Roasting a large cut of beef like a brisket takes care and attention to detail. Corned beef is one popular type of beef roast that is usually braised, or cooked in liquid. Yet you can use your oven to cook it as well if you know how to do it. For a traditional corned beef braise with all the vegetables, you can load everything into a covered Dutch oven and let the heat do the work. It’s also possible to experiment with wrapping the meat and cooking it without extra liquid so the juices increase the flavor of the finished roast. Get the inspiration you need to try new ways of cooking corned beef with these tips on how to use the oven for this particular cut.
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What is Corned Beef?
Corned beef is usually made from the flat end of a brisket, which is the leaner and more evenly shaped side. Brisket comes from a well-organized part of the rib muscle, resulting in a tough texture if the meat is simply roasted in the oven. Even the brining method that makes it corned beef rather than just brisket can’t overcome this effect. The key is maintaining a steady moisture level around the meat no matter how you’re cooking it. Corned beef has a lot of salt trapped in the meat because of the brining process, so keeping it covered or wrapped while cooking is key to prevent the salt from concentrating further as moisture is lost.
How is Corned Beef Usually Cooked?
Most traditional methods for cooking corned beef will involve liquid. You’ll find references to boiled dinner in Ireland that involves pork or beef brined this way. If you don’t want to use a rolling boil, simmering the meat in liquid is known as braising. Braising corned beef can reduce the saltiness of the brined meat and add flavor from pickling spices and liquid ingredients like beer or beef broth. However, some people don’t enjoy the texture and flavor as much once the meat has been braised for hours.
Why Consider the Oven Instead?
Oven roasting creates a different, more intense flavor in corned beef. Roasting the meat without a cover leaves it toughened and salty. The key is wrapping the meat in aluminum foil or covering it in a tightly sealed dish like a Dutch oven. Trapping moisture around the meat ensures a proper balance of salt and keeps the meat from drying out as it cooks. Using the oven is also a less hands-on approach than cooking the corned beef on the stovetop. You simply load up the oven and check it again after a few hours to see how the meat is progressing.
Tips and Tricks to Cooking Corned Beef in the Oven
Avoid the roasting racks and basting tools you might turn to when cooking a Prime Rib roast. Cooking corned beef in the open air of the oven only works at the very end if you want to add a glaze or rub on the surface. For the majority of the cooking time, the meat needs to stay wrapped, covered, or otherwise tightly sealed. Adding at least a small amount of water and other liquids to the cooking vessel is recommended if you choose to use a lidded casserole dish or Dutch oven. If you go with the aluminum foil wrapping method, use a thicker foil so it doesn’t crack or rip and allow the liquids to leak out during cooking.
Variations of Sauces and Glazes to Use
Applying a glaze to the corned beef at the beginning of cooking will add a small amount of flavor, but a glossy and thick glaze layer must be built up at the end. Uncover or unwrap the corned beef roast and brush on the glaze in layers while broiling the roast. If a glaze doesn’t fit your corned beef dinner plans, consider a sauce that you serve on the side instead.
Honey Mustard Glaze
Honey mustard all on its own makes an ideal glaze for corned beef. It won’t get as shiny or glossy as other glazes, but it’s easy to apply directly from a bottle and dries quickly to a golden brown finish. Adding honey mustard before wrapping a corned beef roast in foil helps the flavor penetrate deeper into the meat.
Dijon Mustard and Brown Sugar Glaze
For a shiny glaze that still has great mustard flavor to go with the richness of the beef, combine Dijon mustard, brown sugar, and a small amount of warm beef broth or Worcestershire sauce. Heat the mixture in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved and everything is smooth and thin enough to brush on the meat. Build this glaze up in layers, letting the heat of the broiler set each layer before you add another for a glossy finish.
Bourbon and Garlic Glaze
A thickened glaze combining bourbon, minced garlic, and pineapple juice takes a little more skill to pull off. The result is an amazing flavor combination that goes great with the corned beef’s existing flavor. Add 1 tablespoon of bourbon to every ½ cup of pineapple juice and cook them together first until the smell of alcohol dissipates. Add the minced garlic and chopped fresh rosemary and heat until the ingredients have softened and the sauce has thickened slightly. Baste it on until a glossy glaze layer builds up.
Horseradish Cream Sauce
Served on the side rather than applied during cooking, horseradish cream sauce is a traditional accompaniment to braised or baked corned beef. Combine ½ cup of heavy cream, ½ cup of sour cream, ½ cup of prepared white horseradish, 2 tablespoons of finely minced chives, 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Oven Baked Corned Beef Recipe
You’ll need a Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid or a roll of heavy aluminum foil for this recipe. Use a high-sided roasting pan to hold the corned beef if it’s wrapped so that any juices that do escape stay trapped in the pan.
Ingredients
- 1 brined corned beef, about 4 to 6 lbs
- ¼ cup of Dijon or honey mustard (any other glaze can be substituted)
- 2 tablespoons of seasoning from the corned beef packaging, or the following blended together
- 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon powdered allspice
- ¼ teaspoon powdered bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
Instructions
1. Rinse the corned beef off and let it rest for 20 minutes to come closer to room temperature. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Pat the corned beef with paper towels if the surface is still wet. Rub on the mustard or other glaze, then sprinkle on the seasoning mix.
3. Wrap the roast in a tight-fitting layer of aluminum foil. Try to cover all the seams so leaks are minimal. Place the roast in a high-sided roasting pan or casserole dish.
4. Place the roast in the oven. Roast the meat for 1 hour per pound of meat. Open a corner of the foil, watching out for hot steam, and check the texture. Remove the meat when it becomes soft enough to easily penetrate with a fork.
5. Remove the fork and add any glaze, then place under the broiler for up to 20 minutes until the glaze has thickened and caramelized.
Notes
You can also place the corned beef in a Dutch oven with liquid and follow the regular braising procedure inside the oven.
Conclusion
Using the oven to roast corned beef is a great way to break out of the usual stovetop routine. Try something new with a flavorful glaze this St. Patrick’s Day.
Oven Baked Corned Beef
Ingredients
- 1 ~4-6lbs brined corned beef
- 1/4 cup Dijon or honey mustard (any other glaze can be substituted)
- 2 tbsp seasoning from the corned beef packaging
Or, you can use the following seasonings blended together:
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp powdered allspice
- 1/4 tsp powdered bay leaf
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse the corned beef off and let it rest for 20 minutes to come closer to room temperature. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Pat the corned beef with paper towels if the surface is still wet. Rub on the mustard or other glaze, then sprinkle on the seasoning mix.
- Wrap the roast in a tight-fitting layer of aluminum foil. Try to cover all the seams so leaks are minimal. Place the roast in a high-sided roasting pan or casserole dish.
- Place the roast in the oven. Roast the meat for 1 hour per pound of meat. Open a corner of the foil, watching out for hot steam, and check the texture. Remove the meat when it becomes soft enough to easily penetrate with a fork.
- Remove the fork and add any glaze, then place under the broiler for up to 20 minutes until the glaze has thickened and caramelized.