What is Corned Beef?  Corned Beef is is a cut of meat, a brisket, that has been cured, or pickled, in a seasoned brine. Even though corned beef is associated with St. Patrick’s Day this is not an Irish dish.  The connection with St. Patrick’s Day is a Irish-American tradition. In the late 19th century corned beef was used as a substitute for bacon by Irish-American immigrants. Traditional corned beef is simmered in water with spices for 3 to 5 hours until tender.  I like my corned beef with a crusty outside and a little kick so this recipe for Sweet & Spicy Roasted Corned Beef is the perfect recipe.  It comes out of the oven tender, juicy and delicious!  Served with some roasted cabbage and carrots and you have the perfect dinner.  I always make sure I have extra corned beef for a Reuben sandwich the next day and some corned beef hash!

Sweet & Spicy Roasted Corned Beef
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon horseradish
2 tablespoons honey
3 pound corned beef with spices*
2 tablespoons brown sugar

In small bowl, mix together the honey, mustard and horseradish. Remove corned beef from packaging and rinse in cool water. Pat dry. Place in a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Smear the honey/mustard mixture over the corned beef being sure to coat the entire thing. Add spice mixture to bag and seal. Gently massage the corned beef for a few seconds to be sure the marinade is coating every surface possible. Place on plate and put in fridge to marinate for 3 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350. Place corned beef, fat side up, on top of a large square of aluminum foil. Pour a little of the excess marinade on top. Sprinkle 2 Tbs brown sugar over the corned beef. Bring up edges of foil and seal to make a loose packet around the meat. Place in a shallow roasting pan and bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours. Remove from oven and carefully vent a corner to let steam escape. Turn oven to broil. Fold sides of foil down a bit to expose the corned beef. Pop back into oven and broil 1 -3 minutes until top is deep brown and sizzling. Remove to platter and slice against the grain, serve slices with a spoonful of the pan drippings for a sweet/spicy kick.

* If your corned beef does not come with spices you can use pickling spice or make you own.  Just mix 1 teaspoon coarse salt, 1 teaspoon whole peppercorn, 1 cinnamon stick crushed, 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon minced garlic and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red peppers.

Recipe from ~ A Hen’s Nest