Dutch Oven Corned Beef
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Have you ever made a really good slab of Dutch Oven Corned Beef? Try this amazing recipe which creates fork-tender corned beef and cabbage that melts in your mouth! It's perfect on St. Patrick's Day, or any day in between.
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The History Behind This Dish
St. Patricks' Day is celebrated in the United States each March with green beer, four leaf clovers, and delicious corned beef and cabbage!
But, did you know that corned beef and cabbage is not even an Irish tradition? It's actually an American concept which came about when the Irish immigrated to the United States.
The immigrants couldn't afford to make their favorite boiled bacon, so they had to settle for a cheaper cut of beef brisket. The 'corned' describes the brining process, and the cabbage was thrown in the pot because it was an affordable veggie.
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.
When you add dark beer to the process, along with pickling spices and steak seasoning, it acts as a tenderizer and the results are amazing!
Baking it in the oven also produces a more tender beef brisket as opposed to boiling or cooking it in a crock pot. It's easy to cozy up with this meal on St. Paddy's Day, or any day of the week! Plus, the leftovers make great Corned Beef Reubens!
Ingredient Notes
For Dutch Oven Corned Beef, you'll need a flat cut or point cut brisket. The flat cut is easier to slice, and the point cut has more fat which makes it better for shredding.
The photos show a point cut brisket, because it was the only cut available. But, flat cut is usually easy to find, and either one works well in this recipe.
A spice packet comes with the beef, but I like to add steak seasoning for an extra layer of flavor. Some people add brown sugar, but doing so will make your veggies sweet. If you don't have a spice packet with your brisket, you can use pickling spices.
You'll also need a couple of bottles of dark beer, water or beef stock, onions, carrots, red potatoes and a head of cabbage to make this delicious one pot meal.
Instructions
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.
Sprinkle the brisket with spices, then pour dark beer (Guinness), beef stock, or water into the pot until it reaches the top of the meat.
I like to start with a 350 degree oven to get things rolling for an hour, then reduce the heat to 300 degrees for 2 more hours. Turn the brisket over, then add carrots and potatoes to the pot and sprinkle with more steak seasoning.
Cook for another hour, then add cabbage and cook one hour more. That's a total of 5 hours of low and slow cooking for tender, corned beef bliss!
Recipe FAQs
If you stick a fork in it and the meat falls apart, that's how you know the corned beef is done and considered to be 'fork tender.' Using the low and slow method for at least 5 hours also guarantees doneness.
Sure! Just substitute beef or vegetable broth. But, if you do use beer, make sure it's a dark variety like Guinness. It adds richness and flavor that's unbelievable!
It can, but I've tried it and I like the cast iron dutch oven method better. If you do try a crock pot, make sure you cook it at least 10 hours on low for best results.
Serving Tips
- Make sure to slice the meat against the grain. To do this, lay the meat on a cutting board and look at which direction the grain is going. Move the cutting board around until the meat's fibers are going in a vertical direction. Then, cut across the brisket horizontally. This actually helps the meat be 'fork tender'.
- Serve corned beef and cabbage with potatoes and carrots in individual bowls with a side of spicy mustard. Drizzle some of the juice over the meat. It's a delicious one-pot meal!
- Leftovers are perfect for making sandwiches the next day. Create a grilled Reuben with corned beef slices, sauerkraut, thousand island dressing and swiss cheese on pumpernickel bread!
Related Recipes
Corned beef and cabbage is a comforting meal any day of the year. It's not just for St. Patrick's Day, even though that's the traditional time to serve it. Try these other comfort food dishes from my kitchen to yours!
- Grilled Pork Tenderloin
- Momma's Pot Roast
- Campfire Chili
- Sheet Pan Sliders
- Skillet Chicken Pot Pie
- Corned Beef Reubens
Recipe Card
Dutch Oven Corned Beef
*See notes in blog post for detailed tips, photos and instructions.
Ingredients
- 1 large onion (quartered)
- 2 to 3 pound corned beef brisket (flat or point cut)
- 2 Tablespoons dry rub for corned beef (packet comes with brisket, or use my recipe)
- 1 Tablespoon steak seasoning (optional)
- 2 bottles dark beer (12 ounce bottles) (use light beer if you don't like the flavor of dark beer)
- water or beef stock (as needed)
- 4 large carrots (cut in wedges)
- 6 red potatoes (quartered)
- 1 small cabbage (cut in wedges)
Instructions
- 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.
- Pour bottles of dark beer and beef stock (or water) into the dutch oven. 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. If it has cooked down too low, add a cup of water or broth to prevent 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 straight from the pot or transfer to a large baking dish and serve with spicy mustard. Be sure to slice meat across the grain for a tender brisket. Slicing across the grain also keeps the meat from shredding.
Video
Notes
- Use my Dry Rub for Corned Beef recipe if you didn't receive a spice packet with your brisket.
- TIP: If you are cooking a 3 pound brisket without vegetables, it may be done after 3 hours depending on its cut. Check for doneness around the 3 hour mark.
- If your brisket is larger than 3 pounds, you'll need to adjust the cooking time. Plan on cooking it 1 hour per pound, unless you add veggies and then you'll need more time.
- The best internal temperature for tenderness is around 200 degrees F. Or, you can stick a fork in the meat and if it falls apart, it's done. If not, bake it longer, but definitely bake it as directed for at least 5 hours if you are adding vegetables to the pot.
- Using beer makes a difference in the tenderness. It acts as a marinade and breaks down the fibers, but if you're not a beer fan, this recipe can be made without it if necessary. Simply substitute beef or vegetable broth instead. However, I cannot guarantee the corned beef will be tender without using beer since that is how I have tested it.
- If you don't like the intense flavor of dark beer, it's perfectly fine to use light beer or any beer you like! If you prefer that your vegetables don't taste like beer, it's fine to cook them separately in broth or water with your favorite seasonings.
- TIP: You MUST slice the meat across the grain to create a tender cut. Look at the way the grain is going and slice across it. If you don't cut it across the grain, it will shred instead of slice.
- Serve corned beef and cabbage with potatoes and carrots in individual bowls with a side of spicy mustard. It's a delicious one-pot meal!
- Use the leftovers to make Reuben Sandwiches or Corned Beef Hash and Eggs the next day. So good!
- View the Google Web Story for Dutch Oven Corned Beef!
Nutrition
Nutrition info is an auto generated estimate.
Tried this Recipe and Loved It? ❤️ Please scroll down and leave a *STAR* review for others to view!
Came out perfect! Wouldn’t change a thing
Thank you!
I'm so happy to hear that Janet! Thank you for letting me know! 🙂
Hi-do you put the Dutch oven lid back on after adding the potatoes and carrots and again after adding the cabbage? I watched the video but I do not think it was for your recipe because it added brown sugar so I stopped watching it and just thought I would ask. Thanks.
Hi Heather. Yes, you close the lid after adding the vegetables and then again when you add the cabbage. Also, that video is definitely my recipe. I am using my homemade dry rub which contains brown sugar. But, you can just use the packet that comes with your corned beef if preferred.
Very much liked this recipe. However, my carrots and potatoes were done one hour earlier than in the recipe, so I took them out, then added the cabbage. Very delicious, thank you!
Thanks Michelle! Glad you checked your veggies and made it work for you!🍀
I would leave a 10-star rating (out of 5) if I could! This recipe is the best! I've done many different recipes before and none come close to the Corned Beef and Cabbage that I first experienced years ago BUT NOW I FOUND IT!! In fact, we had the whole family (eight people plus two little-ones) over for St. Patrick's Day dinner. My wife and one of my daughters are not fans of Corned Beef and Cabbage (probably my fault from previous less-stellar offerings), but now they are big fans! It was so good. My thoughts: 1.Use Debi's dry rub, not the packet that comes with the brisket. 2.Definitely do the Guinness! I used 2 huge cans. 3.Let the rinsed & dried brisket sit seasoned overnight in the fridge. 4.Be liberal with the steak seasoning. 5.We didn't have enough to feed 8 all they wanted! Next time, I'll be cooking more meat, potatoes, carrots, & cabbage. I had room in the Dutch Oven (ours is big). 6. Serve with some good bread so you can sop up all that great juice!
Bottom line: The best Corned Beef and Cabbage I've ever had!!!
I'm so happy that your family loved this recipe! I truly loved your notes! Thank you for sharing your experience with me and our readers. You really made my day!🍀
What a wonderful meal we had for St. Patrick's Day! Your corned beef recipe is the only one we will ever use from now on. It is foolproof and amazing! Thank you for such a great meal!!
You are so welcome, Susan! I'm thrilled your family loved my corned beef recipe so much! 🍀
This is by far the best corned beef recipe ever! So tender & delicious, we didn’t need knives. Made it last year in a crock pot & it was a disappointment. Dutch oven is the way to go!
That's awesome Darina! I agree. The crockpot just doesn't cook corned beef like a dutch oven does. It makes such a difference in texture and taste!🍀
Just made this for the first time. My husband said it was the best corned beef he ever had!! The only thing I changed was while the meat was resting before I sliced it I put the potatoes, cabbage, and carrots in a roasting pan with a little bit of olive oil so they would be a little bit crispy. It was perfect. Thanks for the recipe and Happy St Patrick’s Day 🍀
Thank you Lynette! I love that you roasted the veggies! Sounds delish! 🍀
I followed the recipe to the letter (except for steak seasoning, which I don't know)and we were shocked. I was a professional cook for years, including a five star hotel, and this was the best corned beef I've tasted, and it's not even close. We don't even really like corned beef, but we do now!
Whoa! Thank you Jon! What a complement!🍀 I feel like clicking up my heels! So glad your family loves corned beef after trying my recipe. That means the world to me!
This turned out fantastic!
Yay! Happy St. Patrick's Day!🍀