Step 1

Make homemade pickling spice. Set aside.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 3

Unwrap the beef brisket, and rinse the raw corned beef under cool water several times to remove the salty brine taste. Some recipes call to boil the meat to reduce the excess salt content, but rinsing it well does the job. Pat dry. Discard the spice packet if using homemade.

Step 4

Place the whole brisket in a large roasting pan or baking dish fat cap side up.

Step 5

Brush 1/4 Dijon mustard on top of the meat and after you coat the meat, sprinkle 3 tablespoons spices (or seasoning packet) over the entire brisket.

Step 6

Pour the dark stout beer around the beef (or swap in beef stock or beef broth). Add enough water so the cooking liquid comes up around to 1 inch high on the side of the meat.

Step 7

Place brisket in preheated oven and bake 45 minutes per pound or about 3 hours. Check a small piece and ensure it is fork tender. The internal temperature of the meat should be 145 degrees f. Discard the contents of the pan, the pan juices render out the salty taste and have small particles of corned beef fat.

Step 8

Check at 1 1/2 hours and add another cup of water (or stout or beef stock) to the roasting pan if getting low.

Step 9

Carefully move the cooked brisket on a cutting board when cool enough to handle.

Step 10

Slice at a 90 degree angle against the grain of the meat (or perpendicular) into 1/4 inch slices.

Step 11

Arrange the larger pieces of sliced corned beef on a warm platter with root vegetables like roasted cabbage steaks, glazed carrots, and roasted potatoes. And serve with horseradish cream sauce, Irish soda bread butter, and a Guinness stout beer!

Step 12

Any leftovers should be refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking. Place it sliced and well wrapped in plastic wrap or a sealed container. Use cooked-ahead or leftovers within 3 to 4 days for food safety. Reheat leftovers to 165 °F internal temperature of the meat as measured with a meat thermometer.