3-Ingredient Oven Baked Corned Beef Brisket
Amazing, tender corned beef brisket cooked in the oven with just three ingredients. This brisket is flavorful, easy, and comes out so tender.
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.
Right after I shared this recipe, over 8 years ago, it immediately became very popular with my readers.
- Everyone loves that there are only 3 ingredients needed to make it.
- This corned beef made in the oven is not just flavorful but also incredibly tender and juicy.
- This is one delicious (and totally easy) corned beef and I don’t think we’ll grow tired of it.
- The aroma that fills your kitchen as it cooks really is wonderful. You will want to dig in the moment it’s out of the oven.
Tips and Substitutions For 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.
- Open the aluminum foil and briefly place the brisket back in the oven under the broiler on a low setting, this will take a couple more minutes.
- 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
- DO take the extra step to boil the corned beef before cooking. This step will help To get rid of some of the excess salt in the brisket, don’t skip this step.
- Discard the seasoning packet, you won’t be using it. (The reason I don’t recommend saving it and using later if because it is usually packaged right with raw meat.)
- Keep the brisker in the pot just until water starts to boil. Then, turn the heat off and take the brisket out.
- Use a generous layer of Dijon mustard and then brown sugar all over the top and sides.
- Close the aluminum foil, covering the brisket loosely, leaving a little space between the brisket and the foil. You are creating a “pocket.”
- Cook: when calculating the time to cook, estimate about 45-60 minutes per pound. Lean towards the 60 minutes per pound time.
- Once cooked, open the foil and caramelize the top under the broiler. If available, use the low broiler setting and set the oven rack about 8 inches away from the broiler.
- Let the corned beef brisket rest on the cutting board for about 10-15 minutes before slicing it.
Recipe FAQs
Why do I have to bring the corned beef to 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. It will decrease the amount of salt in the brisket and therefore make it less salty.
How to store and reheat the corned beef brisket?
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
- Potatoes are always a great side for corned beef. Try sides like mashed potatoes, Colcannon, fried cabbage, and roasted potatoes.
- You can use leftovers to make sandwiches like the Reuben sandwich, corned beef sliders, Reuben sliders, and more.
- Some other great recipes for leftover baked corned beef are Reuben dip, corned beef hash, and Reuben egg rolls.
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3-Ingredient Oven Baked Corned Beef Brisket Recipe
Amazing, tender corned beef brisket cooked in the oven with just three ingredients. This brisket is flavorful, easy, and comes out so tender.
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Servings: 6
Calories: 327kcal
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
Calories: 327kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 1924mg | Potassium: 468mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 3mg
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Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in February, 2017.
More Beef Brisket Recipes To Try
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Hands down this is the best recipe for corned beef ever! We’ve been making it for a few years now. Each year we’re getting more and more people coming over for St Patty’s Day after hearing about this recipe. Thank you so very much.
Wow! Thank you so much!
Corned beef is too salty and/or difficult for me to eat. I was impressed when I made this today. I substituted yellow mustard for Dijon. The food was the greatest I’ve ever had. Definitely going to cook this again.
Glad you liked it!
This is the way I`ve cooked my corned beef for years. It`s perfect. I have shared this recipe over and over. It`s that delicious. I do have an add-on for you. I always buy a larger corned beef than is needed for one meal. I LOVE corned beef hash and this `extra` corned beef makes fabulous hash!
I am so glad you liked the recipe, Terri! I agree nothing like homemade corned beef hash or a good Ruben with the leftovers!
I will say, this is the easiest and best that my adult family LOVES! I was used to purchasing corned beef once a year but now every time my spouse comes with me shopping, he always looks to see if there is corned beef in the store! He knows I’m a good cook since together since 1987, but this is one of his favorites!! Good Job and I keep of sending your site to my friends.
Thank you for the sweet comment, Carolyn! I am so glad your family likes my recipe! 🙂
I followed the recipe with the exception of changing the type of mustard to honey mustard. Baked it 3 hours for a 3 lb brisket. It came moist and delicious! I poured the juice over my cabbage and potatoes to for added flavor.
The days of boiling corned beef are OVER!
I am so glad you liked it, Rosalind!
Point or flat brisket?
My wife came home with a two and a half pound point tonight , so I guess it’s going to be a point!. What’s usually better?
What do you recommend to serve with this?
Corned Beef is usually made with the point. It is fatter so you do get less meat but it also makes it more tender. Did you like it?
I made this again tonight, it was so delish and spot on. I will never make corned beef any other way. Yum😋🥰😋
So glad you like it, Cindee!
This is truly a great and super simple recipe. The first time I tried it, I was looking for an alternative to the traditional boiled version. Needless to say, there were no leftovers! The only change I made, is using the spice packet when bringing the meat to a boil as I like to add as much flavor along the way. We use a grainy mustard with a bit more kick, but man those 3 ingredients really come together!
Thanks, Kevin! I am so glad you like it! 🙂
I love this recipe! I’ve been using it for a few years now and this is the best. I do use the spice packet to boil the corned beef, then cook my cabbage & carrots in that water for the taste. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Glad you like it, Vicki!
I make it every year like this. So good.
I am so glad you like it, Ellen!
My husband wants cabbage with this, cooked in the juices of the corned beef not in a separate pan. Any suggestions on when to add it and do I need water? I gave a 2.5 lb corned beef. I don’t want this to turn into a boikd dinner, lol.
You can add the cabbage to the pan with the corn beef just before its done enough time to cook the cabbage however done you like it.
Why do you discard the spice packet? Could you bring the corned beef to a boil with the spice packet contents to enhance the flavor of the beef?
Because the spice packet is disgusting!
Save the spice packet and use it when boiling your vegetables on the stove along with beef broth. Really yummy!