The Best Smoked Corned Beef

A white plate with slices of the smoked corned beef brisket on a brown wooden surface with a six pack of Guinness behind it.

No St. Patrick's Day celebration is complete without this very best smoked corned beef brisket on the dinner menu! This corned beef is smoked low and slow with a spiced Guinness braising sauce to make the most tender, juicy cured brisket. After one bite, this is sure to become a St. Patrick's Day tradition — consider this dish a guaranteed party favorite.

Course Main Dishes

Cuisine Irish-American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 8

Resting Time 30

Total Time 8 40

Servings people

Calories 299kcal

Author Amanda McGrory-Dixon

Equipment

Smoker
Wood pellets or chips hickory recommended
Aluminum pan or Dutch oven

Ingredients

3-5 pound corned beef with seasoning packet
2 (12-ounce) bottles of Guinness both Guinness Foreign Extra Stout and Guinness Draught work
2 dried bay leaves
⅓ cup packed brown sugar either light or dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons beef bouillon (see notes)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon whole cloves
½ teaspoon mustard powder
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
A few dashes Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

Heat the smoker to 225 degrees F. As the smoker comes to temperature, rinse the corned beef and pat it dry with paper towels (see notes).
Place the corned beef fat-side up directly on the grill grates with a water pan. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the corned beef. Close the lid and smoke until the internal temperature reaches about 160 degrees F, approximately 4-5 hours.
In an aluminum pan or Dutch oven, whisk together the Guinness, seasoning packet, dried bay leaves, dark brown sugar, beef bouillon, ground coriander, whole cloves, mustard powder, ground allspice and Worcestershire sauce. Remove the corned beef from the smoker when it reaches that 160-degree F mark. Place the corned beef in the pan with the Guinness mixture.
Insert the meat thermometer again and cover the pan or Dutch oven with foil and pinch the edges to seal. Smoke again until it reaches an internal temperature of 200-205 degrees F, about 4-5 hours.
Remove the corned beef from the smoker and keep it in the aluminum pan covered with foil to rest for 30-45 minutes. Do not skip this step — this allows the juice to redistribute to the meat. Slice the corned beef against the grain and serve with your favorite corned beef fixings. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three or four days. Alternatively, store in the freezer for two to three months. To reheat, place in a baking dish with a splash of water and cover with foil. Place in a 250-degree F oven for 10-15 minutes.
For those especially sensitive salt, you can go beyond rinsing off the brine and soak your corned beef from anywhere from 15 minutes to two hours to remove even more salt. I like the salty brininess, but this comes down to your personal palate.
When covering the meat in step 4, I find it easiest to first insert the thermometer into the center of a large piece of aluminum foil and then insert the thermometer back into the meat. That way, you can see where you're place the thermometer. Once the thermometer is in place, we can seal the foil on the edge of the pan or Dutch oven to keep the meat covered.
If your corned beef finishes smoking before your expected serving time, wrap it with foil, food-grade butcher paper or a towel and store it in a cooler. It should stay nice and warm for a good three to four hours.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Nutrition