I can't wait for you to try this Roasted Corned Beef brisket! It's fast and easy to assemble, and there's almost no boiling/simmering involved! I could never get a corned beef roast to turn out right when I cooked it on the stove, which is a standard way to cook it. I figured out a trick to roast it in the oven but keep it ultra tender and moist, and I'll share that with you. Read on!
I love making corned beef and other St. Patrick's Day holiday foods. And while corned beef and cabbage is not a traditional dish in Ireland, it was an early Irish/American immigrant meal made from what was available and similar to the homelands. It's probably why it's customary to Americans now. To make this dish into a feast, you can serve it with cabbage, potatoes, carrots, or other fun St Patrick's Day dishes like Colcannon and Irish soda bread.
Featured Ingredients
Read below about a few of the ingredients used to make Roasted Corned Beef.
Corned beef - This cut of beef comes in a flat cut or a point cut. Visually, it would be a rectangle or a triangle. If you like to eat slices of corned beef, then go for the flat, rectangle cut. It's the leaner of the two cuts but has more meat on the roast. The point or triangle-shaped cut is less expensive and more marbled with fat. It's good for shredding.
Seasoning packet - A little packet of peppercorn, mustard seed, coriander, anise, and bay leaf is always included with the corned beef brisket. I've seen a handful of recipes that suggest tossing the packet, but I'm really not sure why. Dry herbs can last up to two years, so they will still be fresh enough for this dish. I've tested this without the seasonings, and I would definitely suggest using them!
Tools for the job
- Dutch oven or roasting dish with a lid big enough to fit the corned beef with room.
- Foil
- sharp knife and cutting board
- Tongs
- Measuring cup
How to make roasted corned beef
It always seems so complicated, keeping an eye on a simmering pot of water, constantly attempting to keep it from becoming a boiling pot. Part of cooking the corned beef in water is to draw out some salt and help it taste more palatable. But also, keeping the water at a low simmer will gently break down the protein, keeping it moist and tender. To replicate that process, I have you roast the corned beef in a sealed pot, suspended above the liquid, so it roasts in a steamy environment to retain more moisture!
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Carefully open the package with the corned beef brisket and gently wipe off the pink goo (myoglobin) from the cut of meat. There should be a seasoning packing in the package as well. Set this aside for now.
- Place the corned beef in a large oven-safe dish with a lid or dutch oven and fill it with water to cover the beef by one inch. Set this on the stove, uncovered, and bring to a boil. (Skip this step if you prefer saltier foods. Pre-boiling removes a bit of the intense salty flavor.)
- Boil the beef for 5 minutes to draw out some of the salt. You will see some foam gathering on top of the water as well. This is normal.
- After the 5 minutes, set the corned beef aside using tongs and drain the water from the pot. (Wipe it out with a paper towel if any bits are left.)
- Line the bottom of the pot with the slices of onion, roughly chopped carrot, and celery pieces. Pour 2-4 cups of chicken broth on top of the vegetables, then lay the brisket on top, fat side up. You'll want enough broth to cover the vegetables, but do not submerge the corned beef in the liquid.
- Sprinkle the seasoning packet on and around the corned beef roast.
- Cover the pot tightly with foil and then a lid. Place on a middle rack in the oven and set a timer for three hours.
- When the time is up, check the tenderness of the roast by inserting a fork in the middle. There should be zero resistance when you do this. Also, check by pulling down on one of the corners of the corned beef. It should easily shred.
- If the brisket is still too firm, put the foil and lid back on tightly and cook for another 30 minutes. When it is done to your liking, set the corned beef on a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes. Remove the fat cap with your hands or by scraping it off with a spoon.
After roasting, the corned beef will shrink a bit, and as the vegetables cook, the meat sinks into the stock, making a very flavorful broth for another use!
Slicing the roasted corned beef
It is important to slice the corned beef correctly because if you don't, it will be harder to chew and may seem overcooked. For the best results, slice the meat into ½-1 inch thick pieces going against the grain. If unsure, look at the cooked roast and find the direction the muscle lines create, then cut across them. Before I slice it, I usually remove the fat cap, which makes it easier to see the direction of the grain as well.
Hot Tip!
The broth left in the pot is very savory and delicious. I recommend draining it from the vegetables and saving it to make soup or gravy. Usually, the broth left from a corned beef brisket is too salty, but since we pre-boiled the roast before braising, it gives a nicely seasoned, flavorful stock. Bonus!!
Leftovers
- Save leftovers tightly wrapped and refrigerated for up to 5 days.
- Freeze corned beef tightly wrapped in foil and plastic wrap for up to 4-6 months. Freeze the leftover broth for up to a year.
- Reheat corned beef in a nonstick skillet on low with a bit of water in the pan, covered until heated through, or fry it on high with a bit of oil in the pan until both sides have browned.
FAQ's
Nothing! This is a mixture of internal moisture and myoglobin and will be boiled away in the first cooking step!
You can pour it into the boiling water or discard it.
For other methods, yes. But, roasting it in a sealed pot in the oven with a small amount of liquid works as well! See the recipe for details.
I cook it fat side up so the top of the roast has a (natural) cover to keep it from drying out that also bastes as it cooks!
More recipes
If you like roasted corned beef, try one of these!
Roasted Corned Beef
- Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
I can't wait for you to try this corned beef brisket roasted over a bed of vegetables, broth, and traditional seasonings of peppercorn, mustard seed, coriander, anise, and bay leaf, resulting in a slab of beef so tender you can cut it with a butter knife!
Ingredients
- 2-3 lb corned beef brisket, with seasoning packet
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced into rings
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped into 2" pieces
- 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped into 2" pieces
- 2-4 cups chicken broth (SEE NOTE)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Open the corned beef package and set aside the seasoning pack. Gently rinse the pink gelatin off the beef and place in an oven safe dish with a lid, or a dutch oven. Fill with water until the corned beef is covered by one inch.
- (Optional step to cut down on the saltiness of the corned beef) Bring the pot to a boil over high heat for 5 minutes. Then, with tongs, remove the beef and set it aside. Drain the water and wipe out any residue from the pot.
- Lay the onion rings and chopped vegetables all over the bottom of the pot, then place the corned beef brisket on top, fat side up. Sprinkle the seasoning packet all over the beef and vegetables.
- Add 2-4 cups of chicken broth, enough to cover the vegetables and barely touch the beef. Cover the pot with foil tightly, then add the lid.
- Place in the oven and roast for 3 hours. Carefully remove the lid and foil to check the tenderness of the beef by poking it with a fork. There should be no resistance. If there is resistance or the beef does not easily shred on the side while scraping with the fork, then re-cover and return to the oven, checking for tenderness again after 30 minutes.
- When the corned beef is done to your liking, remove it with tongs onto a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the fat cap on top with your hands or by scraping it with a big spoon and discarding it.
- After resting, slice the corned beef against the grain into ½ inch thick pieces. Enjoy with your favorite Irish side dish!
Notes
NOTE: The resulting broth is very flavorful and should be reserved for another use, like gravy or soup.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: Main dish
- Method: braise
- Cuisine: Irish
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