Dutch Oven Corned Beef and Cabbage (Perfectly Moist!)

square picture of corned beef and cabbage on a serving platter

Dutch Oven Corned Beef and Cabbage (Perfectly Moist!)

This moist, juicy dutch oven corned beef and cabbage is the perfect one pot St. Patrick's Day meal, simmered in stout and beef broth with potatoes and carrots for a full meal.

Course dinner, Main Dish

Cuisine American, Irish

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 3 40

Servings

Calories 507kcal

Author Christy Gurin

Equipment

1 Dutch Oven Mine is a 5.5 Quart Le Creuset and I wouldn't recommend smaller but there are more affordable brands
1 Cutting board
1 Chef knife
1 Wooden spoon or a flat spatula would work for flipping the meat over and stirring

Ingredients

3-4 lb. brined corned beef see notes on spice packet
1 Tablespoon avocado oil or other neutral cooking oil with a high smoke point
4 cups beef broth
16 oz. can of stout I used and recommend Guinness; you can substitute more broth instead
2 bay leaves
2 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ lbs. yellow or red potatoes
1 lb. large carrots 5-7 depending on size
1 yellow onion
1 medium green cabbage
Salt and pepper
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley for garnish optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Drain and discard extra liquid from corned beef package, keeping the seasoning packet if there is one.* Rinse the corned beef to remove any pink goop and pat dry with paper towels.
Rub corned beef evenly with spice packet contents (if there is one*).
Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Place corned beef in dutch oven and sear on both sides for 2-3 minutes.
Flip the meat over so the fatty side of the meat is facing up and add broth, beer, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves to the dutch oven and stir to mix in around the corned beef. Add additional water if needed until the top of the corned beef is just barely covered in liquid. It may float to the surface which is fine, no need to add more liquid.
Bring to a low simmer (do not boil!), cover and let it cook for about 40-45 minutes per lb. until meat feels tender (exact time will depend on exact cooking temperature and size for brisket). Lift the lid to check several times during cook time to make sure the pot is still at a low simmer and adjust the burner accordingly.
While the corned beef cooks, prepare the vegetables. Cut potatoes in half, quarters or smaller until they are about 2 inches in size. Peel the carrots and cut each into 3-4 pieces. If any are really large, cut thick parts in half. They should be half the size of the potatoes. Slice onion into thin wedges and separate into individual slices. Slice cabbage into 2 inch thick wedges, removing and discarding the hard inner core at the bottom.
Once corned beef is fork tender, but not falling apart, add the vegetables. Place carrots, potatoes, and sliced onions alongside the brisket submerged in the liquid. Place cabbage on top, spooning liquid over the top of the cabbage if it isn’t submerged.
Cover and cook at a gentle simmer for 25-35 minutes until potatoes and carrots are cooked through and meat is fully cooked. You may need to increase the temperature to get the pot back to a low simmer after adding the vegetables.
Remove corned beef from the pot and place on a plate. Let the meat rest for 15 minutes.
While meat rests, add salt and pepper to season the vegetables and cooking liquid to taste. Then drain the vegetables reserving some of the cooking liquid (optional) to serve with the meal.
Use a very sharp knife to thinly slice corned beef against the grain (crosswise at 90° to how the lines in the meat naturally run).
Place vegetables around corned beef on a serving platter and serve with Dijon, stone ground mustard and/ or cream style horseradish and reserved pan liquid.

Notes

No spice packet: Some corned beef is marinated in the seasoning and others contain spice packets to use while cooking. If your corned beef didn't come with a spice packet or had spices included in the brine you can season the meat with about 2 tablespoons of pickling spice or make your own corned beef seasoning.

Veggie sizes in metric: Potatoes should be roughly 5cm chunks. Carrots should be half that size, about 2.5cm. Slice cabbage into roughly 5cm wedges.

Keeping corned beef warm: If corned beef is already done and falling apart tender when you go to add the vegetables, you can remove it early and wrap in foil to keep it warm while the vegetables cook.

Leftovers: Will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Re-heat in the microwave with a sprinkle of water on top to keep the meat moist.

Freezing: The meat can be frozen in a tightly sealing freezer safe bag or airtight container for 4-5 months, defrosting overnight in the refrigerator. Vegetables are best eaten fresh.

Cooking time: Exact cooking time will depend on the weight and thickness of the brisket and the temperature it simmers at. Beef should be at 190-200° F when a meat thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the roast. If it is removed too early, it will be tough since the fibers won't have broken down enough and if it gets past 200° the meat will get tough so its best to pull it out right around 180-90° F. It can also get tough if cooked at too high of a temperature so make sure to let it cook at a low, gentle simmer.

Nutrition