This article presents a simulation of a model rocket combustor with continuously variable acoustic properties thanks to a variable-length injector tube. Fully compressible Large-Eddy Simulations are conducted using the AVBP code. An original flame stabilization mechanism is uncovered where the recirculation of hot gases in the corner recirculation zone creates a triple flame structure. An unstable operating point is then chosen to investigate the mechanism of the instability. The simulations are compared to experimental results in terms of frequency and mode structure. Two-dimensional axi-symmetric computations are compared to full 3D simulations in order to assess the validity of the axi-symmetry assumption for the prediction of mean and unsteady features of this flow. Despite the inaccuracies inherent to the 2D description of a turbulent flow, for this configuration and the particular operating point investigated, the axi-symmetric simulation qualitatively reproduces some features of the instability.