Dutch Oven Corned Beef and Cabbage

This dutch oven corned beef and cabbage recipe is easy and tastes amazing with potatoes and carrots inside your cast iron pot. St. Patricks Day dinner time. 

Dutch Oven Corned Beef and Cabbage

Do you have this cast iron pot?? They come in a wide variety of looks. From plain black and rustic to the pretty green one you see here I just got. They all work the same.

• If you don’t have a dutch oven it’s a great way to cook using cast iron.
• You can buy my Dutch Oven here.

It all starts with this type of meat though right? If you are new to cooking this type of beef I am here to help. There are two types; the point and the center cut or square version. The latter is preferred but I’ve made both.

Sometimes there is only one type available at the store. Once you make this for the holidays I guarantee you’ll decide to cook it at least once more throughout the year.

It really is that good!! Fall apart tender meat with potatoes all of you will fight over because they are just so darn good. Then add cabbage or make that separately if you’re like my husband and don’t like your foods mixing.lol

Timing below is for fresh and/or defrosted meat. If you don’t have that, follow our Instant Pot frozen corned beef directions instead.

This is how to cook corned beef in a dutch oven.

When you’re making dutch oven corned beef and cabbage, or any other cooking method, you need vegetables!

I will tell you that those are just as delicious as the meat itself. We fight over the potatoes the most often.

• However, if you do not like carrots then by all means leave them out! Love onions?? Add 2 instead of 1.
• The vegetables are tender and so delicious though if you do add a bunch, red potatoes are a must!

The trick to making the best corned beef is adding lots of flavor. I feel beer does this, and I am NOT a beer drinker.

I do buy an occasional 6 pack though to make the best beer bread recipe, and corned beef brisket.

Trick to making the best dutch oven corned beef and cabbage

1. Cut your vegetables very large
2. Leave your potatoes whole but pierce them
   1. Medium russet or large red are best
3. Use beer for your liquid
   1. Can use beef broth or water but light beer is amazing
4. Make sure your corned beef is mostly submerged into your liquid
   1. So it comes out tender 

Do not add your cabbage until the last stage either. When you take the lid off to cook it 1 additional hour, add it then.

Another trick when it comes to cooking cabbage perfectly is to quarter your head. Just cut the end off and cut into 4 equal pieces, that way it won’t overcook and become limp.

There is a difference between the flat cut and point cut corned beef pieces.

• I have used all 3 cuts. 3.5 lbs. is a good size for the 5 of us with a little left over.
• The round cut is seen below, that’s my favorite.

Here are the steps to follow:

1. Get out your large dutch oven
2. On a cutting board place your rinsed potatoes on top and poke them with a fork all the way around
3. Place your piece of beef in a large pot in the middle with those potatoes on the sides

Pour in your beer. Then sprinkle seasoning packet that came with your corned beef on top

Add other vegetables around it too (except the cabbage, that will go in 30 minutes before it is done)

1. Keep the size of your dutch oven in mind when choosing a piece and cooking corned beef and cabbage. You can typically find it in the meat department packaged with the spice packet inside.

• In our store I can find it year round which is nice. It isn’t the cheapest cut of meat around but the taste is just amazing.

Serve it with Dutch Oven bread or our easy Irish soda bread recipe and you’re set!

Make sure you allow it to rest before you cut beef across the grain and serve potatoes and cabbage with meat together. If you chose to add bay leaves make sure you remove them before serving too.

Other methods of cooking a corned beef dinner are

• Easy Instant Pot corned beef and cabbage is amazing
• Ninja Foodi corned beef and cabbage is great if you have that kind of pot
• Slow cooker corned beef brisket cooks all day all by itself

You should try our dutch oven pork roast once you fall in love with this recipe.

You can find the differences of cooking corned beef and cabbage all 4 ways here so you can decide how you’d like to do it.