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.
Corned Beef Brisket In The Oven
(UPDATED) 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 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.
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 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.
Cooking Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350° 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.
Rub and wrap: place the brisket onto the aluminum foil in the pan. Rub it with a generous layer of Dijon mustard on all the sides and the sprinkle brown sugar evenly all over the top and sides.
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. 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.
Let the corned beef brisket rest on the cutting board for about 10-15 minutes before slicing it.
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:
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3-Ingredient Oven Baked Corned Beef Brisket
Ingredients
- 2 lb corned beef brisket
- 3-4 Tbsp Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
- 3-4 Tbsp brown sugar
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°.
- 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.
- UPDATE: 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.
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Nutrition
Lisa Davis says
I am going to try this recipe tonight for dinner. what are the best vegetables to cook with it and how do I cook them?
LyubaB says
Hey Lisa,
You can go take a look at my baked corned beef recipe to see how to add veggies to this https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/oven-baked-corned-beef-and-potatoes/
Hope you enjoy it!
Beth L Rossiter says
I’ve made this several times now. It is so tender. I rarely leave a review, but this is hands down the best corned beef every single time. Thanks!
LyubaB says
Thank you, Beth! I am so glad you like it!
A Winter says
So good! I love the crispy crust! No more boiled corned beef in this house ever! I used a homemade corned beef since I can’t eat nitrates. I had a 5# brisket and I’m so glad so we have plenty of leftovers. I admit that I skipped the boil step since the brisket was so big. The meat didn’t taste too salty, but the drippings were very salty. But that way I didn’t need to season the potatoes; we just drizzled the drippings over them.
LyubaB says
So glad you liked it!
Cyndie says
Would you cook potatoes and cabbage and carrots in oven also?