Dublin Coddle

There’s nothing quite like a big pot of Dublin Coddle simmering away on a chilly afternoon. This classic Irish stew is pure comfort in a bowl: Hearty chunks of pork sausage seared with bacon, onions, cabbage, and Yukon gold potatoes until everything melds into something irresistibly rich and deeply satisfying. My version starts by browning the pork to create a beautiful fond, then builds the stew layer by layer toward a gentle, afternoon-long simmer that fills the whole house with the most incredible aromas. It’s become my family’s absolute favorite way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and I have a feeling it’s going to become a favorite at your house, too.

Why I Think You’ll Love This Stew!

I stumbled on a recipe for this stew while searching for something else entirely, and was immediately smitten. I had never heard of such a thing — coddle — but the timing was perfect, as we’re coming up on St. Patrick’s Day next month AND we were just about to be side-swiped by a major snow storm rolling through my neighboring states to the east. So, it was very much time for a cozy, long-cooking stew.

And, I have to emphasize, a cozy stew that tastes amazing. It’s probably the best stew I’ve ever made in my life, and that says a lot, coming from this soup fanatic!

Lots of deeply savory, salty pork flavors from a generous amount of bacon, plus bratwurst — I used beer brats because I’m extra like that — both seared first thing to bring out their flavors and to get that caramelized Maillard reaction going. The browning creates lots of meaty pork fond that’s deglazed into the pot with a generous helping of the season’s favorite stout, Guinness.

Dublin Coddle has its roots in Ireland, of course, when stews were the mainstay of working-class dinners. While the recipe for coddle (meaning, to simmer or boil) varies widely over time and place, common ingredients usually include pork sausage, bacon, onions, and potatoes. These are the core ingredients in my version, too, and I’ve also borrowed other elements from my family’s long-time favorite hearty and savory beef stew, including Dijon mustard, which adds a lovely umami kick to complement the richness of the coddle’s braised pork.

Recipe Highlights

• Difficulty level: Easy!
• Cooking time: Long, but mostly hands-off. The slow simmering brings out so much flavor.
• Servings: 4-5 very generous bowls.
• Bacon, pork sausage, onions, and gold potatoes build layers of flavor and texture in this brothy stew.
• This one-pot dish is a full meal. It’s family-friendly, satisfying, and crave-worthy comfort food.

Brown Stew vs. White Stew

As I mentioned above, there’s no one agreed-upon recipe for Dublin Coddle. In fact, the recipe commonly forks into one of two paths, brown or white, depending on how you start the cook.

A white stew is simply adding all of the coddle’s ingredients to the pot, topping with plain water (no broth or beer), bringing it up to a boil, and then letting everything simmer for a few hours. The result is a stew with a lighter colored broth without the darkening effects of a robust fond from seared meats or soup stock.

A brown stew, on the other hand, starts by searing the meats in a dry pot — that is, cooking the bacon until the fat is rendered and the meat is crisp, followed by browning the sausages in the bacon drippings — and then layering the remaining ingredients in the pot with chicken broth enhanced with beer for its long simmer. This creates a darker stew and, in my opinion, a more deeply flavored result. But, make no mistake, both versions have their charms!

Key Ingredients

The recipe’s full list of ingredients with quantities appear in the recipe card below.

Bacon — You’ll often see older versions of Irish coddle recipes referring to “rashers,” which is simply slices of bacon. This stew is cooked for a long time, so I personally prefer the textural staying power of thick-cut bacon. Regular-cut bacon will break down a bit, which is fine, too! As for substitutes, I’ll say that coddle is definitely not health food, so I wouldn’t recommend replacing pork bacon with lighter turkey or plant-based options, as you simply won’t get the same impact.

Pork sausage — Sausage is the star of this stew, and if you can find it, a traditional Irish sausage is amazing. It’s hard to source in the States, however, so a nice bratwurst is an easy option. For maximum flavor, stick with a raw, ground sausage rather than a smoked rope, such as kielbasa. Links of ground sausage sear easily and give off fat of their own into the stew.

Onions — The amount of onions I call for in this stew seems alarming, but just remember that the onions will break down and sweeten during their long cooking time. Think, French onion soup! You won’t regret the quantity, I promise. Note that normally I’m the weirdo who likes to chop things by hand, but even I broke out the mandoline, which makes really quick work of slicing two large onions into thin strips!

Yukon gold potatoes — It’s important to use a waxy potato, such as Yukon golds, which will hold their chunky shapes during the long cook. A starchy potato, such as a russet, will break down into the stew and not retain its original shape at all. Of course, it would still be delicious, but I think whole potato chunks are key for a hearty, substantial stew.

Beer — Despite the stew’s Irish heritage, beer is very optional, so don’t feel compelled to use it if it’s an ingredient you’d rather skip (use extra broth in its place). But its malty, hoppy flavors add a little something extra to the foundation of the broth that I just love.

Other — I couldn’t resist adding cabbage to this stew, because I had a big bag of coleslaw mix (you’ll notice the carrots in the photos) that I didn’t want to go to waste, for extra body and nutrition. And as mentioned above, a heaping tablespoon of mustard adds a zesty tang that rounds out the richness of this stew.

How to Make Dublin Coddle

Ready to make the recipe? Skip to the recipe card now to see the full ingredient list, quantities, prep/cooking times, and printable, detailed instructions. Or, keep scrolling for a visual walk-through and summary of making the dish.

Sear the pork

Cook the bacon until most of the fat has rendered and the meat has browned and crisped. Transfer to a plate to make room to brown the sausage pieces in the bacon drippings. Return the bacon to the pot.

Cook the meat and cabbage in the beer

Add the cabbage and pour in the beer, simmering gentle to cook off the alcohol, scraping the pot to release the flavorful fond created by the bacon and sausage. Stir in the mustard and parsley.

Layer the onions and potatoes

Add the onions to the pot and carefully fold everything together until coated with the liquids. Pour in the broth until it just barely covers the contents. Layer the potato chunks on top (do not cover with the broth).

Cook the stew

Place the covered pot in the preheated oven and cook without stirring for 2 1/2 hours. Uncover, and continue for another hour to both maximize flavor and add a little color to the potatoes. Before serving, garnish with sliced green onions and more parsley. Leftovers are amazing and can be refrigerated for 3 to 5 days. The potatoes may soften a bit, but the stew is still delicious.

Serve with freshly made Irish soda bread, like my individual, biscuit-sized Irish Soda Bread Minis, which you can mix up while the stew simmers and then quickly bake while the pot rests on the stove.

Cook’s FAQs

Dublin Coddle has genuinely won me over as one of my all-time favorite cold-weather meals, and it now replaces my old stand-by favorite St. Patrick’s Day stew. It’s simple, unfussy, and tastes like it took way more effort than it actually did. I hope your family loves it as much as mine does. If you give this recipe a try, please come back and leave a comment below — I’d love to hear how it turned out for you. And if you snap a photo, tag me on Instagram so I can see your beautiful bowl of Irish Coddle!

Dublin Coddle

by Karen Gibson

5 from 1 vote

Dublin Coddle is a traditional Irish stew made with bacon, pork sausage, onions, potatoes, and cabbage, slow-simmered in Guinness stout and broth until rich and hearty. Browning the pork first builds a flavorful fond, and the long cook time develops deep, savory flavor throughout. A classic St. Patrick’s Day recipe and easy weeknight comfort food.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Total Time 4 hours hrs

Ingredients

  

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• 1 tablespoon neutral oil , such as avocado or vegetable oil
• 8-10 slices thick cut bacon , cut into 1” pieces (about 12 ounces)
• 5 whole beer brats , uncooked (about 20 ounces), sliced into 1” lengths
• 2 cups shredded cabbage (or use a bagged coleslaw mix)
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley , minced
• 1 cup Guinness beer (or other dark stout)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (or stoneground mustard)
• 2 large onions , peeled and sliced thinly
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes , scrubbed, peeled, and cut into thick slices or wedges
• 2 green onions , sliced thinly

Instructions

 

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• Preheat the oven to 300ºF, and position a rack in the center or one notch down. You might need to remove the top rack to have enough room for the pot with its lid and handle.
• Heat the oil over medium-high in a 4-quart braiser or Dutch oven (with a lid) until shimmering.
• Add the bacon, layering the pieces across the surface of the pot. Cook, stirring often until browned. This will take 10 to 20 minutes, depending on how wide your pot is (the wider the pot, the more hot surface area for the bacon to rest on). Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper-toweled lined plate, and drain off all but about a tablespoon of the rendered bacon fat.
• Add the sausage to the pot. Stir often, browning the outer sides and edges, about 5 minutes. The sausage pieces will not be cooked all the through at this point; that’s okay.
• Return the bacon to the pot.
• Stir in the cabbage, about half of the parsley, and the Guinness, mixing well with the meat. Let the beer come up to a simmer and spoon in the mustard. Give everything a good stir, and cook for 5 minutes, which cooks off the alcohol in the beer.
• Layer the onions on top, and gently stir to coat them with the sauce in the pot. Smooth everything out into an even layer.
• Pour the chicken broth over the mixture, adding just enough to bring the liquids even with the onions. (You might use a little more or less than 2 cups; you can use water if you need more liquids.)
• Layer the potato chunks on top of the mixture; do not stir. They will not be covered with the broth. (Don’t forget to turn off the stove top heat.)
• Place the lid on the pot, and then put the pot in the oven.
• Cook for 2 1/2 hours. Remove the lid and cook for another hour (don’t disturb the potatoes).
• Before serving, giving the stew a good stir to bring the sausage and bacon to the top. Add the remaining parsley and green onions as a garnish.

Video

Keyword dublin coddle, irish coddle

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