If you are looking for the best, easiest way to make baked corned beef, you have come to the right place. For years I couldn't figure out how to make corned beef just the way I liked it to taste, but as it turns out, it's really simple: I now know how to cook corned beef in the oven!
Before we get into all the specifics of how to cook corned beef in the oven, let's start with the basics:
What is corned beef?
At the most basic, corned beef is a piece of beef brisket that has been cured in rock ( "corn" ) salt and usually something else that you don't really want to know about, like delicious, delicious nitrates and nitrites.
Look, in seriousness, I don't love nitrates and nitrites either, but once a year ... well I make an exception.
Because corned beef is delicious.
Now that you know what corned beef is, let's move on to the how of it all. If you'd rather watch how it's done, check out this video:
How to cook corned beef in the oven:
- Rinse the corned beef off with water and pat dry
- Rub the corned beef in your favorite mustard ( dijon for me )
- Sprinkle whatever magic seasoning was provided to you in the package of corned beef on the top ( fat side up )
- Wrap tightly in foil and place on an ovenproof pan with high sides so the moisture released during cooking doesn't overflow
- BAKE!
How long to cook corned beef in the oven?
The time to bake corned beef in the oven until it is tender, juicy, but still sliceable, is really simple to remember! Bake it for one hour per pound, and if your corned beef isn't a "perfect", even weight, round up to the quarter pound for times. For instance, a 2.65 lb corned beef should cook for the same time as a 2.75 lb corned beef: 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Here's some common times to spare you any math:
- 1 lb corned beef : bake 1 hour
- 2 lb corned beef: bake 2 hours
- 2.25 lb corned beef: bake 2 hours 15 minutes
- 2.5 lb corned beef: bake 2 hours 30 minutes
- 2.75 lb corned beef: bake 2 hours 45 minutes
- 3 lb corned beef: bake 3 hours
- 3.5 lb corned beef: bake 3 hours 30 minutes
- ... you get the idea!
Don't forget, once you take the corned beef out of the oven, it needs to REST before you slice into it, otherwise it will end up dry.
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I love to have oven baked corned beef and cabbage!
So make sure to make some sautéed cabbage to go with your corned beef. It's a great vegetable side dish for St Patrick's Day!
Baked Corned Beef in the Oven
Ingredients
- 1 package corned beef seasoning packet included
- ¼ cup dijon mustard
- 1 sheet foil heavy duty preferred
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place a large piece of aluminum foil in an oven-proof dish with high sides like a Pyrex dish.Remove the corned beef from the package. Set the spice packet aside. Throw out any other packaging. Rinse the corned beef with cold water, pat dry, and set it on the foil in the dish, with the fatty side on the top.
- Rub ¼ cup of mustard all over the corned beef ( top, bottoms, sides )
- Open the seasoning packet, and sprinkle the seasoning on top of the mustard-rubbed corned beef. The seasoning only needs to go on the top of the meat, not all over.
- Tightly wrap the corned beef with the foil it's resting on. Place pan with the foil wrapped corned beef into the oven. Bake for 1 hour per pound of corned beef.
- Once the beef has cooked, remove it from the oven and open the foil. Optional: Broil the corned beef for 5 minutes, or until the top begins to crisp. After all cooking ( broiling or not ) has completed, let the corned beef rest for 10 minutes before transferring it to a cutting board. Slice the meat against the grain and serve with sautéed cabbage.
Kim says
How long would you cook a 5 LB brisket and at what temp?
A little confused on time and temp. From above comment says to
cook a 2-3 LB brisket 1 hour per pound, but then a larger one 4-6 LB
for 3-3 1/2 hours. Can you please clarify. I know to have the temp reach @ least 185, take out to rest as will probably cook a little longer to 190.
Davina says
It is posted as an hour per pound, and she even lists it in half poind increments at the end of the post, right before the recipe.
Marion says
This sjould ne added as Notes to your rexipe
Mike says
So no water
Kristy says
This recipe does not need water. I've been cooking corned beef for 30 years, and when I found this recipe a couple years ago, it became my "go to" method of cooking corned beef...it is so tender and perfect!
Linda says
I’ve followed this recipe several times and my corned beef always comes out delicious!! My favorite way to cook one!!!
Parice Wilson says
So disappointed after making this. I followed the directions to a T and I now have a ruined Corned Beef and no time to make another for St Paddy's day. Like other commenters, I was very skeptical about the time and temp. My corned beef was exactly 6 lbs and 6 hours @ 350 seemed excessive but I decided to take a leap of faith. Big mistake. The meat is charred, tough, and inedible. I was unable to slice it, the parts that aren't charred are falling apart in long strings. This was an expensive mistake. Please retest your time and temp directions. These directions may work for a smaller roast, but are not accurate for a larger one.
Anne SAllee says
Briskets like a longer cooking time. We cook our brisket for 1 hour per pound for a 2 to 3-pound brisket. A larger brisket (4 to 6 pounds) will take 3 to 3 1/2 hours. It’s safe to eat when it reads 145°F when tested with an instant-read thermometer.
Elaine says
After baking corned beef wrapped in foil, I never went back. Easy to cook and easy clean up! I even tried the Instant Pot and liked this method best. I bake in a slower oven, @325 and it has always been delicious. It’s a shame your’s did not turn out well. Maybe your oven runs hotter than most? Also, sometimes it’s just a tough piece of meat to begin with. I see this recipe indicates a 350 oven, but I will stick with the lower temp. A crock pot recipe might be tasty for a larger corned beef, if you don’t add a lot of water.