This is our easy dutch oven corned beef and cabbage recipe with potatoes and carrots inside your cast iron pot you can make for St. Patricks Day dinner. One of our family favorite dutch oven recipes.
Jump To
- How Long to Cook Corned Beef in Dutch Oven
- Can you cook frozen corned beef in a Dutch Oven?
- Should you cook corned beef covered or uncovered?
- What should you cook with corned beef brisket?
- Tips for Success
- How much beer do you need to cook corned beef brisket?
- Dutch Oven Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe
- Other methods of cooking a corned beef you’ll love
Are you ready for St. Patricks Day?? Well you don’t need that specific day to eat dutch oven corned beef and cabbage. We eat it year round because it’s so delicious! This is our fourth way of cooking corned beef and cabbage, we’ll share them all at the end. This is one of many favorite dutch oven recipes we have here on The Typical Mom blog.
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.
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. Either one will work I just prefer the fattier flat cut that tends to be thicker too. Once you make this for the holidays I guarantee you’ll decide to cook it at least once more throughout the year.
How Long to Cook Corned Beef in Dutch Oven
3 hours is about right, depending on how thick it is. You can easily check by lifting the lid and piercing it with a knife. If it slides in easily you’re ready to enjoy. It really is that good!! Fall apart tender meat with potatoes all of you will fight over because they are just so darn good.
You don’t add the cabbage leaves until the last 30 minutes so they get to be the perfect wilted texture and not too soft. Or you can make Instant Pot Fried Cabbage separately if you’re like my husband and don’t like your foods mixing. lol
Can you cook frozen corned beef in a Dutch Oven?
Fresh is best but I have cooked frozen corned beef to tender this way as well but it does take an additional hour or so. That will vary depending on it’s thickness and note that the veggies will get a lot softer because of the longer timing but will work.
For a faster method use the directions for Instant Pot frozen corned beef instead. That is a great just in case if you don’t have time to defrost it or able to pick up a fresh piece. This is the best way of how to cook corned beef in a dutch oven.
Should you cook corned beef covered or uncovered?
Definitely covered, there is NO way around this one. You want the steam to really build up around it to break down the connective tissues in this typically tough piece of beef, that is key. This one uses the lid and we show you how to cook Corned Beef in the Oven here which uses aluminum foil instead.
What should you cook with corned beef brisket?
I have already gone over the whole love for russets or red potatoes below right? 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! Same goes for our slow cooker corned beef brisket recipe but that cooks all day long.
Tips for Success
Here is additional post explaining the difference between the flat cut and point cut corned beef pieces. We went over that above but if you need more information to make your decision I get it. Beyond that you should make sure to;
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 3 ingredient beer bread recipe, and corned beef brisket.
You do want to cut your vegetables very large. Leave your potatoes whole but pierce them. Medium russet or large red are best. And make sure your corned beef is mostly submerged into your liquid 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 simple cabbage recipes perfectly this time 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.
Make sure you allow it to rest for 15 minutes before you cut beef across the grain and serve potatoes and cabbage together. If you chose to add bay leaves make sure you remove them before serving too.
How much beer do you need to cook corned beef brisket?
It depends on how large the pot is. If making our Instant Pot corned beef and cabbage, that is also amazing, you just need 1 can which is 12 ounces. Since this has a larger area to cover we use 24 ounces, or 2 typical cans. It doesn’t matter what type you use but I use a light blonde version. Here are the steps to follow:
Dutch Oven Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe
Equipment
- 1 dutch oven
Ingredients
- 24 oz beer, or water or broth, enough to almost submerge meat
- 1 piece corned beef, 3.5 lbs is what we have used
- 2 large potatoes, medium russet, or large red, whole, pierced with a fork all over
- 3 large carrots, cut into large chunks
- 1 small onion, large slices or chunks
- 1 head cabbage
- 1 cup mustard sauce for corned beef, serve at table to spoon on to each piece served
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and put dutch oven inside with lid so it can preheat too.
- Wash and pierce all around potatoes with a fork. Place corned beef in middle of pot with potatoes around it, or underneath meat used as a trivet (but keep in mind your meat needs to be submerged mostly).
- Slice your onion into large chunks, sprinkle around meat. Cut carrots into large chunks, put with onion on outside and top of meat.
- Pour your can of beer on top of your meat. 24 oz. is about right. Enough to mostly submerge your piece of meat. Any brand but dark beer will really change the flavor of the beef. Sprinkle your spice packet on top of your meat.
- Put lid on and bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours. Then flip corned beef brisket and cook for an additional 30 min at 350 degrees.
- Cut end off cabbage and cut it into 4 equal chunks.
- Take dutch oven out and put chunks of cabbage inside, cook for last remaining 30 minutes at 350 degrees. If you want your cabbage to crisp up a bit on edges you can leave lid off
- Take out, allow meat to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Other methods of cooking a corned beef you’ll love
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.
Ninja Foodi corned beef and cabbage is great if you have that kind of pot. You use high pressure to make it this way so it is done in no time. Once you have tried and fall in love with this way of cooking you will want to try others.
You don’t add your vegetables until the corned beef has been baking for several hours, otherwise your vegetables will turn to mush. I also peel and quarter my red potatoes, don’t like chewy skin on them. The amount of time you allow for this recipe is fine if you are just cooking the corned beef alone with no vegetables or cabbage added. Did you even try this for yourself and how did your potatoes and carrots come out?
I’m wanting to try this but concerned the potatoes and carrots will be mush with such a long cooking time. Can anyone speak to that please?
The larger the pieces are the firmer they will remain so if you prefer them to not be as soft then quarter potatoes and cut carrots into thirds, large chunks.
I have seen other recipes that call for cooking a flat cut corned beef “low & slow”. I noticed one comment the gentleman said he cooked his at 225 degrees for 6 hours. There were many who commented on the tenderness just the way you posted the directions. I am nervous. Do you have any concerns if I was too cook it at 250 or 275 for 5-6 hours??
This is my go to recipe. I like the simplicity of using Dutch oven & baking vs top of stove method. Not big beer drinkers here but usually have a few bottles in fridge that need to be cleaned up. For addl spices I toss in a few bay leaves, some peppercorns, mustard seeds & coriander seeds from summer pickling recipes. Thanks for posting recipe.
That was the best St. Patrick’s Day dinners I have had! The timing worked well so nothing was mushy. I will keep this recipe always!
Oh I am so glad!!
Oh yay!!
Have you actually read any of the reviews for the oven mitts you highly recommend on Amazon? It’s all about the transaction isn’t it?
2300 reviews with an overall 4.5 review is pretty excellent, and I have them myself so I know they work well
Your recipe says to sprinkle the spice packet. Our corned beef doesn’t come with anything, what would you recommend I use. Keen to try the recipe.
@Kathie,
Replying to myself to let you know that i did some ‘googling’ so have worked out something to sprinkle.
Wow this was really good. I followed the directions but set the oven temperature to 225°f and cooked it for about 6 hours. Very tender and juicy.
Thank you for posting this!
Yeah!
This my best Corned Beef ever. I cannot believe how juicy and tender it was. I did substitute the beer with beef broth. Neither my husband or I, are fans of beer or drinking. But this is know my go to method of cooking boiled dinners.
We aren’t beer fans either but it is a must with this dish for sure
Recipe is great. Corned beef came out so wonderfully. But blog entry is way too wordy. It was like wading through millions of words to get to the recipe. It needs a “Skip to Recipe” button.
There is. It’s at the top of the post.