Corned Beef Brisket Braised in Guinness

You need to know something about me as we start talking about how to make this corned beef brisket. I do not like corned beef brisket! Blasphemy, I know. But. Then I made this corned beef brisket and I’m into it.

This recipe actually happened by accident – well, kind of. I wanted to braise a brisket in Guinness, not a corned beef brisket because, ya know, didn’t think I liked it. But, Wegman’s was all out of brisket and the only option I had was corned beef, and this being a St. Paddy’s day-appropriate post, I said, heck with it let’s see what happens.

You know what happened? Freaking magic. Guys, this is so damn good. Like. SO GOOD. I was so excited about this I forgot to make mashed potatoes to serve it with, ended up making fries, and it was excellent. I mean, look at that sauce.

I used my 9 quart Staub for this little project, just wanting to make sure I had plenty of room for this guy. You start by browning the brisket on all sides, which gives you a caramelized outer crust. You know, these little crusts are what give everything incredible flavor!

Once you have your brisket browned, you add your base – onions, celery, garlic, thyme, tomatoes, tomatoe paste and – secret ingredient – GUINNESS. How appropriate, I know. Once you’ve got everything in the oven, you let it bake for 3-3 1/2 hours until it’s just falling apart.

Once you’re done baking, you can let it cool for 4 hours and then package it up to reheat later! I actually let it cool for 4 hours, then reheated for an hour and served it up for dinner.

Serve with soda bread, mashed potatoes, and a freshly poured Guinness!