Baked Corned Beef with Mustard and Brown Sugar - CopyKat Recipes (2024)

Skip the boiling and bake your next corned beef brisket with a deliciously simple mustard and brown sugar topping for a versatile, filling meal that may become your new go-to.

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Oven baked corned beef brisket

Corned beef isn’t just for Saint Patrick’s Day or your favorite old-school deli. It’s easy to make incredible meals from this underrated cut and style of meat right at home with just two other ingredients.

What makes baked corned beef with brown sugar so good?

Contrast is the magic of this recipe. Corned beef is typically quite salty, seasoned with a pungent mix of spices. It pairs beautifully with the complex sweetness of brown sugar and the distinctive tangy sharpness of Dijon, which slowly marinate the meat while it bakes.

Meanwhile, the low and slow cooking process breaks down the meat’s connective tissue, turning the otherwise tough cut into mouthwatering, fork-tender beef.

Why you should try this recipe

Forget about complicated recipes with tons of ingredients — you don’t need them to create big flavors. With just a few ingredients and a few easy steps, you’ll be ready to chow down. It’s also wonderfully versatile.

Enjoy it hot and fresh from the oven, or slice it and stick it in the fridge for delicious sandwiches. You can even dice it up and toss it in a potato salad or an omelet/egg scramble.

Ingredients

Just three simple ingredients are necessary to create the best corned beef:

• Corned beef brisket
• Dijon Mustard
• Brown Sugar

If you don’t have brown sugar, you can substitute Turbinado sugar for a similar effect. With such a straightforward recipe, it’s vital to use the best quality ingredients possible.

How do you pick out the perfect corned beef?

Finding the perfect corned beef brisket for your needs depends on how many people you’re trying to feed and your desired composition of the meat.

Generally, corned beef is sold in three forms: the whole brisket, a thick cut, and a thin cut. The thick cut pieces include more fat (and, therefore, flavor) and make roughly four to six servings. The thinner part (the “flat cut”) is leaner and smaller overall, perfect for two to four people.

Whole briskets offer both cuts unseparated for a more substantial and varied piece of meat.

How to make corned beef brisket

Making this dijon-brown sugar corned beef could hardly be easier, and takes just ten minutes of active cooking:

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
2. Remove the corned beef from the package, rinse it, and pat it dry. Discard the spice packet if there is one. Place it in a large baking dish on a sheet of aluminum foil, fat side up.
3. Spread the mustard over the top of the corned beef.
4. Sprinkle brown sugar over it.
5. Wrap it in foil.

6. Add water to the pan until it’s about a third full.
7. Wrap the pan in foil and bake until it reaches at least 145°F inside, about two and a half hours.
8. Unwrap the foil and broil for 2-3 minutes to crisp the exterior.
9. Place it on a cutting board and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.
10. Slice it and serve.

Those looking for juicy yet fork-tender corned beef can leave it in the oven for up to four hours total, until the internal temperature has reached 195°F. An instant-read meat thermometer is a vital tool for making sure your corned beef is ready to go.

How to serve baked corned beef

After removing it from the oven, allow the corned beef to rest for a few minutes, which lets the juices distribute within the meat more evenly and the cooking process to complete. Then, slice it against the grain into pieces of your desired size and thickness.

If you’re enjoying corned beef as a main, you may want thicker pieces, while those preparing the meat for sandwiches will likely want thinner slices.

What goes well with corned beef with mustard and brown sugar

Corned beef goes well with a variety of tasty sides. One that’s most closely associated with corned beef is cabbage, typically sauteed or stewed. Roasted vegetables, carrots, mashed potatoes, or roasted red potatoes are also excellent companions. For a deli-style spin, add a pickle or some sauerkraut.

You can also use it to make corned beef hash and Reuben sandwiches including a tasty corned beef breakfast sandwich.

How to store leftovers

If you’ve got some leftover corned beef, you’ll be happy to know it stores pretty well. Allow it to cool to room temperature, then place it in an airtight container. Store the corned beef in the refrigerator and use it within three to four days.

If you want to preserve baked corned beef for longer, you can wrap it in foil or plastic wrap and store it in a freezer-safe bag or container. It’ll be at its best for two to three months.

How to reheat

While this corned beef is delicious cold or at room temperature, it’s also easy to reheat in the microwave or the oven. The former method is quicker, requiring just a few minutes to heat up. However, using a 350°F oven preserves the best texture, even if it can take ten minutes or more. Frozen corned beef should be fully thawed in the fridge before reheating.

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• Instant Pot Irish Stew
• Irish Coddle
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• Shamrock Shake
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