Dublin Coddle

This Dublin Coddle is a truly remarkable dish made with a simple combination of bacon, onion, sausage, potatoes, and herbs. There’s no better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than with a slice of soda bread and a heaping serving of delicious Dublin coddle!

DUBLIN CODDLE

You may be asking yourself a very important question – what exactly is a Dublin coddle? For being such a flavorful, traditional Irish dish, it’s strangely not as popular as it should be… Let’s remedy that issue by whipping some up for St. Patrick’s Day!

The word “coddle” is actually used to describe a dish consisting of leftovers and doesn’t have one specific recipe. Technically, there are plenty of other coddles you could make! The coddling method of cooking primarily entails that the recipe is slowly cooked.

The Dublin coddle recipe specifically calls for ingredients like bacon, pork sausage, russet potatoes, and fresh herbs. This coddle recipe is by far the best one around!

This history of this hearty dish is also fairly fascinating. It was first created in the 1700s, during the first Irish famine. The coddle could be cooked early in the day, then enjoyed much later, allowing the person cooking it to have time to work.

Isn’t it incredible to see what amazing things can come out of hardships?

Ingredients for a Traditional Dublin Coddle

• Canola Oil – Another neutral flavored oil, like vegetable or avocado oil will also work as a substitute.
• Bacon – Pork bacon is the best, most traditional bacon to use in this recipe! However, you can also opt for turkey bacon.
• Onion – A yellow or Vidalia onion work best for this recipe, as they’re sweet and complimentary to the savory ingredients. Avoid using a red onion!
• Pork Sausage – There are plenty of brands to choose from – I just suggest to get the sausage straight from the butcher and not from the frozen aisle. Fresh sausage makes a big difference in flavor!
• Russet Potatoes – To keep this recipe as classically Irish as possible, avoid using any other potatoes in this coddle. Plus, these potatoes are so tender when cooked.
• Garlic – Use 3 cloves if you don’t want the garlic to be strong, and use 4 cloves if you’re craving a stronger hint of garlic.
• Chicken Stock – You can also use chicken broth instead, but the flavor will not be as rich.
• Thyme – Use 3 to 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme if needed.
• Parsley – 2 tablespoons of minced fresh parsley is delicious in this coddle. If you’re using dried instead, though, just use 1 tablespoon.
• Bay Leaves
• Salt and Pepper

How to Make a Dublin Coddle

Prepare the ingredients. Before you can begin cooking, you’ll need to chop the bacon and sausages, peel and cut the potatoes, and peel and press the garlic.

Cook the bacon. Preheat the Dutch oven and then add oil and bacon. Cook the bacon until the fat is rendered, then remove the bacon from the pot, leaving the grease.

Cook the sausage and onions. Start by adding the onion slices, then toss in the sausage pieces. Make sure the pieces of sausage are all touching the bottom of the pot so they develop a nice brown color. Sear the ingredients for a few minutes, flipping the sausages frequently.

Add more ingredients. Toss the potatoes and bacon into the pot.

A tip – Save some of the bacon pieces on the side. That way, when you serve your bowls of Dublin coddle, you can garnish them with pieces of crispy bacon!

Simmer. Pour in the chicken stock before tossing in the herbs, salt and pepper, and garlic. Stir everything together to fully combine, then bring the mixture to a simmer.

Bake. This is perhaps the most important step of making a Dublin Coddle – allowing it to slowly cook! Place your covered Dutch oven into the preheated oven, and allow it to cook for 2.5-3 hours.

A tip – Around the 2 hour mark, take a peak at the coddle. If you feel like too much liquid as cooked out, avoid the coddle becoming dry by adding another 1/2 to 1 cup of chicken stock to the pot.

Different Methods of Cooking to Try

Here’s how to make Dublin coddle in the slow cooker:

For the best flavor, I recommend that you still sear the sausage and cook the bacon accordingly. Then, combine it all in a slow cooker and cook it on low for approximately 5-6 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.

How to make it in the Instant Pot:

Start with Instant Pot in “sauté” setting. Sauté the bacon first, then remove it before sautéing the onion and sausage. Once those ingredients are sautéed, add back the bacon, potatoes, herbs, and seasoning.

Turn off the sauté setting, close the lid until it locks, turn the valve to close, then set the cook time on manual high pressure cooking for 20 minutes. At the end of the cooking time, do a natural release for 10 minutes, then do a quick release.

For more details on using an Instant Pot, you can read my Instant Pot Short Ribs recipe.

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with these Irish Classics!

Irish Stew – a wonderfully flavorful and comforting dish made with lamb, onion, carrots, potatoes, and stout.

Irish Beer Burger – a delicious, juicy beer burger made with Guinness, caramelized onions, Swiss cheese, and crispy bacon, all on a potato roll.

Colcannon (Irish Mashed Potatoes) – an Irish mashed potato dish that feature a mixture of buttery mashed potatoes and sautéed cabbage.

Irish Tea Cake – a simple, versatile cake that is light, soft, and sweet.

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