should be good for 3-4 days.
To reheat the sliced of corned beef brisket, I recommend doing it in the oven to preserve the juiciness. Wrap some slices in foil and reheat in the oven at 350°F just until heated through.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in February, 2017.
Jennifer says
Outstanding – thank you so much for the boiling tip! I had half of a roast in the freezer, left over from March and the salt was our only complaint. I hadn’t seen that tip until your post (to be fair, for the first half of the roast, I just followed the instructions on the package). Mustard made a delicious difference as well. My husband is T1 diabetic so we used a brown sugar substitute which worked just as well. p.s. I -never- leave reviews. . .had to make a point to let you know what a difference you made to our dinner. 🙂 I was keeping that roast in the freezer way too long until your post gave me courage to try again.
LyubaB says
JG, sounds like it would be worth every minute! Let me know how you like it.
JG says
I was intrigued by your finishing idea for the corned beef. However, I make mine from scratch. That means 5 days in the brine. This will be the first time I finish it the way one would do a brisket all the time, slow in the oven. This will be a 10lb whole brisket, 5 days in the brine, then coated with Dijon mustard and brown sugar as you interestingly have documented. I’ll do the first 4 hours at 375 and 3+ hours more at 325 and a final broil of the fat side at the end. I’ll let it rest a good 1/2 or more before slicing as thin as possible for serving on a good rye bread.
Should be quite nice. I allowed mine to sit over night after removing from the brine, washing it, drying it, and then applying the mustard/sugar coating, wrapped and ready to go in foil.
Laura Hall says
This sounds delicious and correct 🙂 why would you buy a corned beef with the spice packets and discard the spice packet? Why not buy the whole brisket to bake this way? I don’t know just seems that you can get the brisket cheaper:-)
April says
I I just made this recipe but I need to know if it’s supposed to be pink inside when cut??? Please help! It is so tender I can cut it with a fork and the internal temperature is 160*. All of the things such as temperature and tenderness is great except I am concerned it being pink inside! I don’t want to make my family sick please help.
lyuba says
Hi April! Well, corned is actually reddish-pinkish color. Because it’s cured first, it is not brown like typical cooked beef. As long as internal temperature shows that it’s cooked, you are good to go 🙂
Karen says
I used to cook corned beef in the pressure cooker but no more!! Best yet. Now corned beef hash for dinner with what little is left.
lyuba says
Thank you so much, Karen!
I still make corned beef in my Instant Pot when I want it quick for Reuben sandwiches, but otherwise, I agree that oven is yummier!
Katherine says
Help! My corned beef is still in the oven but I just peeled through the window of my oven and it’s like ALL my brown sugar seeped through the foil and burned in my pan! Ugh! Did I just not seal the foil tight enough? Are we suppose to make like a little foil pouch? This is my first time making this and I’m worried I’ve ruined it.
lyuba says
Hi Katherine! I’m so sorry that I didn’t see it sooner. You can always message me on my blog’s FB page and those messages go straight to my phone!
If there were seams under the meat, then yes, the juices will seep through. You would preferably have seamless piece of foil underneath the meat and seal it up above. You can also cover the pan with a sheet of foil so that the clean up is easier after, just in case some juices seep out.
I hope everything worked out well for you!
Stephanie says
I have used this recipe for corned beef about three times now. I have tried many others in the past. For whatever reason they weren’t even close to turning out this delicious. The meat is so tender. My family & I thank you for sharing your recipe with us.
lyuba says
I am SO happy to heat that, Stephanie! Thank you so much for coming to tell me 🙂
Annette says
Been making something very similar for years. But we add just enough Vernon’s Ginger Soda to it to make a thin paste, and I’ve only used yellow mustard. And a lot more brown sugar. Just pour I over the brisket, seal it up tight and cook 45-60 min per pound @350.
lyuba says
Thank you for sharing your recipe, Annette!
Jennie in Selden,ny says
How long to cook 6lb thin/flat cut corned beef? I’m nervous but want to have enough tome to cook and cool for party n not be 7pm and everyone’s starving and drowning in drool over how yummy it’s going to smell…please help!
lyuba says
Hi Jennie!
I’m so sorry that I didn’t see your comment sooner! You can always reach me faster on my blog’s FB messenger because that goes straight to my phone.
Thickness tends to be similar in brisket flats but if it’s 6 lbs, I’d give it time to cook. It’s a tough cut of meat, so needs its low and slow cooking to make it tender. So for a 6 lb flat, I’d give it about 7 hours and then check the temp and open the foil to cook without foil a little more.
I really hope it worked out for you!
Steve says
If I want to use the boiled water for my potatoes later…can I just leave it out at room temp until I need it 3 hours later?
lyuba says
Hi Steve!
Hope I’m getting back to you on time. I’d cover it but otherwise it should be fine for a couple of hours. I wouldn’t leave it any longer than a few hours tho because bacteria starts to grow pretty fast and it lessens shelf life.
Patt Quinn says
I have two questions.
I will be cooking about 20 pounds in two days. I think most of the flats are about 4 lbs. So: how long do you think I should roast this. I have been using my pressure cooker for years and am going to try this this year, I will wrap each roast separately probably need two roasting pans. I just MUST have it all tender at crunch time!
Secondly, I saw a recipe for 300 degrees for 5-6 hours. Do you think the fat and tissue breaks down better at the lower temp. And again how can I figure out how long to cook a large quantity.
lyuba says
Hi Patt!
Your oven is going to play a big role here. For example, in my old oven, I would not be able to take up the entire oven and bake everything evenly from top rack to bottom rack. The oven has to be able to cook evenly at all parts of the oven. If it’s a convection oven or has a convection setting, it will most likely be able to cook it evenly.
Now that you have the oven figured out, if possible use separate roasting pans. you can actually pick up those aluminum roasting pans and place a wire rack in each if you don’t have enough inserts.
Do wrap them all individually and don’t overcrowd. If you will be placing two corned beef briskets into the same roasting pan, give them at least a couple of inches separation.
Make a note at the size and if one is bigger, cook that one longer.
To be honest, I haven’t noted much difference between 275 and 300. Definitely don’t go over 300 because a tough cut needs low and slow cooking.
So as far as making several at a time, I hope your oven is meant for cooking evenly on all racks. And make sure to give each an adequate amount of room around it for heat.
Best of luck!! (Message me on my blog FB page is you need fast response)
Adriana says
Making this now! I mixed the brown sugar and dijonm mustard into a paste and rubbed it on! Added onions on the bottom a a little water (I got because everybody else was saying soak it in water! ) but I did boil it before hand so now I’m just waiting!
lyuba says
Hi Adriana!
I hope it all worked out well! Boiling in water is done to get some excess saltiness out of the corned beef, that’s most likely why people were recommending to soak it 🙂