Recipe and photos by Amanda Christian
When it comes to dutch oven cooking, stews are one of the easiest and most delicious meals you can make. If you find yourself outdoors this St. Patrick's Day, try this spin on a traditional Irish dish that's cooked over the campfire.
"As a child, my mom would make corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day. I looked forward to it every year. Ordinary ingredients like potatoes, carrots, and onions take on a whole new life when combined with pickling spices and a salty broth."
While this stew is very quick and easy to assemble, it does need to cook for hours. Brisket requires the low and slow method to become tender. (There's no shortcut here!) The longer you can cook this stew, the better. Make a cocktail, play some games, and enjoy time outdoors around the campfire while your dinner cooks.
Corned Beef and Cabbage Stew
Total Time: 3 hours, 10 min
Ingredients
- 2 pounds corned beef brisket in pickling juices
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- 1.5 pounds small red potatoes, halved
- 3 large carrots, sliced into 1/2 inch - 1-inch pieces
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups beef broth (plus more if needed)
- 15 oz Guinness Draught Stout (or other Irish Stout)
- 1/2 head of green cabbage, sliced
- Sour cream, for serving
- Fresh parsley, for serving
Materials
- 12" Dutch Oven
- Heavy Duty Grill Grate
- Mixing Spoon
- Cutting Board
- Enamel Bowls for serving
- Flatware or Utensils
- Reusable Napkins
Instructions
- This stew is cooked low and slow over a campfire. Set up your grill grate and start a small fire.
- Prepare the onions, potatoes, and carrots. Mince the garlic.
- Add the onions, potatoes, carrots, garlic, beef broth, and beer to a large 12" Dutch Oven and give it all a quick mix.
- Add the corned beef, including all the spices and pickling juices, into the dutch oven and make sure it's covered by the liquid. You can add more beef broth or a little water if needed. Cover with the lid.
- Place the dutch oven on the grate over the fire. Build the fire up underneath and bring the stew to a boil.
- Once it reaches a boil, manipulate the fire to bring the stew down to a simmer. Simmer covered for at least 3 hours.
- Add logs to the fire as needed to keep the stew simmering. Gently mix a couple of times through the cooking.
- After about 3 hours of simmering, carefully remove the corned beef from the dutch oven and set it aside on a cutting board. Once it's cooled enough to touch, trim off and discard any excess fat.
- Slice the beef against the grain into small bite-sized pieces and return it to the dutch oven.
- Lastly, mix in the sliced cabbage. Cover and simmer for another minute or two until the cabbage softens. Remove from the heat.
- Serve the stew with a dollop of sour cream and fresh parsley. Enjoy!
About
Amanda is an outdoor blogger and YouTuber. She specializes in adventure travel, camp cooking, and outdoor skills. On her blog, you’ll find camping recipes and tips that help campers go from confused and overwhelmed, to confident and well-fed in the outdoors. Learn more on the Amanda Outside Blog.
AmandaOutside.com