Corned Beef

Last Updated June 15th, 2023 at 10:01 pm by Lisa

Make the best Corned Beef with a delicious spice crust, and juicy fork-tender slices. An Irish tradition especially for St. Patrick's Day!

This baked corned beef is an easy recipe and is braised to make it perfectly cooked. Pair it with classic sides like roasted cabbage wedges, glazed carrots, rosemary baby gold potatoes, and horseradish cream sauce.

We usually make a traditional corned beef meal one time of year, but now this great dinner will become a family favorite...

Best Corned Beef Recipe

When it comes to making a corned beef dinner, there are a few things to consider. Create the best corned brisket, and make it a complete meal with delicious sides. The two most important tips are to pick the right meat cut of beef and follow my tips on how to prepare it using a braising technique.

Now, these tips will make a big difference in your recipe. Use a good brisket like a flat cut coated in mustard and spices, then pour the stout or beef broth around it in a roasting pan around it. Bake in this slow method of cooking for 45 minutes to 1 hour per pound. You will have the best brisket to serve for dinner or on Reuben sandwiches. Here are the ingredients you will need...

• flat-cut corned beef brisket
• Guinness dark beer (or 16 ounce pint)
• cups of water
• Dijon mustard
• pickling spice (beef seasoning)

1. Make homemade pickling spice. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Unwrap the beef, and rinse under cool water to remove the extra salty brine taste. Pat dry. Discard the spice packet if using homemade.
4. Place the whole brisket in a large roasting pan or baking dish fat cap side up.
5. Brush ¼ Dijon mustard on top of the beef, and sprinkle 3 tablespoons spice mix (or seasoning packet) over the entire brisket.
6. Pour the dark stout beer around the meat (or swap in beef stock or beef broth). Add enough water so the cooking liquid comes up around to 1 inch high on the side of the meat.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes per pound or about 3 hours. Check a small piece and ensure it is fork-tender. The internal temperature should be 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Discard the contents of the pan.
8. Check at 1 ½ hours and add another cup of water (or stout or beef stock) to the roasting pan if getting low.
9. Carefully move the cooked beef on a cutting board when cool enough to handle.
10. Slice meat at a 90-degree angle against the grain of the meat (or perpendicular) into ¼-inch slices.
11. Arrange the cooked beef on a warm platter with root vegetables like roasted cabbage steaks, glazed carrots, and roasted potatoes. And serve with horseradish cream sauce, butter, and a Guinness stout beer!

What Is The Best Cut of Meat?

Let's be honest. A lot of people are not corned beef fans. Why? I think it's because we buy the wrong cuts of meat at the butcher shop or grocery store in the United States.

There are two different brisket cuts:

• flat cut <<<<<< hint: BUY THIS ONE!
• point cut

What is the corning of a beef brisket? Well, the only difference is the beef goes through a processing technique of brining it with salt water at the meat packing company.

At stores, you will see packages labeled brisket, and here is the deal, in my opinion, a flat cut is the only way to go.

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Almost every cut comes with a spice packet, you can use that one or make your own spice mix so its super fresh and flavorful...

PRO TIP: There are lots of recipes that say you can use either one. But I actually tested both cuts at the same time using this oven-baked recipe, and the choice was clear. THE FLAT CUT WINS hands down as the best cut of meat, the best choice of brisket, and is the preferred cut for baking.

Point Cut VS. Flat Cut - Which Is Better?

Corned beef comes from a less tender beef cut called the brisket. It is a tough cut of meat located in the chest muscle just above the front legs. Unlike some other beef cuts, you can see the lines of visible muscle fibers, but it is still a high-quality cut of meat. There are two different cuts to choose from at the store, so the first thing to consider is what types of meat are best?

Brisket typically requires a long, braised moist cooking method. It can be cooked on top of the stove in a large dutch oven, in a large pan in the oven, in a slow cooker, or pressure cooker, instant pot corned beef method with the instant pot on high pressure.

BUT, there are downsides to those methods. Like taste, texture, and more. This recipe is a braised oven baked recipe, and really only works with a flat cut brisket, my personal preference and recommendation.

Cuts of brisket have a knobby point cut overlapping the rectangular flat cut brisket. The point cut has more marbling, while the flat cut is lean.

Why Is The Beef Pink?

Commercial corned beef starts out as beef brisket and is brine-cured. The salt brine solution is what makes it "corned". That curing process is where it gets its vibrant pink color due to the sodium nitrate additive. It contributes to the sodium content but mainly functions as a preservative for processed meats.

PRO TIP: Do not add any additional salt like pink curing salt, kosher salt, or table salt. The brine adds quite enough saltiness!

Why Oven Bake Corned Beef Brisket?

Most traditional recipes call for boiled corn beef and cabbage, and there are even stovetop methods. But once you oven-bake it, and pair it with some horseradish sauce, it might just be your favorite way to make it, and you will never boil it again!

There are advantages to each of the different methods to make the best corned beef recipes, but with most requiring a lengthy cook time at a simmer, I decided baking was the way to go because I want that crust on top!

The traditional way or cooking process of hours at a low simmer in a crock pot has been around for a long time. Some recipes are done in the instant pot, but with that, you don't get the nice delicious crust and the fat side doesn't cook down, and you have to cut it off. For best results, buy a good corned beef cut, and bake it!

• Oven baking is the easiest way to cook this cut in less time.
• Baking reduces the fat layer and gives a nice exterior crust as the beef cooks.
• Baking packs in the beef flavor, and cooks your perfect corned beef as tender as can be.
• With just a little bit of time, it's a good idea put together a dry rub mixture of whole pickling spices that adds really good flavor, and there are so many uses for this mix in your cooking.
• The spices on top of the good cut of meat add flavor and pretty color.
• Oven cooking is an easy way to present the dish for dinner with all the yummy sides.
• The next day I made a "New York style deli sandwich" complete with toasted bread, sauerkraut, thousand island dressing, thin slices of corned beef, and melted swiss cheese!! It was incredible and the most delicious way to enjoy leftovers.

When Is Corned Beef Done?

The best way to know if your brisket is fully cooked is to slice off a small piece and make sure it is tender to chew. That is a good indication of doneness, as it will still be pink in color after cooking, due to nitrite in the curing process.

Allow the brisket to stand for about 20 minutes after removing it from the heat. This makes it easier to slice, and it is best sliced across the grain of the meat.

The cooking times in this recipe are for the majority of the brisket cuts and based on beef that is not frozen at the time of cooking.

Cook to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F as measured with a good meat thermometer. Use a good wireless meat thermometer with probes or check with an instant-read meat thermometer, before removing meat from the oven.

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How To Make Spice Packet?

This seasoning packet recipe will take the place of the one that comes in a typical corned beef cut of meat. Toss out those dull little packets, and make your own spice recipe!

You will need 2-3 tablespoons for a 3-4 lb brisket. The packets that come with the meat can wildly vary in size from 1 tablespoon to 4, and might not be as fresh as what home cooks can put together.

Homemade Pickling Spices Recipe

This recipe calls for whole spices, and prefer the way it looks. But you can absolutely make ground spices with these seasoning mix ingredients in a spice grinder, spice mill, or mortar and pestle if you wish.

1 tablespoon coriander seeds (toast coriander seeds to add flavor)
½ cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon dill seed
1 tablespoon whole allspice berries
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
5 dry bay leaves (crush the bay leaf)
1 teaspoon black peppercorns - pink, white, or mixed whole peppercorns all work! You can also use fresh ground black pepper.
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds

Mix in a small bowl. It will store at room temperature in small glass jar or airtight container for 3-4 months in a cool place out of direct sunlight. Check your spices as some have a shorter shelf, use good fresh spices for maximum flavor!

Spice Variations And Uses

2-star anise seeds, 8 whole cloves, 4 juniper berries, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, or 2 cardamom pods.
Homemade Pickling Spice is an excellent versatile spice mix and general seasoning. They can also be used in Pickled Eggs, and to make Quick Refrigerator Dill Homemade Pickles. This spice mix not only adds characteristic flavor to pickles, but also adds complex flavor to braised stews, beans, and rice dishes.

For meat stews, you can tie the pickling spices into a piece of cheesecloth tied with a long piece of butcher string and braise in the pot or slow cooker until the meat is deliciously tender.

Make Ahead Tips

It is best to cook it in advance and chill it the day before serving. Chilled beef is easier to cut into nice slices and reheat in smaller portions for dinner.

It also allows you to easily prepare thin deli meat slices for use on Reuben sandwiches with rye bread!

Corned Beef FAQ

More St Patrick's Day Recipes

Green food is a St. Patrick’s Day tradition for the luck of the Irish! 💚🍀 An all-Green Snack Board is a super fun twist and a better way to celebrate with fresh vegetables, fruit, and a magical clean dip.

Dishes that go with your cooked brisket beef dinner on St. Patty's day can be these Roasted Cabbage Steaks with golden crispy edges from the olive oil, and some root vegetables like Glazed Carrots, Mashed Potatoes, Smashed Potatoes, Roasted Rosemary Potatoes, or Red Potatoes. Cheddar Irish Bread or Brown Soda Bread or Dinner Rolls would be amazing too! Happy St. Patrick's Day.... 🍀🍀🍀

Serve some lucky Green Cocktails, or cheeky Green Jello Shots & Jigglers. Begin the day with a Green Smoothie and end the day with a delicious Irish Coffee complete with lucky green shamrock sprinkles and real edible gold flakes, just like a pot of gold!