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.
Pamela Anneliese says
Oh, goodness! this recipe was so delicious! Corned beef briskets were on sale at my grocery store because of St. Patrick’s Day, so I bought 2. I thought I would use both for our celebration with the obligatory Corned Beef and Cabbage meal, but decided against it and just used one. What to do with the second brisket? I could have stuck it in the freezer for a future meal, but then I wondered, ‘Just what else can I make with it?’ I did a search for recipes… The bulk of them, you know, are for Corned Beef and Cabbage. Then, I finally found your recipe! It sounded so easy and the images are so lovely that I made it tonight and it turned out perfectly!
I used a 3 lb brisket, adding an hour to the cooking time. Served it with steamed cauliflower tossed with garlic herb butter and baked potato. It was so yum, and my family and I were in culinary heaven. Thank you!
LyubaB says
Hi, Pamela! So glad you liked it! 🙂
Lisa says
Made this for St. Patrick’s Day this year and we loved it. I reserved the water from boiling the meat and boiled potatoes and carrots, along with the spice packet in a tied off coffee filter. Then I placed them in the oven with the meat, along with some sauerkraut after taking it out of the foil to let it brown. Made sure to get juices from inside foil drizzled on veggies. The only issue I had was some of the juices escaped and burned during the 3 hour meat cooking time — the meat was perfect though. I just switched pans when placing the veggies in so they didn’t get a burnt flavor.
Pamela Anneliese says
Hi, Lisa!
The same issue happened to me with the juices escaping and burning to the pan. I was devastated until I saw that the brisket was unharmed. For next time, I’ve thought about lining the pan with additional aluminum foil to make cleanup easier.
LyubaB says
So glad it turned out well 🙂
Amy Frost says
Absolutely outstanding!! I used a 3 lb “tip cut” on sale at Safeway for $1.69 per lb. It had no fat cap at all, but I followed your instructions, (baked it for 3 hrs.) and it turned out so well! Only thing I added was a little more brown sugar before broiling. thank you, thank you!!
LyubaB says
So glad you liked it!
Christina Weiss says
The best corned beef recipe ever!! My husband is not a fan of corned beef and was apprehensive when I told him I was going to try your recipe this year. Well he could not wait to open the foil wrapper he devoured the first 3 slices before I could even have one taste. Outstanding !!! Will recommend to my family and friends.
LyubaB says
Wow! Thank you, Christina! So glad you both liked it! 🙂
Patricia Peist says
I made this today and I was impressed. I do not like corned beef, either to salty or too tough. This was the best I have ever eaten. I used yellow mustard instead I Dijon. Will definitely make this again.
LyubaB says
Hi, Patricia! So glad you liked it! 🙂
Georgia says
What rack level did you use for the oven cooked cornbeef
LyubaB says
Hi Georgia, I put it on the middle rack.
Melissa says
Incredible! Followed the directions, mine was 2.5 lbs, and was the best Corned Beef ever!!!
LyubaB says
Hi, Melissa! So glad you liked it!
Deby says
Which cut of corn beef is best.. flat or point I am always confused on which one to purchase
LyubaB says
Hi, Deby! I prefer a point cut it is juicier.
Terry Ravizza says
MIC DROP!!!!! It is everything that the reviews and comments say wonderful wonderful! I took what little leftovers remained and made pea soup. The corned beef was so good it enhanced the pea soup recipe to o. Thank you thank you I’m no longer afraid to make corned beef make corn beef.
LyubaB says
Haha! Thank you, Terry! I am so happy you liked it!! 🙂
Peter says
Hi Lyuba,
Just finished making this as per your recipe and wow it is superb! I am an Englishman who liives in Cape Town with my South African wife and child and I’ll tell you what, we are taking this along tomorrow on Christmas day to family and I reckon it will be very popular. Easy recipe and tastes divine. Thank you for this it really has saved my bacon as im not that confident cooking joints.
LyubaB says
Thank you so much for the kind words, Peter!
Yvonne Mastny says
The most uncomplicated, delicious corned beef recipe EVER! Thanks.
LyubaB says
Thank you, Yvonne! I love hearing that you liked it so much!!! 🙂
John says
Outstanding flavor. I first cooked this a couple of weeks before St Pat’s and it was a huge hit. I have fixed it 7 times now and #8 is in the oven (twice on camping trips.) Several friends have copied it now. I serve it with my Hurry Colcannon (Cole saw cabbage cooked with bacon until softened, then stirred into instant potatoes made with milk and butter- ready in 10 minutes). It’s been rave reviews every time!
John says
slaw. Cole slaw.
LyubaB says
Awe, that is awesome! Thanks for letting me know how much you like it!