Corned Beef With Brown Sugar Glaze and Mustard Sauce

Corned Beef with Mustard Sauce
Laszlo Selly/Photolibrary/Getty Images
  • 3 hrs 50 mins
  • Prep: 20 mins,
  • Cook: 3 hrs 30 mins
  • Yield: 12 servings
Ratings (5)

By Diana Rattray

Updated 03/14/18

A corned beef brisket makes a delicious St. Patrick's Day meal or Sunday dinner. This thick and tangy mustard is excellent with the corned beef, and it makes a great spread for those leftover corned beef sandwiches the next day.

When you buy a corned beef brisket, the cut you choose can make a difference. There are two common cuts: the point cut and the flat cut. If you want a fall-apart, shreddable pot roast style of corned beef, choose the fattier point cut. The flat cut is the best choice if a roast if you plan to serve the beef sliced. You might also find other cuts of beef labeled "corned," including the very lean eye of round and the tongue. Think about how you want the cooked meat to look and how you want to use the leftovers.

Even if the brisket is large, the leftovers present dozens of possibilities for future meals. Corned beef hash is a delicious replacement for breakfast hash browns. And there's the Reuben or Rachel sandwich with layers of sauerkraut or coleslaw with Swiss cheese on rye. Casseroles of corned beef and potatoes or Reuben mixtures make fabulous all-in-one meals. 

The mustard sauce is a tasty condiment to serve with the meat, but feel free to make a horseradish sauce if you prefer that flavor.

What You'll Need

  • 5 pounds corned beef brisket (about 5 to 6 pounds)
  • 12 peppercorns (whole, black)
  • 1 large bay leaf (dried)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
  • For the Mustard Sauce:
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 3 tablespoons dry mustard
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
  • Optional: dash ground cayenne pepper
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 large eggs (beaten)
  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar

How to Make It

  1. Place corned beef in a kettle; cover with water and add peppercorns and bay leaf. Simmer for about 3 1/2 hours, until tender.
  2. Place meat, fat side up, on a rack in broiler pan. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of brown sugar over the meat. Broil about 4 to 5 inches from heat until sugar bubbles.
  3. Slice meat and serve with the mustard sauce.

Mustard Sauce

  1. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter; add the flour and stir to blend. Continue to cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  1. Add the dry mustard to the roux along with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, the salt, and cayenne pepper, if using. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly.
  2. Gradually stir the milk into the roux mixture and cook until mixture thickens and begins to boil, stirring constantly
  3. Add about 1/2 cup of the hot mixture to the beaten eggs, then quickly stir egg mixture back into the hot mixture in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, constantly stirring, for 1 minute longer.
  4. Remove from heat and whisk in the 1/4 cup of vinegar.
  5. Serve the sauce warm with the corned beef brisket.
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
Calories 710
Total Fat 38 g
Saturated Fat 16 g
Unsaturated Fat 16 g
Cholesterol 307 mg
Sodium 638 mg
Carbohydrates 15 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Protein 73 g
(The nutrition information on our recipes is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. Individual results may vary.)