Skip the corned beef sandwich and go straight for the hash. You can thank me later.
After St. Patrick’s Day I have two things: A hangover and leftover corned beef or pastrami. Someday I’ll write about hangover cures. When I find one.
Here’s what to do with the meat, potatoes, and cabbage. Make a hash of it.
I love corned beef hash, but I hate the bowl of paste that passes for the real deal in so many diners, and I especially despise the stuff in the can. So I make it myself and top it by cooking a sensual runny egg.
The recipe below is pretty forgiving. Don’t sweat exact measurements.
How To: Preparing Corned Beef
Corned beef comes in two forms:
Uncooked corned beef is usually a hunk of beef that is in a brine solution of curing salts, regular salt, and pickling spices. It is then packaged in a sturdy plastic bag with some of the brine. It is very salty and has not been cooked.
Cooked and ready to eat corned beef is cured in a brine with curing salts, regular salt, and pickling spices, then cooked, and usually packaged in slices or sliced at the deli counter. Just open the package and eat.
There are three popular cuts
Whole packer is a massive slab 10 to 18 pounds (4.5 to 8.2 kg). You rarely find them corned.
Flat, which is flat, lean, evenly striated and it makes for perfect slices. But it can be tough because it has little marbling. Typically 3 to 5 pounds (1.4 to 2.3 kg).
Point, which is a second muscle on top of the flat that has better marbling and therefore richer flavor, fuller mouthfeel, and is more tender. It is usually sitting on top of a layer of flat with a fatty layer in between. Typically 3 to 5 pounds (1.4 to 2.3 kg).
If you made corned beef from scratch, or if you bought a package of uncooked corned beef, you must remove some of the salt and cook it before eating it.
1) Open the package the meat came in and dump out all the liquid. If you have made your own corned beef, remove it from the brine. Rinse thoroughly. Some packages have some pickling spices in a packet. It is a joke. There is nowhere near enough to do anything useful and if the meat has been corned properly, there is more than enough flavor in it. Throw them out.
2) Some cuts have a thick layer of fat on the surface of one side, called a fat cap. Trim it all off. This fat is not like marbling in beef. It brings nothing to the party but calories and it just makes scum. If you bought the point section of a brisket, there is probably a layer of fat on top of a layer of meat, then another layer of fat, and finally another layer of meat. Trim off the surface fat and leave the center fat layer intact. It will be easy to remove after it is cooked.
3) Place the meat in a large pot along with enough hot water to cover it by at least 1″ (25.4 mm) and put the lid on. Turn the heat to medium low, bring it to a simmer at about 190°F (87.8°C) and keep it there for 30 minutes. Do not boil! If you boil it, it will get tough and shrink. Beware that the meat is cold, so when it warms the water will slowly move from simmer to boil. Keep an eye on it and do not to let it boil.
4) After 30 minutes of simmering, dump out the water and cover the meat with fresh hot water, again about 1″ (25.4 mm) above the meat. Bring to a low simmer again, this time for 3 hours or until it is about 190°F (87.8°C) or fork tender. Some really cheap cuts will never get tender (and that’s why it is best to make your own). Keep the meat submerged even if you have to weight it down with a small plate.
Easy Corned Beef Hash Recipe
Makes:
Takes:
Ingredients
- 1 pound potatoes (preferably Yukon Golds)
- Morton Coarse Kosher Salt
- 1 large onion
- 1 small bell pepper or 1/2 large pepper
- 1 pound cooked corned beef
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 4 teaspoons bacon fat, lard, butter, ghee, or cooking oil
- 2 eggs
These recipes were created in US Customary measurements and the conversion to metric is being done by calculations. They should be accurate, but it is possible there could be an error. If you find one, please let us know in the comments at the bottom of the page
Method
- Corned Beef. I make this with leftover cooked corned beef that has been simmered. If you have raw corned beef, soak it in water overnight, changing the water at least once, to remove some of the salt, and then simmer it on low, about 180F, for at least 3 hours. Remove excess fat.
- Potatoes. Cut the potatoes into bite-size cubes, about 1/2 inch square. Simmer them in a pot with two generous pinches of salt. Cook until almost cooked through, al dente, and then drain. Put them back in the hot pot to dry a bit.
- Chop. Coarsely chop the onion and pepper. Chop the meat into 1/4 to 1/2" cubes.
- Fire up. On your grill or a burner, preheat a frying pan over medium heat, preferably a cast iron pan, or a griddle.
- Cook. Add 1/3 of the fat. When the fat has melted, add the onions and peppers and a pinch of salt. Cook until limp but not brown. Remove them and set aside. Add another 1/3 of the fat and when it is melted, add the meat and cook until it starts to brown. Remove the meat and set aside. Leave the drippings in the pan. Add the rest of the fat, let it melt, then toss in the potatoes, and spread them out. Cook uncovered about 5 minutes or until they start to brown. Add the onions, peppers, corned beef, and thyme, then with a spatula, turn things over and mix things up.
- Crack the remaining eggs one at a time and and lay them on top of the hash away from the center. Cover and cook until the whites have set and the yolks are the way you like them. Be careful don't burn the bottom of the hash. If the bottom is dark brown and the eggs are not done, add a few ounces of water to make steam and put the cover on.
- Cabbage? While the eggs are cooking, heat any leftover cabbage as a side dish. Microwave is fine.
- Serve. Plate the hash with eggs and serve immediately with buttered rye toast.
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