This roasted method of preparing a corned beef dinner is a twist from the traditional “boil method” for a St. Patrick’s Day dinner! The brisket is roasted, then brushed with a luscious glaze of brown sugar, molasses and bourbon. Carrots and onion are roasted until sweet and tender. The cabbage is seared, and then gently roasted with beer (or water, if you prefer). The finishing touch is to drizzle the cabbage with a tangy balsamic glaze for a big ta-da. Save some extra glaze to drizzled over the sliced corned beef and you have a perfect meal to enjoy any time of year!
Wow, that’s a long and descriptive title for this corned beef recipe! Even though we aren’t Irish, I like to join in on the annual St. Patrick’s Day to break from making my traditional Corned Beef & Cabbage (with a tangy glaze). To be honest, boiled corned beef is just “okay” in my book. As for cabbage– I love it!
Here’s a nice looking corned beef brisket, and I added the seasoning packet and a bit of pepper. I placed into a 325 degree oven, covered, for about 1-1/2 hours. NOTE: So that you don’t risk overcooking your brisket, I highly recommend relying on a meat thermometer. You want to roast the brisket to 145F.
I whisked some brown sugar and molasses…and some bourbon (you can substitute apple juice for the bourbon if you prefer). Then, I glazed the brisket and returned it to the oven for another hour– until the brisket was fork tender. While the brisket was doing its thing, it was time to prepare the vegetables. Peeled carrots, cut up some Yukon gold potatoes (or red potatoes), and quartered a couple of onions are drizzled with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, and tossed to evenly coat– then roasted on a baking sheet for 15-20 minutes.
Using my cast iron skillet, I added a bit of olive oil and seared the cabbage quarters (seasoned with a bit of salt & pepper). Instead of making a balsamic glaze, I use a bottle of prepared balsamic glaze that I’ve been hoarding storing in my cupboard.
While the brisket was resting, I roasted the vegetables on a baking sheet. The cabbage was put onto a rack over a baking sheet with some beer poured into the bottom of a baking sheet (more on that at the end of the post).
The finished result looked and tasted a lot different than a more traditional way of boiling or using a slow cooker method– in a very good way! The cabbage wasn’t mushy, and roasted carrots taste sweeter to me. The glaze was the best part, in my opinion!
Roasted Corned Beef with a Bourbon Molasses Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 package corned beef brisket 3 to 4 Pounds
- 3 tablespoons ground black pepper
- 1 head green cabbage can use 2 If you’d like
- Olive oil for searing
- 1/2 bottle Guinness beer or any beer
FOR THE BALSAMIC GLAZE:
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar optional
VEGETABLES:
- 3 to 4 carrots peeled and cut into 4 to 5-inch pieces
- 6 to 8 potatoes peeled and cut into quarters (I use Yukon Gold potatoes)
- 2 onions peeled and quartered
BRISKET GLAZE:
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1/4 cup bourbon if you’d prefer, you can use apple juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Brisket:
- Unwrap the brisket and place it fat side up inside the baking dish. If it came with a spice packet, sprinkle it over the top, then sprinkle on the black pepper and rub it in. Cover the dish with heavy aluminum foil (or a tight fitting cover) and place it in the oven for about 2 hours, then uncover and generously brush the glaze all over the brisket. Continue baking for 45 minutes, to an hour or until it reaches 145F.
- Check the brisket by inserting a fork in the meat. If it goes in easily, it’s ready; if it meets with resistance, bake for another 30 minutes—or up to an hour in some cases! If the brisket is tough, it hasn’t cooked long enough! Once the brisket is fork-tender, remove it from the oven and let it rest, covered loosely in foil.
VEGETABLES:
- In a large bowl, lightly coat the carrots, potatoes and onion with olive oil and season with coarse salt and pepper (about 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper). Gently toss to coat, and place on a baking sheet (for easier clean up, prepare the baking sheet with foil or parchment paper), evenly spread apart. Set aside.
Cabbage:
- Cut each head of cabbage in half, then quarters and remove the core and stem. Set aside.
- Turn the oven heat up to 350°F for the roasted vegetables and place them into the oven for about 20 minutes, turning them halfway through cooking. Check for tenderness with a fork, as the potatoes will take the longest to cook.
- While the corned beef is roasting, make the Balsamic Glaze. Combine the balsamic and the sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir it together and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to medium-low and simmer until the mixture is reduced by half and thick. Set it aside.
Note: I skipped this step by buying a ready made balsamic glaze.
FOR THE CABBAGE:
- Cut the cabbage into 8 wedges. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add the cabbage. Sear it on both sides until the cabbage gets as much color as possible, about 1 minute per side.
- Use a spatula to transfer the cabbage to a rack placed over a baking sheet. Sprinkle the cabbage pieces with salt and pepper. Pour the Guinness (or beer) into the bottom of the pan, then carefully transfer the pan to the oven. Bake the cabbage for 20 minutes, or until tender and deeper brown.
- Slice (or shred) the rested beef on a cutting board (it should be very, very tender and almost falling apart.) Then place it on a large platter alongside the cabbage wedges and the vegetables. Take generous spoons of the balsamic reduction and drizzle it all over the cabbage slices.
- Serve the corned beef next to the cabbage and roasted vegetables and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Believe it or not, I've never made corned beef. I've always been curious about and your post might have inspired me to try it. I love the combination of flavors you've created, Debby! Great post!
You have me rethinking how I will prepare our St. Patrick's Day dinner, Debby. The cabbage looks delicious and I have a bottle of balsamic vinegar that I hoard that would be perfect. The corned beef sandwiches are what I'm really looking forward to.
Everything about this sounds amazing, but I know I would zero right in on that cabbage!
Reading through, I’m thinking of doing your cabbage method tonight. I struggle with some of the same issues with corned beef. What I’ve settled into is boiling it with the seasoning packet, an hour per pound and then I make a glaze of mustard, honey and corned beef. I top the cooked corned beef with the glaze and put it in the oven at 350/400 degrees for 20-30 minutes, let it rest 10 minutes and serve. I get the tenderness of the boiled corned beef but the caramelization and flavor of a glaze.