You will love this easy recipe for Dutch oven corned beef. There is no need to brine the corned beef. It has plenty of seasonings and flavor. Serve with lots of vegetables roasted right alongside. Add some tangy mustard horseradish sauce and dinner is ready!
Why this recipe is just so good....
- After prepping some vegetables, this is an easy, hands-off complete meal.
- Delicious, tender meat: Since the cooking method is "low and slow", the beef will turn out flavorful and fork tender.
Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make corned beef in a dutch oven:
- package of brined corned beef (I used the flat cut), with seasoning packet
- low sodium beef broth
- brown sugar (I used Swerve brown sugar substitute)
- bay leaves, cloves
- horseradish
- stoneground mustard
How to make Corned Beef in a Dutch Oven?
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Prepare the corned beef by quickly rinsing it and patting dry with towel.
- Sprinkle the seasonings over the corned beef and place in a large cast iron Dutch oven (Mine is a 6 Quart size)
- Combine the horseradish and mustard and spread half of it over beef.
- Stir together the brown sugar and broth, pour over the corned beef.
- Cover the dutch oven and place in oven for 1 hour.
- Wash, peel and chop the carrots, celery, onion, parsnip and cabbage wedges.
- We chose to go lower carb with this meal and did not have potatoes. But you could certainly add some whole baby potatoes or quartered russet or yellow potatoes.
- After the corned beef has roasted for 1 hour, remove the beef, place vegetables in the broth, add beef back to the Dutch Oven. Add more broth if there is not enough cooking liquid. It does not have to cover the corned beef, just barely touching the top of the beef.
- Place cover back on and continue cooking for about 1 more hour.
- Generally, corned beef takes 50 minutes per pound. Mine was done in 2 hours. Check with a meat thermometer; it should register 145°F.
- Remove to cutting board and let rest 15 minutes before slicing.
- Spoon broth over corned beef and serve with roasted vegetables and the leftover horseradish/mustard sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best cut of corned beef?
Grocery stores usually offer different cuts of corned beef brisket. There is the flat cut, which is a leaner cut of meat, the point cut which is usually thicker, with more fat and the whole round roast, which includes both cuts of beef. However, for this recipe, I am using the flat cut. Although it has less fat on it, I know it will be very flavorful being cooked in broth with the veggies in a Dutch oven.
Can I cook Corned Beef in a slow cooker?
Yes, for a 2-3 pound corned beef it would take about 6-8 hours on low and approximately 2-3 hours on high. But for the tenderest meat, I suggest cooking low and slow.
What if the spice packet is missing from the package?
Most packages of corned beef contain a seasoning packet that is used to sprinkle over the corned beef while cooking. If it is missing or you prefer to make your own you can combine ¼ teaspoon of the following: coriander, peppercorns, mustard seeds, anise seeds, red pepper flakes, salt and 2 bay leaves. Grind with a coffee or spice grinder. Or you can even press down on the spices with the back of a spoon and get a pretty close consistency of the seasoning packet.
Kitchen tips...
- USDA states that the corned beef is done when it registers 145°F. It will still look pink but that is due to the pickling process. Cover with aluminum foil and let it rest for an additional 10 minutes.
- Slice the beef against the grain as you would for a flank steak. You will see lines going across the meat, just turn the platter and thinly slice the corned beef for the most tender.
- According to USDA, corned beef leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Leftovers can be frozen in an airtight container for 2-3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat defrosted meat until it registers 165°F. You can microwave it covered on a plate. Or reheat in a skillet on low with ¼ cup of added broth or water for moisture.
Some more delicious beef dinner recipes to try:
Keto Salisbury Steak with Red Wine Gravy
Print
Dutch Oven Corned Beef
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Irish
Description
This is an easy way to cook corned beef in a dutch oven. No need to brine the corned beef; it has plenty of seasonings and flavor. Serve with lots of vegetables roasted right along the corned beef and a tangy horseradish mustard sauce and dinner is ready!
Ingredients
- (1) 2 ½ lb. corned beef with seasoning packet, *(uncooked)
- ¼ cup brown sugar (use Swerve as a low carb option)**
- ½ cup low sodium beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon horseradish
- 1 tablespoon stoneground mustard
Optional vegetables
- 3 carrots, peeled and chopped about 1" long
- 1 large parsnip, peeled and chopped to 1"
- 2 stalks celery, chopped to 1"
- 1 small head green cabbage, cut into 8 wedges (remove core)
- 1 medium yellow onion, cut into 4 wedges
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Rinse corned beef with cold water and pat dry with paper towel.
- If the corned beef is a fattier cut, trim some of the fat.
- Sprinkle the seasonings from packet, salt and cloves over beef and lightly press down into the meat.
- Combine the horseradish and mustard and spread over the corned beef.
- Place into Dutch oven. Add bay leaves. Combine the beef broth and brown sugar; pour over beef.
- Put cover on Dutch oven and roast corned beef for 1 hour. Remove and set aside the beef.
- Add chopped vegetables to Dutch oven. Place corned beef on top. Add more broth if needed. The broth should just come to the edge of the beef. The broth does not have to cover it.
- Lower oven temperature to 300°F. Bake for another 1 - 1 ½ hours or until thermometer registers 145°F.
- Remove beef to cutting board, cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
- Cut across the grain for tender slices. Looking at the lines in the beef, turn the platter a quarter turn and slice the beef.
- Spoon some cooked broth over corned beef. Serve the vegetables with corned beef and mustard sauce.
Notes
* This recipe uses the flat cut of corned beef which is a leaner cut. You can buy the point cut or the round roast if you prefer.
*If you'd like to make your own seasonings, combine ¼ teaspoon of cloves, coriander, peppercorns, mustard seeds, anise seeds, red pepper flakes, salt, 2 bay leaves. You can use a coffee or spice grinder or even press down with the back of a spoon.
** We are keeping this recipe lower carb and using a sugar substitute and not roasting potatoes with the Corned Beef.
*If not watching carbs, you can serve with some rye bread or traditional Irish soda bread.
Kevin Savitt says
After making a corned beef in dutch oven there is really rich sauce left over with I bet lots of flavors.
Do you ever made a sauce or gravy from it?
Feeeze and save for next cooking?
Deb Belsha says
With the leftover liquid, I usually use it to reheat the leftover meat and vegetables. I either quickly saute them on the stovetop or reheat in the oven and pour liquid over.
After the juices have cooled, remove most of the fat from the top. (or use a fat separator) I haven't made a gravy from it as of yet.
Another idea is to place the cooled, strained liquid into ice cube containers and freeze, place in ziploc bags for later. You could use to add to soups, stews, add to stir fried or sautéed veggies or even in place of some of the water for rice, quinoa etc. Just remember it is quite salty so adjust flavoring as needed.
Katie says
This was a delicious meal!!
Patty says
This was delicious and so easy to cook. Loved to put all ingredients in all together!
Deb Belsha says
Thanks so glad you liked it!