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Viral Dirty Cabbage with ground chuck, kielbasa, bacon, green bell pepper, and onion simmered in Creole-seasoned sauce in a cast iron skillet

Dirty Cabbage

A one pot meal built in layers. Bacon renders first and comes out, ground chuck and kielbasa cook in the fat, then tomato paste, peppers and onions, a flour and beef broth sauce, and a whole head of cabbage that cooks down to half its volume. Bacon goes back in at the end.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Creole, Southern
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Meat
  • 2 lbs ground chuck 80/20 ground beef works too.
  • 0.5 package bacon Cut into 1/4 inch pieces.
  • 1 kielbasa sausage Sliced into 1/4 inch rounds, then each round cut into quarters.
Vegetables
  • 1 large head green cabbage Hard center core removed, leaves roughly chopped into chunky pieces.
  • 1 large white onion roughly chopped
  • 1 large green bell pepper Roughly chopped. Any color works.
Sauce and Seasoning
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2.5 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 cup low-sodium beef broth
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp salt-free Creole seasoning
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic paste
  • 1 tsp salt Or to taste.
  • 1 tsp black pepper Optional.
  • Red pepper flakes Optional.
  • Fresh parsley Optional, for garnish.

Equipment

  • Dutch oven or deep pan It needs to hold a whole head of cabbage before it cooks down.
  • Wooden Spoon
  • Sharp knife For the rough chop.

Method
 

Prep
  1. Roughly chop the onion and bell pepper into chunky pieces. Remove the hard center core from the cabbage and roughly chop the leaves the same way. Set everything aside and measure out your remaining ingredients.
  2. Cut the bacon into roughly 1/4 inch pieces. Slice the kielbasa into 1/4 inch rounds, then cut each round into quarters.
Build the Pot
  1. Heat a large Dutch oven or deep pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy. Remove the bacon and set it aside. Do not drain the bacon fat.
  2. Add the ground chuck and kielbasa directly into the bacon fat. Let everything sit for 1 to 2 minutes, then break up and mix the meat and sausage together. Cook until the beef is completely cooked through.
  3. Add the tomato paste and mix it into the meat. Cook about 1 minute.
  4. Add the chopped bell pepper and onion and cook about 3 minutes, stirring everything together.
  5. Sprinkle in the flour and mix well. Add the Creole seasoning, smoked paprika, salt and optional black pepper, then the garlic and cook about 30 seconds.
  6. Pour in the Worcestershire sauce and beef broth, stirring to combine. Let it simmer 3 to 4 minutes so the sauce comes together.
Cabbage and Finish
  1. Add all of the chopped cabbage. It will look like far too much. Keep the pot uncovered the entire time so the steam can escape.
  2. Simmer 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender and has cooked down to roughly half its original volume.
  3. Stir the crispy bacon back in, taste and adjust the salt, and serve. Finish with fresh parsley if you like.

Notes

Rough chop, do not dice: Everything simmers for 25 to 30 minutes. Diced vegetables melt into the sauce and you lose every distinct flavor. Chunky pieces hold their shape.
Cut out the cabbage core: The hard center will not break down the way the leaves do.
Do not drain the bacon fat: That is what the ground chuck and kielbasa cook in.
Leave the lid off: Cabbage is mostly water. A lid condenses that steam and drops it back in, so you get a watery pot and no reduction. Uncovered, the liquid reduces and the cabbage shrinks by about half.
Bacon goes back in at the end: Left in for the whole cook it loses its crisp.
Timing: Prep and cook times are estimates. The 25 to 30 minute cabbage simmer and the shorter steps are as given.

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