About this recipe

A beloved Irish one-pot supper from the heart of Dublin — Dublin Coddle is a humble, deeply comforting dish of layered pork sausages, back bacon, potatoes, and onions slowly simmered together in a savory broth until everything is meltingly tender. Traditionally made on Thursdays (when Catholics abstained from meat on Fridays, this was a way to use up the week's remaining pork), it's been a Dublin working-class staple for centuries. The magic is in its simplicity: no fancy technique, just good ingredients cooked low and slow until the broth turns silky and rich. Serve it in deep bowls with thick slices of soda bread to soak up every drop.

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat your oven to ![300°F]. This low, slow heat is key to the coddle's signature silky texture — don't rush it with higher heat.

2. 2

   Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy oven-safe pot over ^[medium-high heat]. Add the butter. Once foaming, add the pork sausages and cook, turning occasionally, until browned all over — about 5–6 minutes. They don't need to be cooked through. Remove with tongs and set aside.

3. 3

   In the same pot with the remaining fat, add the back bacon pieces and cook for 3–4 minutes until lightly browned at the edges. Remove and set aside with the pork sausages. Don't drain the fat — it's the flavor base.

4. 4

   Reduce heat to ^[medium]. Add the sliced onions to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6–8 minutes until softened and just starting to turn golden. Season with the sea salt and black pepper.

5. 5

   Remove about half of the cooked onions and set aside. This will form a separate layer. Now begin building the coddle: spread the remaining onions evenly across the bottom of the pot. Layer the back bacon pieces over the onions, then arrange the floury potatoes rounds in a single overlapping layer on top. Lay the pork sausages over the floury potatoes, then top with the reserved onions. Nestle in the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

6. 6

   Pour the chicken stock and water over everything. The liquid should come about three-quarters of the way up the layers — just below the top of the pork sausages. Add a little more water if needed. Bring to a gentle simmer on the stovetop over ^[medium heat].

7. 7

   Once simmering, cover the pot tightly with its lid and transfer to the preheated ![300°F] oven. Cook for 75–90 minutes, until the floury potatoes are completely tender when pierced with a knife, the pork sausages are cooked through, and the broth has turned a beautiful golden color and thickened slightly.

8. 8

   Carefully remove the pot from the oven. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Taste the broth and adjust seasoning with sea salt and black pepper as needed. The broth should be savory, slightly silky, and deeply flavored from the pork sausages.

9. 9

   Ladle into deep bowls, making sure each serving gets pork sausages, back bacon, floury potatoes, onions, and plenty of broth. Scatter generously with fresh chopped parsley. Serve immediately with thick slices of Irish soda bread or crusty bread to soak up the broth.