Baked Honey Mustard Corned Beef

My family has always enjoyed a traditional boiled corned beef and cabbage meal on St. Patrick’s day. Last year, Pam posted a baked corned beef recipe that caught my eye and I saved the recipe to try this year.

The corned beef turned out tender and juicy with a sticky sweet honey mustard glaze on top. There were six of us together for this meal and every single person requested seconds. Even my rarely-excited-about-meat children all said that they “loved” this meat.

I have a good feeling it will be making an appearance at our St. Patrick’s Day dinners for years to come. In fact, I’m not sure I’ll be able to wait for March 17 to come around again give this corned beef recipe an encore!

Baked Corned Beef

I’ve always LIKED boiled corned beef but it’s never been the meal I dream of at night. When I found this baked corned beef recipe, it completely knocked my socks off.

Corned Beef can be very salty when baked. To remove some of the saltiness, this version is brought to a boil for just a minute and then removed from the water. The resulting beef was perfectly seasoned without being overly salty.

Baked Honey Mustard Corned Beef

The glaze of honey and coarse grain mustard added a beautiful sweetness and subtle tang to the salted meat. The flavor combination of the Honey Mustard Glaze and cured meat hit all the right notes for me. A little brown sugar sprinkled over the top before baking ties all the different elements of Baked Honey Mustard Corned Beef together.

While the honey mustard flavor might not be strictly traditional as far as Irish recipes go, I think it preserves the familiarity of corned beef while making it even tastier. That’s a win in my book!

Alton Brown’s Corned Beef

Corned Beef is a cut of brisket that’s been cured in salt water before being cooked. When you buy corned beef from the butcher or deli counter, you’re buying a cut of meat that’s already been brined for you. This makes cooking corned beef easy and the flavor is always good.

This year, for the first time ever, I tried brining my own Corned Beef. Without the pink curing salt (a.k.a. nitrates) the meat does not turn pink, however, the flavor is the same.

The briny salty flavor of this beef was a bit milder than in the store-bought corned beef I’ve cooked in the past. However, I brined mine for 5 days instead of the maximum 10 days listed in the recipe I followed.

I imagine that a longer brining process would likely contribute to a stronger flavor. I’m looking forward to trying it again in the future and sharing what I discover.

If you are interested in brining your own Corned Beef, you still have time. I adapted mine from Alton Brown’s recipe. He hasn’t let me down yet.

Of course, using the brined beef you find at the grocery store or butcher is also just fine in this Baked Corned Beef recipe. I’ve made it with store bought corned beef and brisket I’ve brined myself and both ways turned out terrific.

Uses for Leftover Corned Beef

As much as I enjoy a Baked Corned Beef dinner, it’s the leftovers that really get me excited. Each time we make corned beef, I look forward to trying out new ways of using leftover corned beef and revisiting old favorites. It’s a delicious way to get creative (and my family doesn’t hate it either).

Reuben Sandwiches are a classic way to enjoy cold cut corned beef. I love the flavor combo of Reubens so much that I brainstormed a way to turn the famous NYC deli sandwich into Reuben Soup.

With creamy potatoes, tender leftover meat and savory broth, Corned Beef and Cabbage Stew is another go-to method for using cooked corned beef. I think it’s tasty enough to be worth baking corned beef the day before just for the opportunity to make this comforting stew.

Then there’s the hash I crave more than any other: Corned Beef and Red Potato Hash. This skillet fried recipe is delicious with a fried egg on top or served just as is for breakfast, brunch or anytime you need a quick and satisfying meal.

How To Bake Corned Beef In The Oven

Baking corned beef is easier than you think. A quick boil on the stove top, a simple glaze and a little foil is all it takes to make heavenly corned beef.

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and place a big pot of water (large enough to hold the meat) on the stove. Add the corned beef to the pot of water and bring it to a boil. While the water heats up, place a large sheet of aluminum foil over a baking pan (to prevent sticking and make clean up easier).

Let the corned beef boil for 1 minute then remove the meat from the water and place on paper towels to drain. Pat the beef dry before placing it on your roasting pan fat side up. If you’re using a glaze, as in the recipe below, now’s the time to add it to the beef. Reserve a few tablespoons of the glaze or sauce for serving with the finished corned beef.

Once glazed, wrap the beef in the foil keeping a little space between the top and the sides and bake for 2 hours. Remove the pan from the oven and change the oven setting to broil.

Open the foil so the meat is visible then broil the corned beef for about 3 to 4 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. If you’re using glaze, the glaze should bubble during this step. Make sure to keep a close eye on the beef during the broiling process–it can burn extremely quickly!

Let the baked corned beef rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

I love serving this with Irish Colcannon for a complete meal.

Baked Honey Mustard Corned Beef

5 from 1 vote

Recipe slightly adapted from and with thanks to For The Love Of Cooking originally from Simply Recipes

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Servings: 8 -12 servings

Ingredients 

• ▢ 2-3 lb corned beef
• ▢ 1/4 cup honey
• ▢ 1/3 cup coarse grain mustard
• ▢ 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a very large a very large sheet of aluminum foil over a baking pan. Place the corned beef into a pot of water and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 1 minute and then remove to waiting paper towels. Pat dry and then place the corned beef, fat side up, on the waiting foil.
• Stir together the honey and the mustard. Reserve 2-3 tablespoons in a separate dish and then pour the sauce over the top of the corned beef. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the top. Wrap the beef with the foil, allowing space between the top and sides of the meat and the foil. Bake for 2 hours.
• Remove from the oven, change temperature to broil. Open the foil and place back in the oven. Broil for 3-4 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and bubbling. Watch closely while broiling, it will burn very quickly once it has browned! Let the corned beef rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing across the grain of the meat. Serve with the reserved honey mustard sauce. Enjoy!

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