Recipe for an Irish Dublin Coddle

L.M.Reid creates delicious recipes and gives step-by-step instructions with her own photos so you can learn how to make each recipe at home.

Recipe for Irish Coddle

In this article, I show you how to make an Irish Dublin coddle recipe. This is one of the easy Irish recipes you can make and tastes delicious. The ingredients include pork sausages, rashers, and vegetables. These days, there are many variations that have been developed; for example, some people add different vegetables or barley.

For my recipe, I have included step-by-step instructions, my own photos and also a video of my 86-year-old mother as she prepares and cooks this meal. So you too can learn how to make coddle at home.

Cook Time and Yield

It is nice to serve this dish with a few slices of soda bread and butter. The dish is often cooked beforehand, and then reheated and eaten later at a party or after a night out.

• Preparation time: 15 mins
• Cooking time: 45 mins
• Serves: 2 to 3 portions

Ingredients

• 8 pork sausages
• 12 streaky bacon rashers
• 3 medium potatoes
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 medium onions

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1

1. Add the sausages to the pot.
2. Cut up the bacon rashers into cubes. Add to the pot.

Step 2

1. Peel the carrots and chop into small pieces. Add to the pot.

Step 3

1. Peel the potatoes and chop into cubes. Add to the pot.
2. Peel the onions and slice into small pieces. Add to the pot.

Step 4

1. Add water to the pot, just enough to cover the ingredients.
2. Bring to the boil.

Step 5

1. Once it has come to a boil, simmer for 45 minutes.
2. The Irish coddle is now ready to be dished up.
3. It is just as nice if left to go cold and reheated later, as is the Irish tradition.

This video below is of my now 86-year-old mother making Irish coddle.

Dublin Coddle History and Tradition

In the late 1700s there was a large migration of Irish people from the country to the cities. This was due to lack of employment opportunities in the sparse countryside of Ireland.

The people brought with them into the city the tradition of raising small animals such as hens and pigs. What was left of the pig once it was slaughtered and sold was turned into sausages. This along with the rashers of streaky bacon was boiled with vegetables for a warm and nourishing meal.

My mother was 16 when she met my father. She worked with my father’s mother at a restaurant and had been invited to the house for a party. This is where she first met my father. There was a keg of beer there and a Dublin coddle on the stove.

This was the norm in Dublin in those days before the take-away chip shops were common. The coddle would be cooked earlier and after a night out at the pictures or the pub it would be reheated and eaten by Dubliners all over the city.

Traditional Irish Coddle

I hope you enjoyed this recipe for my mother's coddle. As you have seen by this article it is quick, easy, and cheap. My grandmother Louise would cook her Irish coddle without carrots, which is the traditional way to make this dish.

My mother, Christina, also cooked it this way until we were born. She added the carrots for the nutritional value and the colour so we would get the benefit. My mother is now a great grandmother and still cooks this dish for herself and my father.

When I was taking the photos for this recipe, my father asked what I was doing. When I explained about the article, he was bemused because he said, "Sure everyone knows how to make a coddle." We all follow my mother's recipe for the coddle as it was passed down to us.

Irish Coddle Recipe

Questions & Answers

Question: Do you add soup mix to Irish Coddle?

Answer: You can do but it will not be an authentic Irish Coddle if you do. If you prefer the taste with soup mix added then by all means do so.

Comments

George Ludford on July 20, 2020:

Where’s the ham bone Every Dublin coddle starts with a ham bone. The rest sounds lovely. But we didn’t use rashers either because the bacon in the ham bone was lovely. We were sent round the shops for a handful of pot herbs, and the vegetables.

Annette Darcy on June 25, 2020:

The only change i would make to that Coddle is to use ham or bacon pieced cut into chunks

L M Reid (author) from Ireland on May 25, 2020:

Hello Alan, thanks for posting how you make your own Irish Coddle. It sounds delicious too.

Alan Farnan on January 21, 2019:

My coddel is made with chopped smoked rashers

Chopped sausages

Diced potato

Diced carrots

1large onion just peeled

Mixed herbs

2pks oxtail soup to thicken

Just boil all this together

Then add soup

Leave simmer on low heat to cook the soup out

Serve with soda bread

Believe me you would eat this for breakfast

Paul Kennedy on January 21, 2019:

Thanks very much for the tutorial on putting a coddle together, I have been told before it is easily cooked but you have made it a lot more helpful. I am a single man so it is much appreciated. Thanks Paul

L M Reid (author) from Ireland on January 10, 2015:

The Dublin Coddle has a few different ingredients than the Irish Coddle peachpurple, but neither of them would be like your local soup.

The coddles both contain rashers of bacon and sausages so that would be enough seasoning for the stew.

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment

peachy from Home Sweet Home on December 30, 2014:

it is similar to our local potato and carrot soup, doesn't need any seasoning?

L M Reid (author) from Ireland on July 19, 2014:

Yes Ronan I do agree, Irish Coddle always tastes better when reheated the next day. Glad you enjoyed it.

Ronan Sheridan from Dublin, Ireland on March 27, 2014:

Hi. thanks, yes i did enjoy it very much, Had it for Dinner the night i cooked it, and reheated it again for my dinner the next day. Tasted even better on the second day. Delicious, cheap, and healthy!

L M Reid (author) from Ireland on March 27, 2014:

Yes we tend to forget how nice coddle can be. I have never made it with tripe though, but like you say Ronan we all make it the way our mothers did. Hope you enjoyed it

Ronan Sheridan from Dublin, Ireland on March 18, 2014:

Hi. thanks for posting this. I had this all the time growing up as a kid here in Dublin. The only difference is my mum would add tripe, milk and cornflour. It seems different families add different ingredients, depending on how their mother showed them. I have sausages here and decided to make it for the first time in ages, just wanted to check the cooking times and came across your post. Unfortunately the local butcher doesn't have any tripe, he has to specially order it in! But i will go ahead without it. And you are right that it is great when reheated, i think even better when it is reheated.

L M Reid (author) from Ireland on January 25, 2014:

There are many different ways to make Irish Coddle Michelle so your mother could have added the soup to hers alright. I am sure it tasted really nice too.

MollySaltmarsh I bet your sister liked her coddle too.

Janet I also had trouble in the shops in the UK too when asking for stuff. My Irish accent always got in the way lol. I am glad you remembered to make a coddle when you noticed you had the ingredients there.

Janet on November 14, 2013:

I first tasted coddle when i lived in engkand from my irish friend I am scottish and she told me the tradition of it ,Also a funny wee story as she used thyme when making hers , she went to the local shop and asked the man if he had thyme and he asked time for what she replied thyme for a coddle you can imagine this with her lovely irish accent . this is true story i enjoyed a coddle for a few years but forgot about it over the years till recently I was rustling up some sausages and onions and potatoes for myself and i had some streaky bacon also had thyme and remembered the coddle so i made it for myself and enjoyed it and had a little smile to myself when i remembered margaret s story .It taastd as good as it did fifty years ago

MollySaltmarsh on August 10, 2013:

my ann sisters made coddle up

michelle on August 03, 2013:

Do you not add any soup to this?? my mother usually added farmhouse vegtable soup for more taste

L M Reid (author) from Ireland on June 12, 2013:

Yes an Irish Coddle is one of those meals that tastes better once it has been left to go cold and reheated later.

Thanks Rebecca for taking the time to leave a comment and sharing

Rebecca Mealey from Northeastern Georgia, USA on April 27, 2013:

This sounds so comforting. I can see why it was eaten after a night of partying. Makes sense! Thanks for sharing.

L M Reid (author) from Ireland on April 27, 2013:

I am delighted your family loved the Irish Coddle nefratti. It is so quick and easy to make and surprisingly tasty too lol.

nefretti25@yahoo.co.uk on April 17, 2013:

easy to follow receipe@ pics were a grt help..my coddle was devoured by all...thank you for posting the receipe in nice detail..

L M Reid (author) from Ireland on February 06, 2013:

Thank you Rana for reading my Irish coddle recipe and for taking the time to leave a comment

Rano on January 21, 2013:

Thank you for posting your mums recipe, I'll give it a go. And for sharing the heart warming story of your parents, 57 years and still going strong. Well done! I'll drink to their health and happiness when I have the coddle.

L M Reid (author) from Ireland on October 26, 2012:

Clive my mum made mince meat balls too. She would either put them in a stew with potatoes or my favourite was when she cooked them on the frying pan with onions. I hope you enjoyed the coddle you made.

Eiddwen thanks for your comment and the votes, you will enjoy the unique taste of this Irish Coddle

Eiddwen from Wales on October 25, 2012:

Another great recipe and thank you so much for sharing.

I will be saving many of yours I can see. I would have given this one a go tonight but we had sausages last night so it'll have to wait until next week.

Up /useful/interesting again.

Eddy.

Clive on August 31, 2012:

Just making the coddle now for the first time, cant wait... thank you for ur help... i do recall getting mince meat / balls when i was growing up... is that some thing just my mam done or does everyone do it

L M Reid (author) from Ireland on June 26, 2012:

Themla glad to be able to share mum's recipe with you. The flavours of the ingredients does make this a unique taste and experience.

Thanks for the share

Thelma Alberts from Germany and Philippines on June 26, 2012:

Oh, wow! I love it. I have eaten this in Ireland and now I´ll be able to cook this by using your recipe. Thanks a lot. Shared in Twitter.

L M Reid (author) from Ireland on June 25, 2012:

thewritingowl you will be surprised how easy it is to make and how nice Coddle tastes.

naimishika thanks for taking the time to leave a comment

Mary Kelly Godley from Ireland on June 24, 2012:

Nice one, my mom-in-law makes it. I must try it myself sometime.

L M Reid (author) from Ireland on March 27, 2012:

I hope you enjoyed the Irish Coddle Pamela for Paddy's Day.

Hello Jonathan, yes Streaky bacon rashers are also called bacon strips. The pork sausages are just ordinary ones that are available here in Ireland. I didn't know you could buy different kinds.

Thank you both for reading and taking the time to leave a comment

Jonathan on March 19, 2012:

Just a few questions from a less than informed American :). What kind of pork sausages are those? and what are 'Streaky bacon rashers' ? is it just regular bacon strips? thanks!

pamela bennett on March 16, 2012:

I am just delighted by yer recipes, i am gonna start on the coddle and continuing wit the rest of the recipes, I cannot wait, Tomorro is st paddys day and coddle it is (say a prayer)xxxx

L M Reid (author) from Ireland on February 25, 2012:

Yes Irish Coddle is easy to make but so tasty. Thank you everyone for reading and taking the time to comment and share.

Brett C from Asia on February 19, 2012:

Looks very is to make, tasty and healthy ... what more could you want?

Thanks for SHARING, up and useful.

mick nolan on February 11, 2012:

just found the best valintines meal. so so. simple even i can cook it , hope her in doors likes it?

Hazel Wade on November 23, 2011:

I first saw a recipe for dublin coddle on the Netmums website - their version calls for the addition of celery as well as carrots and is the favoured dish my 14 year old daughter loves to make - it's rather like her signature now lol.

So filling & tasty :)

Teresa Coppens from Ontario, Canada on November 07, 2011:

Recipes look awesome and your hub is well laid out. I'll have to bookmark this to try some of the recipes at a later date!

wildelderberryone on October 05, 2011:

This sound really good; but i'm afraid I would end up really throwing some spices into it, especially garlic. I'm Irish but raised in the US and really don't know too much about traditional foods. Thanks for this hub.

danny wall on June 13, 2011:

beautifull but i lash garlic in alwell

peter kelly on September 29, 2010:

going to have a go a making this dish hope it turns out ok looking farward to it mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

dublindiscohire from Dublin, Ireland. on September 14, 2010:

I so love a Dublin Coddle. Country people never seem to have heard about it. I'm 40 and my wife makes a lovely coddle. Only difference is she adds a bit of potato soup to it. Coddle and batch loaf..... How Dublin can ya get!

Billie Walker on September 10, 2010:

I look forward to giving this a try, especially with cool, Autumn weather on it's way.

Jaypyramid on July 26, 2010:

That brings back memories! I never liked coddle myself but my kids love it! Its a great dish to have when they come in on a cold and rainy day after school. Or for a supper. Its very filling and according to the kids, tasty! Its also handy because as you say, you can make it before hand and heat it up.

L M Reid (author) from Ireland on July 24, 2010:

Thanks for your comment rmcrayne about my parents. Yes it is hard to imagine them that young lol.

rmcrayne from San Antonio Texas on July 20, 2010:

Excellent pictures. Your mother looked so young and beautiful in the 1951 photo. What a handsome couple.

L M Reid (author) from Ireland on July 19, 2010:

Thanks scarytaff for your comment. Yes it is quick and easy to make the coddle. It really does not look too tasty from the photos but believe me it is delicious.

Give it a try and I promise you will not be dissapointed.

L M Reid (author) from Ireland on July 19, 2010:

Thanks for reading and your comments KoffeeKlatch. Yes my mother, I must admit, does make a lovely coddle.

When I read your comment I was a bit confused until I went back and read the hub again. I made an error there when I wrote that you can enjoy the Irish coddle hot or cold. Sorry I meant to write that it is often let go cold but then enjoyed when reheated at a later time. My mistake, which I have rectified now. To be honest the coddle would not be too tasty cold.

Derek James from South Wales on July 19, 2010:

Excellent hub. Traditional foods always interest me and I'll try this one out soon. Thanks for the recipe.

Susan Hazelton from Sunny Florida on July 19, 2010:

Wonderful directions and pictures. I am intrigued by a dish that is good when eaten hot and also when eaten cold. Thanks you.