Corned Beef with Apricot Dijon Glaze

CORNED BEEF WITH APRICOT DIJON GLAZE

3/16/2019

Prepare yourself for a fabulous Irish Dinner! With a sweet and savory glaze, this rich and flavorful Corned Beef with Apricot Dijon Glaze is so easy to make! My secret? Tender corned beef is simmered in ginger ale before cooking to remove the excess saltiness, and then slowly simmered in Guinness Stout, more ginger ale and tender onions and spices to create the most flavorful corned beef ever. So moist and tender that it just pulls apart with your fork. Perfect for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration or a cold winter night!

Corned Beef with Apricot Dijon Glaze

I don't know about you, but my family doesn't usually care for a "typical" corned beef dinner - the meat is too salty and stringy for them. But I have found the best method for cooking some of the saltiness out of the corned beef, and it cooks up so tender. And it is simply DAZZLING with Apricot Dijon Glaze! There is pretty much a tied consensus between this version and my Corned Beef with Blackberry Dijon Glaze.

This tender corned beef is topped with a delicious Apricot Dijon Glaze, which caramelizes to the most beautiful glaze ever. My little ones (and the big ones too) were scooping this glaze up with their spoons and pouring it over the corned beef, tender vegetables and licking their fingers! You'll have to try both versions and let me know what your favorite is!

This method of cooking corned beef is so flavorful and so moist! You can prepare either in your oven or in a slow cooker, and its a process that doesn't take oodles of your time!

The corned beef is actually braised twice - the first time in a ginger ale marinade to remove the saltiness, and the second time to add a mandatory bottle of Guinness Stout Beer and fresh spices. Before you know it, your house will be filled with the most magnificent scents, and the leprechauns will come running for some delicious dinner!

Corned Beef with Apricot Dijon Glaze

If you're lucky enough to find yourself with any leftovers, this Corned Beef with Apricot Dijon Glaze is PERFECT in Corned Beef Hash with Eggs or in Reuben Waffle Fries.

CORNED BEEF WITH APRICOT DIJON GLAZE

With a sweet and savory glaze, this rich and flavorful Corned Beef with Apricot Dijon Glaze is so easy to make! My secret? Tender corned beef is simmered in ginger ale before cooking to remove the excess saltiness, and then slowly simmered in Guinness Stout, more ginger ale and tender onions and spices to create the most flavorful corned beef ever. So moist and tender that it just pulls apart with your fork. Perfect for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration or a cold winter night!

Corned Beef with Apricot Dijon Glaze

INGREDIENTS:
1 (4-5 pound) corned beef brisket
2 (2 liter) bottles ginger ale
2 large onions, peeled and quartered (divided)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
8 whole cloves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
1 Tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 bottle Guinness Stout Beer

Roast Vegetables:
8-10 carrots, peeled and sliced or cut into thirds
2 lbs. baby red potatoes, washed and cut into halves
Fresh snipped parsley

Apricot Dijon Glaze:
10 oz. apricot preserves
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons brown sugar, packed

Garnish: Fresh Parsley, snipped

HOW I MAKE THIS:

TWO OPTIONS: Prepping the Night Before, or the Day Of. If you have a large piece of corned beef (over 4 pounds) or if want to serve your corned beef early in the day, I heartily recommend using The Night Before method! For either method, I discard the spice packet that typically comes with the corned beef and use my own fresh spices.
THE NIGHT BEFORE: Use a sharp knife to carefully trim off the excess fat on the corned beef. Rinse beef under cold water. Place corned beef in a large container and cover with ginger ale. Seal tightly and refrigerate overnight. The next day, remove the corned beef from the ginger ale.
THE DAY OF: In a large heavy Dutch oven, place the trimmed corned beef and pour in enough ginger ale to cover the corned beef. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium/low so that it will continue to simmer; cover and cook for one hour. Remove pan from stove, and remove corned beef to a large strainer; rinse with hot water.
In a large Dutch oven or slow cooker, place the sliced onions on the bottom. Sprinkle minced garlic on top of onions. Sprinkle with brown sugar and all spices. Place corned beef on top – fat side on top. Drizzle Worcestershire sauce on top of corned beef. Pour bottle of Guinness Stout over meat and enough ginger ale to cover the meat half way.
FOR OVEN PREPARATION: Cover and bake in a 300 degree preheated oven for 1 hour per pound of corned beef.
FOR SLOW COOKER PREPARATION: cook on high until the liquid begins to simmer, then reduce heat to low and continue cooking for 1 hour per pound of corned beef. With either method, do not touch or uncover during this cooking period.
Prepare Apricot Dijon Glaze: Combine all glaze ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a low simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue cooking and stirring for 3 minutes or until the mixture is blended and has thickened slightly. Remove from heat and set aside.
Move corned beef to oven-safe pan that has been lined with non-stick foil, and cover the corned beef with foil. RESERVE JUICE FROM PAN.
Reheat oven to 325 degrees.
Place corned beef fat-side down on prepared pan. Brush corned beef with glaze, cover with non-stick foil and return to oven for 20-30 minutes, until the glaze begins to caramelize.
Reheat pan/slow cooker juices to simmering and add carrots and potatoes. Simmer for vegetables while corned beef is glazing in oven for about 30 minutes or until tender.
Remove corned beef from oven, cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.
Brush with additional glaze right before serving and garnish with chopped parsley. I usually warm up the extra Apricot Dijon Glaze and serve it on the side as well. So good!

YIELD: Allow 1/3 to ½ pound of corned beef per serving.

NOTES: This meal is actually the best if you refrigerate the cooked corned beef in its juices overnight. Follow recipe thru Step 2. Cover pan and refrigerate overnight. The next day, you can easily remove the fat from the surface of the liquid. Start with Step 3 and serve to rave reviews!

Originally posted March 2011; Revised and reposted March 2019.

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