This is my go to recipe for corned beef. Comes out perfect every time!
Why I love this baked corned beef recipe
Did you know that corned beef made from beef brisket? It’s just preserved with spices and curing salt which contains sodium nitrate – this is what gives it it’s unique pink color. In general, brisket benefits from low and slow cooking methods, and by baking the corned beef at a low temperature, we can render the fat and connective tissue that can make corned beef tough.
It’s important to note that you can’t just open the corned beef and toss it in the oven. Corned beef is preserved in a ton of salt, and the traditional method of boiling it pulls that salt out. So while my oven heats up, I soak my corned beef in water for about 15 minutes or so. I do this right in the dish that I plan to bake it in to save on clean up.
The cooking method alone will make a better corned beef brisket, but adding flavor is never a bad thing. I like to give my corned beef a nice of coat of brown sugar and whole ground mustard – with that classic seasoning packet mixed in – and I always add some Guinness to the pan the ensure the brisket doesn’t dry out. You can’t go wrong with Guinness on St. Patrick’s Day.
More St. Patrick’s Day recipes: Lucky Charms cookies / dairy free shramrock shakes / sautéed cabbage / chocolate Guinness cake / Dublin coddle
Here’s what you’ll need to make it
Ingredient notes:
- Corned beef brisket – I used a 4 pound corned beef. Get whatever size you need to feed your family, but make sure it will fit in your baking dish.
- Guinness – You don’t need to use Guinness. You can use any dark beer of your choice, just keep in mind that not all beer is dairy free. If you want to avoid alcohol, try some apple cider or even a cola! It will be a bit sweeter, but should produce great results.
FAQs and tips for making the best corned beef
If you plan to bake your corned beef like I normally do, I recommend soaking it in cold water for at least 15 minutes to reduce the amount of sodium. If you’re boiling it, make sure you rinse your corned beef a few times before adding it to your pot.
Corned beef brisket needs to be baked for about 1 hour per pound at a temperature of 325˚F. If you’re boiling, it should be simmered for about 50 minutes per pound.
Whether you’re baking or boiling corned beef, it should be placed fat side up. When it’s baked, this allows the fat to melt through/over the meat while it cooks and keeps it nice and juicy while adding flavor.
Corned beef needs to cook for a long time to make it tender, so it’s technically cooked fully before it’s ready. You will know your corned beef is ready to eat when it’s fork tender.
As with any meat, it’s best to slice corned beef against the grain, but if you cook your corned beef just right, you should be able to shredded it with a fork and it won’t matter which direction you’re slicing it.
More beef recipes you’ll love: flank steak marinade / Instant Pot Mississippi pot roast / mini meatloaf recipe / shredded beef tacos
Have leftover corned beef?
Baked Corned Beef
Ingredients
- 1 4- pound corned beef brisket, with seasoning packet
- 1 cup Guinness or other stout
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon whole grain mustard
Instructions
- Soak the meat. Preheat your oven to 325˚F and while it heats, soak your corned beef in cold water. This helps remove the excess salt.If your water gets super cloudy after a few minutes, change out the water and continue soaking for a total of 15 minutes.Drain the water and pat the corned beef dry.
- Season the roast. Place corned beef in a baking dish and add Guinness to the pan. Then, in a small bowl, mix the seasoning packet with brown sugar and mustard. Rub this onto the top of the corned beef (fat side up).
- Bake the corned beef. Cover the pan – with a lid or with aluminum foil – and bake for 4 hours*. During the final 30 minutes of baking, remove the lid to allow the seasoning to brown.Remove from the oven and allow the corned beef to rest on a cutting board for about 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
I’m trying your recipe for the first time I’m putting two corn beef in one pan. How long should I cook? Should I still cook an hour per pound?
One hour per pound should work great! If there is space between the pieces for air circulating, I would time it for the larger piece only and check the internal temp after that. You will want it to cook to about 200˚F for the fat to render and the meat to tenderize.
If I want to cook some red potatoes and carrots with the corned beef, when should I add them to the pan?
I would add them about halfway through or with about 1 hour left, depending on the size you make them.
Love this recipe! I used root beer because I didn’t have a dark “real” beer…turned out fabulous! Best corn beef recipe ever!
I’m so happy to hear that 🙂 Thanks for sharing your ingredient swap!
I’m pretty sure all beer is dairy free.
Unfortunately, that’s not true. Some beer has added lactose or milk for flavor. Guinness does not though, so it is naturally dairy free.
I had a 4.5 lb corned beef roast. I never had one that was that big before. I was trying to find a way to make it. Most of the recipes that came up were crock pot recipes. My crock pot couldn’t fit my roast. I admit that I have a particular palate. I cannot have anything hot/spicy. I do not like Guinness or mustard. I was just trying to find the best way to cook it. I took your advice for soaking the beef in water so that it wasn’t too salty. This is the first time that I ever soaked meat before cooking it. It literally stripped all the flavor off of it. Even though I seasoned the meat with the seasoning packet after soaking, the meat didn’t have any flavor. Ugh! What a waste. There’s nothing that I can put on it now to have it taste like corned beef again. All of the flavor was diluted away. I usually make up my own way of cooking. I just wanted try to find the right temperature & cooking times for such a big corned beef. Lesson learned. Never soak your corned beef before you cook it. 🙁
Thank you for your honest feedback. I’m really surprised that you found it flavorless. Usually soaking is necessary because corned beef contains so much salt in it’s brine, so unless you’re boiling it, you kind of have to soak it. Did you put any liquid in the pan while you were cooking it?
I call BS on this comment. I’ve been soaking it before baking for years and it’s always still plenty salty. Did you use an actual corned beef or just a brisket? You didn’t use the seasonings she suggested nor the Guinness, but you wonder why it didn’t come out right? This recipe works – this is user error and trolling.
This was the BEST corned beef I’ve ever made!! I’ve made corned beef in the crockpot, in the InstaPot and the oven. This was, by far, the easiest and most tender corned beef recipe!! Thank you for this recipe!! We loved it!
I have a couple questions. So is it the ground powder mustard? That’s what I have and the packet that came with it. And what is the best baking dish? And do I have to use a lager or can I replace it with beef broth maybe?
Excellent Baked Corned Beef recipe !
We have chosen this recipe to bake year after year
Thank You Melissa.
Can’t wait to try more of your delicious recipes
Have been making corned beef for over 40 years but have never soaked it prior to cooking. It’s a game changer and will continue to always soak prior and will cook in a Dutch oven in oven.
This is my go to recipe for corned beef. Comes out perfect every time!