Enjoy filling Dutch oven corned beef and cabbage! This traditional dish comes together quickly; all you need to do is prepare the ingredients and be patient while it cooks.
I get a craving for hearty meals that I know will fill me and my family up as soon as the temperatures start to fall.
One of my favorite hearty meat and potato meals is corned beef and cabbage. When prepared properly, the beef and vegetables are incredibly tender, and the flavors are perfect.
I love serving this up for St. Patrick’s Day, but I also enjoy preparing it in the autumn and winter. No need to wait until March to try it.
The History Behind This Dish
St. Every March, Americans celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with green beer, four-leaf clovers, and delectable corned beef and cabbage.
But, did you know that corned beef and cabbage is not even an Irish tradition? Its actually an American concept which came about when the Irish immigrated to the United States.
The immigrants had to settle for a less expensive cut of beef brisket because they couldn’t afford to cook their favorite boiled bacon. The cabbage was added to the pot because it was a reasonably priced vegetable, and the corned describes the brining procedure.
Dutch Oven Corned Beef is always fork tender!
Why This Recipe Is Best
Corned Beef is not exactly a tender cut of meat. It needs low and slow cooking to reach fork tenderness.
There are many cooking methods out there, but baking brisket in a cast iron dutch oven yields the most tender cut of beef. I use a 7 quart dutch oven (ad) which holds all of the ingredients perfectly.
The results are amazing when you add dark beer to the process along with pickling spices and steak seasoning because it acts as a tenderizer.
Additionally, baking it in the oven results in a beef brisket that is more tender when compared to boiling or slow-cooking it. Its easy to cozy up with this meal on St. Plus, the leftovers make excellent Corned Beef Reubens for St. Patrick’s Day or any other day of the week!
Whole brisket before slicing
A flat cut or point cut brisket is required to make Dutch oven corned beef. The point cut has more fat, making it better for shredding, while the flat cut is simpler to slice.
Because it was the only cut available, the brisket in the photos is a point cut. However, flat cut is typically simple to locate, and either one functions well in this recipe.
Although the beef already has a spice packet, I like to add steak seasoning for an additional layer of flavor. Brown sugar is sometimes added, but doing so will make your vegetables sweet. Pickling spices can be used in place of the brisket’s original spice packet.
To prepare this delectable one-pot meal, you’ll also need a few bottles of dark beer, water or beef stock, onions, carrots, red potatoes, and a head of cabbage.
Use Guinness or a dark beer for best results.
Cooking Dutch Oven Corned Beef is so easy! All you do is add onion wedges to the bottom of the dutch oven, (ad) then arrange the corned beef brisket on top of the onions. Be sure to rinse and pat dry the brisket before putting in the pot.
Before adding dark beer (Guinness), beef stock, or water to the pot, season the brisket with salt and pepper.
For the first hour, I like to preheat the oven to 350 degrees, then turn it down to 300 degrees for another two hours. After flipping the brisket over, add the potatoes and carrots to the pot and season with additional steak seasoning.
Add cabbage, continue cooking for an additional hour. 5 hours total of low and slow cooking results in the most deliciously tender corned beef!
Dark beer tenderizes the meat and injects great flavor.
When corned beef is finished and deemed to be “fork tender,” the meat should fall apart when pierced with a fork. Another assurance of completion is to use the low and slow technique for at least 5 hours.
Sure! Just substitute beef or vegetable broth. However, use a dark beer like Guinness if you do use beer. It adds richness and flavor thats unbelievable!.
It is possible, but after trying it, I prefer the cast iron dutch oven method. For the best results, if you decide to use a crock pot, make sure to cook it for at least 10 hours on low.
A delicious way to honor St. Patrick’s Day is with corned beef and cabbage. Patricks Day!.
- Make sure to slice the meat against the grain. Lay the meat out on a cutting board and observe the direction of the grain to do this. Adjust the cutting board so that the fibers of the meat are oriented vertically. Then, cut across the brisket horizontally. This actually helps the meat be fork tender.
- Serve individual bowls of corned beef and cabbage, potatoes, and carrots, along with a side of hot mustard. Drizzle some of the juice over the meat. Its a delicious one-pot meal!.
- Leftovers are perfect for making sandwiches the next day. Slices of corned beef, sauerkraut, thousand island dressing, and swiss cheese on pumpernickel bread make a delicious grilled Reuben!
Any day of the year, corned beef and cabbage makes for a hearty meal. Its not just for St. Despite the fact that Saint Patrick’s Day is the customary time to serve it Try these other comfort food recipes that I’ve sent to you from my kitchen!
Dutch Oven Corned Beef
For comprehensive advice, images, and instructions, please see the blog post’s notes.
- ▢ 1 large onion (quartered)
- Flat- or point-cut, 2 to 3 pound corned beef brisket
- 2 Tablespoons dry rub for corned beef (use my recipe or the one included in the package with the brisket)
- ▢ 1 Tablespoon steak seasoning (optional)
- ▢ 2 bottles dark beer (12 ounce bottles)
- ▢ water or beef stock (as needed)
- ▢ 4 large carrots (cut in wedges)
- ▢ 6 red potatoes (quartered)
- ▢ 1 small cabbage (cut in wedges)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place onion wedges in bottom of dutch oven.
- Rinse and pat dry the brisket with paper towels.
- Arrange corned beef brisket on top of onion slices.
- Sprinkle brisket with dry rub and steak seasoning. Or, use the spice packet that comes with corned beef.
- Fill the Dutch oven with bottles of dark beer and beef stock (or water). Make sure liquid level reaches the top of the meat.
- Cover dutch oven with lid.
- Place in 350 degree oven. Cook for 1 hour.
- Reduce heat to 300 degrees. Cook for 2 hours.
- Check liquid level at this point. Add a cup of water or broth if it has been cooked down too much to avoid scorching.
- Turn the brisket over. Add carrots and potatoes to the pot. Sprinkle with steak seasoning or salt and pepper. Cook 1 hour.
- Add cabbage to the pot. Cook 1 more hour.
- Serve with spicy mustard straight out of the pot or in a sizable baking dish. For a tender brisket, make sure to cut the meat against the grain. Slicing across the grain also keeps the meat from shredding.
- If you didn’t receive a spice packet with your brisket, use my recipe for Dry Rub for Corned Beef instead.
- You must adjust the cooking time if your brisket weighs more than 3 pounds. Around 200 degrees F is the ideal internal temperature for tenderness. Alternatively, after five hours, insert a fork into the meat, and if it falls apart, it’s done. If not, bake it for longer, but if you’re adding vegetables to the pot, bake it as directed for at least 5 hours.
- TIP: The brisket may be finished after three hours if you’re preparing it without any vegetables. 5 hours depending on its size. Check for doneness around the 3 hour mark.
- Using beer makes a difference in the tenderness. It acts as a marinade and breaks down the fibers. But, this recipe can be made without beer if necessary. Substitute beef or vegetable broth instead.
- TIP: To make a tender cut, you MUST cut the meat against the grain. Observe the direction of the grain and cut it. In the absence of a cross-grain cut, it will shred rather than slice.
- Serve individual bowls of corned beef and cabbage, potatoes, and carrots, along with a side of hot mustard. Its a delicious one-pot meal!.
- Make Reuben sandwiches or corned beef hash and eggs with the leftovers the following day. So good!.
- View the Google Web Story for Dutch Oven Corned Beef!
Nutrition info is an auto generated estimate.
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☘️ Easy Corned Beef & Cabbage ☘️ | Make CAST IRON Dutch Oven Corned Beef & Cabbage
FAQ
How long to cook corned beef on stove in Dutch oven?
Place the corned beef, water, bay leaves, peppercorns, allspice, and cloves in a large Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. Uncovered, bring to a boil; remove any scum that appears on top. Cook under cover in the oven for about three and a half hours, or until the meat is very tender.
Do you put corned beef in Dutch oven fat side up or down?
Put the corned beef in a big pot or Dutch oven, fat side up. Just cover the brisket with water in the pot. Bay leaf, peppercorns, salt, and the corned beef seasoning packet should all be added to the water. Cover and heat over medium heat until simmering.
What is the best cooking method for corned beef?
Instead, cook corned beef over low heat, regardless of the cooking method. Cooking corned beef in the slow cooker or on the stovetop at a low, gentle simmer both produce consistently soft, tender slices.
What is the secret to tender corned beef?
After you have finished cooking the corned beef, always cut the meat against the grain. If you slice against the grain, the result will be more stringy and tough to chew on than if you do the opposite.