Baked Corned Beef with Honey Mustard Glaze

Baked corned beef with honey mustard glaze turns out moist and juicy with a sticky sweet glaze on top that no one can resist.

For as long as I can remember, my family has enjoyed a traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner on St. Patrick’s day. However, a while back, this recipe for baked corned beef in the oven caught my eye and I saved the recipe to try.

Baked Corned Beef in the Oven

Oven baked corned beef turns out tender and juicy every time I make it. There were six of us together for this meal the first time I made it and every single person requested seconds. Even my rarely-excited-about-meat child all said that they “loved” this corned beef.

Unfortunately, there weren’t enough for seconds for everyone, but I learned my lesson. If you’re able to fill the freezer with a couple of extra roasts whenever corned beef goes on sale – do it.

The first time I tried this baked corned beef in the oven, I knew right away that it would be making an appearance at our St. Patrick’s Day dinners for years to come. As it turns out, I keep corned beef stashed in the freezer now, just to make this recipe whenever the craving hits.

Our favorite way to enjoy this corned beef is alongside a generous serving of Irish Colcannon for a complete meal. Don’t forget to reserve a bit of the glaze for a dipping sauce.

Honey Mustard Corned Beef

I’ve always enjoyed corned beef but it’s never been the kind of meal I dream of at night. When first I tasted this corned beef with honey mustard glaze caramelized over it, it completely knocked my socks off.

The very simple glaze of honey and coarse-grain mustard added a beautiful sweetness and subtle tang to the salted meat. The flavor combination of the glaze with the 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 the recipe 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.

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.

I’ve made this recipe with store-bought corned beef and with a brisket that I’ve brined myself and both ways turned out terrific. If you want to brine your own corned beef, you’ll want to allow for a week to ten days for optimum results.

How To Bake Corned Beef

Traditional methods for booking corned beef involve either boiling or slowly roasting the brined brisket in a bit of water. Due to the curing process, corned beef can sometimes be a bit salty when baked instead of boiled or slowly roasted with a bit of water in the crockpot.

To remove some of the saltiness, don’t forget to rinse the brined corned beef before proceeding with the recipe. The resulting beef will be perfectly seasoned without being overly salty.

Baking corned beef is easier than you think. A quick rinse under running water, a simple glaze, and a little foil are all it takes to make heavenly corned beef.

Baked Corned Beef Recipe

First, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place a very large sheet of aluminum foil over a baking sheet. Set several paper towels over the aluminum foil.

Rinse the roast and discard the seasoning packet. Pat the roast dry with the waiting paper towels. Discard the paper towels and place the corned beef, fat side up, on the dry foil.

Stir together the honey and the mustard. Reserve ¼ cup of the sauce in a separate dish and pour the remaining sauce over the top of the corned beef.

Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the top of the roast.

Wrap the beef very loosely with the foil, tenting it and allowing space between the top and sides of the meat and the foil.

The foil should not be touching the top or sides of the roast at all. Seal the foil as much as possible, without stressing it too much. Bake for 2 hours.

Remove from the oven, and change the temperature to Broil. Open the foil and place the roast back in the oven.

Broil for just 3-4 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and bubbling. Watch closely while broiling, it will burn very quickly once it has browned!

Allow the corned beef to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing across the grain of the meat. Serve with the reserved honey mustard sauce.

As much as I enjoy a corned beef dinner, the leftovers are pretty amazing too. 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.

{originally published 3/12/13 – recipe notes and photos updated 2/7/23}

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