Fill up on hearty Dutch oven corned beef and cabbage! This classic meal comes together easily — all you have to do is prep the ingredients and have a little patience as it cooks.
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As soon as the temperatures start to drop, I get a craving for hearty meals that I know will fill me and my family up.
Bonus points if it fills my kitchen with savory aromas! I love dishes like this Crockpot ham and cabbage soup, sausage green bean potato casserole, beef Wellington without mushrooms, and tri-tip crockpot recipe.
I know that we won’t walk away from the table hungry, that’s for sure!
Corned beef and cabbage is one of my favorite hearty meat and potatoes meals. When it’s made right, the beef and veggies become perfectly tender and the flavors are just right.
I love serving this up for St. Patrick’s Day, but I also love making it throughout the fall and winter. No need to wait until March to try it.
What You’ll Learn About Dutch Oven Corned Bee
- How to make Dutch oven corned beef and cabbage at home with simple ingredients.
- The best way to prepare the meat so that you get tender and juicy results every time.
- Answers to commonly asked questions like how long to cook corned beef in a Dutch oven and how long to cook cabbage in a Dutch oven.
Meat and potatoes go together like, well, meat and potatoes! With the addition of other veggies like cabbage and carrots, this dish is satisfying, comforting, and oh-so-yummy.
I made this recipe in my 5 QT Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven.
What you’ll need for Corned Beef and Cabbage in Dutch Oven
- Corned beef brisket
- Spice packet
- Baby red potatoes
- Onion
- Carrots
- Green Cabbage
How to Make Corned Beef in Dutch Oven
A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
STEP ONE: Place the corned beef brisket in a large Dutch oven and add enough water to cover it. Then, add the spice packet and bring the water to a boil.
Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Remove any gray foam that may appear on the top of the pot and discard it. Cover again and let simmer for another 90 minutes, or until the beef becomes fork-tender.
STEP TWO: Prep your veggies while the corned beef simmers. Cut the baby potatoes in half (or into chunks if you’re using larger potatoes) and peel and quarter the onion.
Peel the carrots and cut them into 1 ½ to 2-inch-sized pieces. Cut the cabbage in half and remove the core, then cut it into large slices or wedges.
STEP THREE: Once the corned beef has cooked for 2 hours in total, add the potatoes, onion, and carrots. Allow them to simmer for 15-20 minutes until they are almost tender — the beef should be fork-tender at this point.
Add the cabbage (you may need to remove some broth so it fits) and cook for 15 more minutes until tender.
STEP FOUR: Turn off your stovetop and remove the corned beef from the pot, but leave the vegetables and broth in the Dutch oven.
Allow the meat to rest for 15 minutes. Then, slice it across the grain and serve it with the veggies and broth!
Dutch Oven Corned Beef and Cabbage FAQs
One common question that comes up when making Dutch oven corned beef and cabbage is: how long to cook corned beef in a Dutch oven?
As mentioned above and on the recipe card below, the meat needs to cook for at least 2 hours in order to become fork-tender.
Then, you’ll need to let it continue to simmer with the vegetables and broth for another 35 minutes or so. It’s a long process, but it’s worth it!
Another frequently asked question you may have when making your Dutch oven corned beef and cabbage is how long to cook cabbage in a Dutch oven.
It doesn’t take as long to cook as the rest of the ingredients. All you need is 15 minutes for it to get just as tender as the meat and potatoes.
If you allow it to cook for any longer, it could start to disintegrate.
You may consider rinsing the meat before you place it in the Dutch oven as it’s a naturally very salty cut of beef. Don’t worry about rinsing off the flavor, you just want to get rid of that excess salt.
If you follow my specific instructions for Dutch oven corned beef and cabbage, you don’t have to worry about overcooking it.
The entire recipe shouldn’t take you longer than 3 hours and 30 minutes from start to finish. Otherwise, you could end up with really tough meat.
Cooking corned beef in a dutch oven slowly over a longer period of time breaks down the tough fibers, making the meat melt-in-your-mouth tender.
However, overcooking can lead to dryness, so keep an eye on the cooking time!
When cooking corned beef in a dutch oven, it should be completely submerged in liquid. If it’s not fully covered, parts of the meat can dry out or cook unevenly.
Add enough water just to cover the corned beef so it cooks thoroughly and stays juicy.
More like this Corned Beef Dutch Oven Recipe
- Instant Pot Navy Bean Soup
- Dutch Oven Mac and Cheese
- Air Fryer Corned Beef
- Ninja Foodi Corned Beef
- Instant Pot London Broil
- Mac and Cheese With Cream Cheese
- Air Fryer Boneless Pork Chops
Corned Beef and Cabbage in Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 1 3 pound corned beef brisket, with spice packet
- 8-10 cups water
- 1 ½ pounds baby red potatoes halved
- 1 large onion quartered
- 5-6 medium carrots 2-inch pieces
- 1 large head green cabbage cored and sliced
Instructions
- Place the brisket in a large Dutch oven and add enough water to just cover it. Add the spice packet and bring the water to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, then skim any gray foam from the top of the pot and discard it. Cover and resume simmering until the corned beef is just about fork-tender, another 90 minutes.
- While the corned beef is simmering, prepare the vegetables. Cut the baby potatoes in half (chunks if using larger potatoes). Peel and quarter the onion. Peel the carrots and cut into 1 ½- to 2-inch pieces. Cut the cabbage in half, remove the core, and cut it into large slices or wedges.
- When the corned beef has cooked for 2 hours, add the potatoes, onion, and carrots. Simmer until the vegetables are almost tender and meat is fork-tender, 15-20 minutes. Add the cabbage, removing some of the broth if needed so it fits, and cook until tender, about 15 more minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Remove the corned beef and let it rest for 15 minutes, allowing the broth and vegetables to remain in the Dutch oven. Slice the meat across the grain and serve with the vegetables and broth.
