Baked Corned Beef

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This is the best baked corned beef recipe for St. Patrick’s Day! A flavorful honey mustard glaze is brushed on top and sprinkled with brown sugar then the brisket is broiled in the oven to create a delicious crust.

Baked corned beef brisket coated in a delicious honey mustard glaze.

When celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, most traditional recipes call for boiling corned beef and cabbage in a big pot. The problem with that method is it can yield tough, overcooked pieces if not carefully monitored. I invite you to switch things up and give this baked version a try. You won’t regret it!

If you haven’t tried baking corned beef, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the ease of preparation, minimal ingredients, and the fact that the meat is actually flavorful. The best part is right before serving, as the brisket gets a generous honey mustard glaze that forms browns into a delicious crust.

What is corned beef?

Corned beef is either brisket or round, and they’re both tougher cuts of beef that benefit significantly from slow, moist-heat cooking. The beef is cured in a brine for several days in a solution of salt, sugar, pickling spices, and curing salt, like tinted cure mix, Insta-Cure #1, or Prague Powder 1 (a mixture of salt, sodium nitrite, and pink coloring).

Preparing the meat

Corned beef brisket on a wire rack getting brushed with dijon mustard.

The beef does not need to be rinsed. Just pat dry the surface with paper towels. Place on a rack set on top of a roasting pan, so it’s elevated from the bottom. This allows the heat to circulate and helps the roast cook evenly.

Add a small amount of cold water to the pan to prevent burning. This also creates a moist environment that softens the connective tissues without being submerged in water. Loosely cover the brisket with aluminum foil before baking to trap some steam. Make sure that the meat is fat-side up so that it flavors baste itself as it cooks, just like a roasted chicken.

Skip the seasoning packet

The brisket should already be cured, making it quite salty. So I don’t recommend adding extra salt and pepper or the spice packet that comes with it when baking. The seasoning packet delivers more flavor when added to a slow cooker or boiling liquid.

Make a stunning crust

Corned beef brisket on a cutting board with mustard crust.

Instead of the spice packet, I use a combination of honey, whole grain mustard, smooth dijon mustard, and brown sugar added in a thin layer on top of the meat before it bakes. A little bit of whole mustard seeds gives a subtle spicy flavor.

After the beef is cooked, the remaining honey mustard sauce is added, followed by a generous sprinkling of more brown sugar. The layer of sugar gets caramelized under the hot heating element of the broiler and creates a gorgeous golden-brown crust. It only takes a few minutes, so keep a close on the color.

The target internal temperature

Using an instant-read thermometer, the beef is ready when the thickest part reaches 160ºF (71ºC) and is fork-tender. This recipe is for a two-pound roast cooked at 350ºF (177ºC), which takes about 75 minutes. Extend the cooking time for larger cuts, monitoring with a thermometer every 10 minutes.

Rest and then slice

Knife slicing pieces of corned beef on a wooden cutting board.

Rest the corned beef on a cutting board for at least 10 minutes before slicing. This allows for carryover cooking and prevents the meat from losing juices and drying out. Slice the beef against the grain. It will be easy to identify because this cut has very coarse grains.

What I would serve with this

While the meat is baking, you can prepare a few tasty side dishes. I suggest serving this year’s feast with creamy, homemade mashed potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts. To complete your meal, bake a sweet Irish soda bread with cherries and almonds for a nice twist on the traditional recipe.

Slices of meat laid out on a wooden cutting board.

Recipe Science

Osmosis occurs during wet curing

Some manufacturers make the beef more flavorful by allowing a salt solution to penetrate the meat’s cell walls. The salt physically moves with water from outside of the membrane to inside the cell walls over time. This yields a brined and flavorful corned beef.

More Corned Beef

If you tried this Baked Corned Beef, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!

Baked Corned Beef with Honey Mustard Glaze

Easy oven roasted corned beef recipe for St. Patrick's Day that's made with a delicious honey mustard glaze. It's far more flavorful than boiling!
4.75 from 209 votes
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 35 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Course Entree
Cuisine Irish

Ingredients 
 

  • 2 pounds corned beef
  • 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
  • 5 tablespoons dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • ¼ cup dark brown sugar

Instructions 

  • Preheat the Oven – Set the oven rack to the center position. Preheat to 350°F (177ºC).
  • Prepare the Meat – Remove the corned beef from the package, discarding the spice packet. Dry the surface with paper towels. Place the beef fat-side up on a wire rack set on top of a roasting pan. Add about 1 inch of water to prevent the juices from burning while cooking.
  • Make the Glaze – Combine whole grain mustard, Dijon, and honey. Evenly spread 3 tablespoons (about half) of the mixture on top of the meat.
  • Cover the Meat – Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of brown sugar over the top. Then loosely cover the pan completely with foil.
  • Bake – Bake the corned beef until tender and the internal temperature reaches 160ºF (71ºC), about 75 minutes. Add more time as needed to cook thoroughly.
  • Remove and Glaze – Carefully remove the pan from the oven and transfer the corned beef to a baking sheet lined with foil. Set oven temperature to broil. Glaze with the remaining mustard mixture, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
  • Broil – Cook until the top of the meat turns golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Rest, then Slice – Remove beef from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board. Slice against the grain and serve immediately.

Notes

  • Serving Size: 4 ounces of sliced corned beef
  • Roasting Pan Liquid: Check the water level after an hour, and add more as needed so the juices don’t burn.
  • Mustard Ingredients: 6 tablespoons of pre-mixed whole-grain Dijon mustard can be substituted for the two individual ingredients.

Nutrition Facts

Serves: 8 servings
Calories 279kcal (14%)Carbohydrates 8g (3%)Protein 31g (62%)Fat 15g (23%)Saturated Fat 6g (30%)Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat 0.2gCholesterol 101mg (34%)Sodium 1123mg (47%)Potassium 15mgFiber 0.3g (1%)Sugar 8g (9%)Iron 3.2mg (18%)

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.

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Jessica Gavin

I'm a culinary school graduate, cookbook author, and a mom who loves croissants! My passion is creating recipes and sharing the science behind cooking to help you gain confidence in the kitchen.

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90 Comments Leave a comment or review

  1. Dee says

    I’ve made this before and everyone loved it! This year I’d like to make it ahead of time. Can I make this a day ahead? What would be the best way to reheat?
    Thank you!

    • Jessica Gavin says

      Great to hear! I would reheat the corned beef by wrapping it in foil, and baking at 300 degrees until warm, about 20 to 30 minutes. Unwrap and add the mustard and brown sugar glaze, and broil according to the recipe instructions.

  2. S Dahl says

    Hi,
    I’d love to try this for St. Patrick’s day this year, but… There’s always a but isn’t there? Lol.
    Let me start with I’m sorry. I know that you put a lot of time and effort into creating your recipes. It always makes me feel bad when people don’t follow them or tell you all the ways they change it. While I know that such posts can be very helpful to others when we don’t have a needed ingredient on hand, I still feel bad for the person who created the recipe.

    So I’m sorry to ask this, but ( there’s that but again, lol) I have several family members who will not eat meat with any type of sweet glaze or topping or sweetness of any kind. Could you please offer some alternatives to this for baking a corned beef? And I sincerely apologize. I mean no disrespect.
    Thank you!

    • Jessica Gavin says

      Hi Dahl- Great question! You can skip the glaze completely, or just add the dijon and whole-grain mustard blend on top for flavor.

  3. Dave says

    Suggestion: Use a digital thermometer with a “leave in probe” and save oven and baking heat lost from opening the door. Each time can add 5-10 minutes more cooking time depending on how fast you are.

    Next time, try this: Grab a loaf of Jewish rye, some sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and sour dill slices, mustard or dressing then smoke that raw corned beef into pastrami. Yum. That takes about 8-14 hours at 250 depending on the size of the cut. Internal temp should be 205, then wrap it in foil and a heavy towel then placed into a cooler for two hours. It’s like butter. Makes great Reubens.

    • Jessica Gavin says

      Great idea, Dave! I love using my meat thermometer with the probe for cooking roasts. Wow, a pastrami sandwich the way you suggested sounds incredible!

  4. Penny says

    Followed exactly…came out perfect!One question: what does cover loosely the meat and pan? Was a little confused of meaning. Thanks for recipe. Sandwiches today!

    • Jessica Gavin says

      Yay! So happy that you enjoyed the corned beef. Just loosely cover the pan with the meat sitting on top of wire rack with foil.

  5. Nicole says

    Made tonight! Wonderful at best 🙂 I substituted the water for a bottle of Guiness, put some baby carrot’s underneath my corned beef and babeeee!! Let me tell you it was awesome! I still used my seasoning packet, sorry I’m ole school, and I also cooked this in my clay cooker in the oven. I added an onion and some fresh garlic as well. Cooked along side with some roasted brussel sprouts with bacon and mashed potatoes!! Happy St. Patty’s Day 2022 EVERYBODY!!

    • Jessica Gavin says

      Wow Nicole! You took the baked corned beef to the next level! I must try the guinness next time. Your feast sounded amazing!

  6. Helen says

    Thank you for this recipe! It is in the oven now….I usually do the boiled kind but I think this will be much better. Doing it a little early so I do not have to cook on Thursday (my birthday). And yes I have Irish roots so we will especially enjoy this meal.

  7. Catherine says

    I keep forgetting to leave a comment for this great recipe. I have made it several times. It always comes out perfect. The whole family loves it. It’s the best way to make corned beef.

  8. Janae says

    I have made this recipe before, it is amazing!!! I have always had corned beef the regular boiled way. But this changed the game ,in a good way 🙂 the savory & sweet compliments. Trust me at first I was like, I don’t know about this… SO glad I tried !!!

  9. Anna Leah says

    We have been making corned beef this way for years now and get as big a piece as possible but perhaps next time two 2-lbs. roast will mean less cooking and waiting! Love the honey mustard topping and looking forward to leftovers tomorrow. We make this not just for St. Patty’s Day but oh how we look forward to March 17 each year. This year we also tried your Bailey’s Brownie! Thanks for your recipes.

    • Jessica Gavin says

      Wow, two roasts sound good, with lots of leftovers! So thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the beef and had dessert too. Cheers!

  10. Dick Skogg says

    I simmered the roast as per instructions for 3 hours so as to take advantage of the seasoning pack but also added a quartered onion, a few allspice berries, bay leaf and a bit of chopped celery. I removed it from the dutch oven and placed whole cloves inserted into the fat layer and coated the brisket with your mixture. I baked it in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes and it turned out to be the best corned beef we have ever made.

  11. Lindi says

    Love a really yummie corn beef. I do something very similar when l do a corned pork, never thought to do it with Corned Beef. Will have to get a Silverstein next shop, I had bought a corned pork last week, it can stay in the freezer abit longer.. Thanks for the recipe…

  12. Susan says

    Hi Jessica, How long do you think it will take for a 4.5lb brisket, in the oven? I pretty much doubled up on the ingredients, but not sure about cooking time. Double?

    Thanks,
    Susan

    • Jessica Gavin says

      For the larger roast, I would check every 15 minutes after the first 75 minutes. As it gets to about 150ºF, check after 10 minutes.

      • Susan says

        Thank you! But I didn’t see your answer (until this morning), so I went ahead and cooked it last night for 3 1/2 hours (50 minute per pound, 4 1/2pounds….) Then, when I stuck the thermometer in it it was over 200 degrees, so I was little concerned. But it was BY FAR the BEST corned beef we have EVER had in our entire lives. And corned beef (the boiled kind) has always been a staple in my house – growing up and as a Mom and Grandma. I followed your recipe very closely. I put it on a small rack, but in a full size roasting pan (’cause that’s what I had). I put water in the bottom, so maybe there was more water overall in such a large pan, but it was not touching the meat. I sealed it with foil fairly tight, not loosely as you said. I checked it once and there was still plenty of water, and still some when it was done. Because it was so late, I let it cool and put it in the fridge, as is. Tonight I pulled it out and heated it up covered, then broiled it in the same pan. It worked beautifully! And it was SO delicious and tender! And dinner was EASY tonight! Oh, one more thing – I did boil it briefly before preparing and baking it. Last time I tried baking a corned beef it was WAY to salty. This time it was perfect!

        • Jessica Gavin says

          Whoo-hoo! I’m so thrilled to hear that the corned beef turned out well for you. Thanks for sharing your tips, I’m sure others will find it very helpful.

  13. Suzanne Obolsky says

    Hi. I’m confused as to why it says to cook for the brisket for 75 minutes in the text of this 2lb. recipe, but standard recommendations show an hour per pound. Am I missing something? I think I just put my brisket in the oven too late based on this instruction. Thank you.

    • Jessica Gavin says

      Hi Suzanne- I’ve found that a 2-pound brisket needs about 75 minutes, or when the thickest part reaches 160ºF. Bake and check-in at 10-minute intervals after that time if you have a larger roast.

  14. Jordan says

    Hi Jess,
    I tried this recipe last night with a 3lb roast and worked out great. I didn’t follow the recipe exactly, that’s why I didn’t get the nice crust in top. But was a great recipe m, easy to follow and understanding. Thanks so much. Will definitely be using again.

  15. Noreen says

    I’ve never really been a fan of boiled corned beef so after looking for other ways to make it I came across your recipe. I made it for our St. Patrick’s dinner and my husband (who is Irish) said this is the only way he’ll eat corned beef now. It was so delicious! This recipe is a keeper!

  16. Linda says

    I baked this today in celebration of St Patrick’s Day and it was absolutely delicious! None of my racks fit well in my pans, so I used a broiler pan – covered the bottom in foil then poured the water in, used a little non-stick spray on the top grated portion of the pan and put the meat on top. Next time I’ll line the bottom of the pan with veggies as others did. Easier cleanup than slow cooker!

  17. Patti says

    I’ve had the typical New England boiled corned beef & cabbage all of my life and wasn’t even aware that there was a different way to prepare it. This was absolutely the best that we’ve ever had! I rinsed the roast well as directed and used the glaze, but instead of water in the pan I used apple cider. The meat stayed moist and tender & the flavor was amazing. I roasted carrots, potatoes and cabbage separately in the oven after tossing in olive oil and sprinkled the potatoes with dill. Looking forward to Ruben sandwiches with the leftover meat & having the roasted veggies on the side.

    • Jessica Gavin says

      DO you have a metal overproof cooling rack you can set on top? Or perhaps you can crumble up 6 to 8 pieces of foil and place underneath the roast. You can also put on top of a bed or root vegetables like onions, carrots, and potatoes.

  18. Brenna says

    I’ve never made corned beef and decided to try it out for St Patricks! I made this last night for my fiancé and a friend of his who claims to hate mustard, and it was a success!

    I lined the bottom of my pan with onion, carrot, cabbage, garlic, a bay leaf and some potatoes that I browned On the stove. I added beef broth and beer to the water that was meant to be sitting at the bottom of the pan. Delicious!! Thanks for another great recipe!!

  19. Suzanne says

    This is my go-to favorite recipe for corned beef! I no longer boil corned beef & my family loves it. I stock up on corned beef around St Patrick’s day as my local Texas grocery stores do not usually carry corned beef year round and many do not even know what it is when I ask 🙂 We love our smoked brisket, but I also LOVE roasted corned beef with the brown sugar mustard glaze! Thanks for this recipe & your other St Patrick’s day themed recipes. I am going to try the bacon & cheese Irish soda bread too.

  20. Jessica Hapak says

    This is in the oven right now! I love pickling spices, and I have a really good quality one from a local spice shop that I’ll use when I brine my own corned beef. For this recipe I took a heaping tablespoon and ground it up in my motar and pestle, and mixes that into the mustard and honey mixture. I don’t have a roasting pan so it’s on top of some potatoes (when it’s baked that’s going to be some tasty mashed potatoes!). Corned beef is one of my favorite foods- I’m excited for this baby to come out of the oven.

    • Jessica Hapak says

      It is out of the oven and in my mouth and delicious! The added ground up pickling spice really added another level of flavor for me. Thank you so much for including the internal temperature- my corned beef was about 3.5 pounds so I baked it for 90 minutes to get an internal temp of 145. So tasty.

      • Jessica Gavin says

        Whoo hoo! I’m so happy that you enjoyed the recipe. I love that you added extra ground up pickling spice for even more flavor. Thanks for sharing your cooking time!

  21. Jon Bardwell says

    I followed this recipe tonight and while my results weren’t so great i know it could have been amazing! The beef i bought was way too grissly and way overbrined. I am going to try this again after selecting my own cut and doing my own brining. Thank you Jessics for this awesome recipe!!

    • Jessica Gavin says

      Thank you for the feedback Jon! I appreciate you trying the recipe. Some readers have told me they rinsed the corned beef prior to remove some of the excess salt from the brine. I will add some notes to the recipe. Let me know how your recipe turns out!

  22. asmith says

    Would using a Reynolds cooking bag work as well as foil? Makes clean up a breeze. I ve had excellent luck with them on most oven cooked meats makes them moist.

    • Jessica Gavin says

      Hello! I have not tried that method before, but you can certainly try! You would still need to put the roast on a sheet pan to broil the additional honey mustard glaze for a few minutes 🙂 Let me know how it goes!

  23. B says

    Loved the flavor and ease of preparation. Mine was tough so not sure if I cut it incorrectly. Any suggestions?

  24. Dawn says

    Question: Do I put the corned beef in a regular roasting pan, or do I use one with a rack on the bottom? This is my first try, and I don’t want to ruin it.

    • Jessica Gavin says

      Hi Dawn! I used a roasting pan with a rack for the first part of cooking so I could add some water on the bottom of the pan. Then I placed the cooked beef on a sheet pan for the last few minutes of the broiling part for the honey mustard glaze.

  25. Lesa says

    Love this method for corned beef, but we love the flavor of the vegetables cooked in the meat broth, so I line the roasting pan with my carrots, potatoes and onions, add the water and then roast the whole thing as above. I add wedges of cabbage for the last 15 minutes or so and you have the whole meal in one pan. Haven’t tried broiling for the crusty topping, but will this year. Thanks for all the great ideas.

    • Jessica Gavin says

      Wow Lesa, I absolutely love that idea of adding in the vegetables so it soaks up al of those yummy juices! I will have to try that this year 🙂 The broiling is the icing on the cake!

  26. Patricia A Conlon says

    Will this keep it moister than a Crockpot? I’ve had mixed-results with slow cookers and corned beef; sometimes it’s awful tough coming out and I don’t know why. I think I’m going to try it this way this year!

    • Jessica Gavin says

      Hi Patricia! I’ve made corned beef both ways I prefer the oven baked method because it’s more tender. If you are looking for a one pot meal than slow cooker is great! However my overall preference from the meat perspective is oven baked 🙂

    • MadameK says

      Are you putting the correct ingredients in the water when not baking? Also, corned beef will be tough if its boiled, it requires time – even in this baked recipe – that’s because meat goes through a few changes when cooked because its essentially muscle meat. At, first it sears, then it releases juices, and you can see it shrink in size and change its shape a little – it becomes quite firm even if it’s rare. Some people don’t realize though, that resting at that point isn’t likely to make it more tender. It needs a bit more gentle care (so barely simmer not boil), and it needs the longer timeframe to cook, not just because its a lower temp, but because just like topside and chuck, its a cheaper cut of meat and curing is only part of the tenderisation process. Sometimes, it is just a tougher piece, but if cooked right, most pieces should not be stringy or tough at all.

      When cooking corned beef the traditional way in water you need 30 mins per 500g plus an extra hour per 500g for tenderisation (this is why crock pots are awesome!) and the following added into the water to get the best result (this is typically for a 1-1-5kg corned beef, increase proportionally if cooking more): half a large onion cut in big chunks, a 5-finger pinch of whole peppercorns (any type), a pinch of dried rosemary, a pinch of dried thyme, 2-3 garlic cloves peeled and halved, 2 heaped tablespoons of brown sugar and 1/3 cup white or apple cider vinegar.

      This will yield a very flavourful and mostly tender piece of corned beef. When choosing your piece, you can also help get a better outcome by selecting a piece that is – for want of a better term – already nice and squishy from the curing process. I also remove all the fat from the meat after its cooked as that helps keep it tender as well.

  27. Diane Loraine says

    Hi! I would like to try this! But my oven has no broiler. 🙁 any alternative on the broiling part? Thanks in advance! 🙂

    • Jessica Gavin says

      Hi Diane! You could possibly try to pre-heat you oven to 500 degrees F, and then let the mustard and born sugar caramelize. Broiling takes about 3-5 minutes, I would check in around 5 and add a few minutes extra until the glaze sets into a golden crust. You may not achieve the darker brown sphttps://www.jessicagavin.com/wp-admin/#comments-formots but you just want to set mustard topping. If you have a handheld torch that always helps, but I know that’s not always a common kitchen tool 🙂

  28. William Mahaney says

    I just made this and it is awesome. But i tweaked it a bit. First we rinsed the brisket , then soaked it in water for 24 hours to pull out some of the salt. then made your mixture and coated it and let it sit for 24 hours . then followed the rest of your instructions! Phenomenal !!

    • Jessica Gavin says

      That is so AWESOME to hear William! Great idea for drawing out some of the salt, I’ll have to give that method a try 🙂

  29. Karen says

    This is totally the best recipe for corned beef ever, definately a keeper! Thanks for sharing!

  30. Svetlana says

    This recipe is easy and delicious. My boys licked their plates clean! We baked as is without any boiling and didn’t find it salty at all. I can eat corned beef all year round with this recipe!

  31. rei says

    hi
    im just wondering did you blanch or boil your corned beef in water and spice before baking or did yo straight up just baked it in the oven?

    cause i have corned beef can be quite salty.

    • Jessica Gavin says

      Hi Rei- I did not blanch or boil the corned beef before baking. You can rinse the outside and pat dry if you want to remove some of the salt from the surface. Corned beef is salty, however I did not find it overly salty cooked this way by just baking. Great question!

    • Joyce says

      Hi – I do boil it for a short time before baking – for maybe about 1/2 hour or so. I think it really helps control the salt content .

  32. Joyce says

    I’ve made corned beef like this for many years. It’s wonderful and once you’ve tried it you’l never boil again!

        • Jessica Gavin says

          Hi Berta! Would you be able to put a small rack on the bottom of the pot? If not, perhaps a bed of root vegetables so that the meat is not sitting in the water on the bottom? I would just cover the pot with foil 🙂

  33. Dee says

    I made this last year and was delicious!! This year I have 2 pieces of corned beef at 20lbs each. How long do you recommend I cook them? Thanks!

    • Jessica Gavin says

      Hi Dee- Thanks for making the recipe! Wow, that is a lot of corned beef! Typically I recommend 50 minutes per pound of beef, but 16 hours seems like a long time! Can you maybe cut them into smaller portions (maybe 2-3 pounds each) and then bake them?

  34. Richard Wrue says

    I came across this recipe for oven roasting corn beef and was shocked that somebody else uses the same identical method that i do – right down to the same oven temperature! I generally used this method for cooking baby back ribs which come out fantastic without using a long cooking period at lower temps. The trick is to really seal everything so as to efficiently pressure steam the meat. FYI, here’s my method: using two identical pans that are about 2 inches deep, put a stand-off roasting rack in one of them with the meat on top. fill the pan with water, beer or anything you like and cover with a sheet of heavy duty alum. foil. crimp the foil all around the edges leaving an amount below the edge. take the pan and set it into the second pan and push down to seat it. the second pan traps the foil and minimizes steam leakage during roasting. its a real nifty assembly!

      • Jessica Gavin says

        Hi Howard- Great question! I’ve found this recipe to be really tender and moist, so I think it can be reheated. Please let me know how it turns out!