Mustard and Brown Sugar Baked Corned Beef

     With St. Patrick's Day right around the corner and corned beef on sale this week I was trying to find a different way to prepare it in my dutch oven.  I usually use my mother's foolproof stove top method of simmering the corned beef for hours but have friends who have baked it in the oven with great success.  This recipe is based on one from Simply Recipes and is similar to my Baby Back Ribs recipe in that it is baked in foil.  Not only was the corned beef the juiciest I have ever tasted but the clean up was a dream.  Just place the corned beef on a large piece of aluminum foil, frost with mustard, sprinkle with brown sugar and, depending on the size of your corned beef, bake for 2 to 2 1/4 hours.  If you want to caramelize the beef, unwrap the foil and let it cook under the coals for 5-10 minutes at the end of it's cooking time.  I think the flat cut corned beef works best with this method because it will cook more evenly.  I started out in my 12 inch dutch oven with 12 coals in a ring around the bottom and 22-24 on the lid.  I let them cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes then completely switched out the coals with new ones and let it cook for one more hour.  I used a spicy brown mustard with a whole grain Dijon but I'm sure you could use whatever mustard you have on hand, just make sure it has a bold flavor, the French's hot dog variety probably won't cut it with this recipe.  If you've never had corned beef baked in the oven, give this recipe a try, you will be amazed by it's moistness and intensity of flavor and the sweet mustard glaze is out of this world.

Mustard and Brown Sugar Baked Corned Beef
1 2 1/2 to 3 pound flat cut corned beef
1/4 cup whole grain mustard
1/4 cup honey, spicy, Dijon, OR brown mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 large sheet of extra wide aluminum foil

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven.
     Open corned beef from packet and rinse well under cold running water and dry with paper towels.
     Tear a large sheet of foil from the packet, at least 3 times the length of your corned beef.
     Place corned beef in center of foil; frost with mustard then sprinkle evenly with brown sugar.
     Bring long sides of foil together over beef and roll as if wrapping a package.
     Seal and roll ends of foil so the beef is completely sealed.
     Place in prepared dutch oven.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 2 to 2 1/4 hours, replenishing coals halfway through cooking time.
     Carefully unwrap or cut open foil and let corned beef brown for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Frost corned beef with mustard then sprinkle with brown sugar

Wrap beef tightly in foil then bake at 350 degrees for 2 to 2 1/4 hours

Unwrap and brown under coals for last 5 to 10 minutes of cooking time

Probably the best corned beef I have ever had