Homemade Corned Beef Hash

If you made my recipe for corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day, then you will love the recipe that I am sharing today. With my leftover corned beef, I always make Homemade Corned Beef Hash for breakfast the next day.

Corned beef hash holds a special place in my heart. 

I have fond memories of waking up Saturday mornings to Jazz on the radio and my dad cooking breakfast for the family. His homemade hash browns were second-to-none, and his German pancakes were a yummy stack of Heaven. He was such an amazing cook. Everything he created made me happy – but if he was cooking this hash, I would be elated! 

Homemade hash reminds me of my dad…and will always be special to me. So, now I want to share it with you!

For some people, corned beef hash is a once-a-year experience, prepared the morning after St. Patrick’s Day (and then forgotten for another year). But it’s SO GOOD! Why wait another 365 days to enjoy something so tasty and so easy to make?

Made-from-scratch corned beef requires some time and a few steps, which might scare people away from making it more than once a year. No corned beef = no corned beef hash.

But corned beef is available all year long in various forms – pre-seasoned, fully cooked, sliced, or canned. You don’t need a holiday to make this recipe, which means any day can be Hash Day. Hooray for hash!

INGREDIENTS

This Irish recipe needs only 7 ingredients: Leftover corned beef from St. Patrick’s Day, pan-cooked with potatoes, butter-sautéed onions, plus a little Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.

HOW TO MAKE CORNED BEEF HASH

Chop your onion, then sauté with butter in a large pan or skillet until onions are translucent. Remove the pan of onions from heat.

Bring 8 cups of water to a boil (you’ll need it in a few minutes)

While water is heating up, rinse, peel, and dice potatoes to about ¼-inch cubes. Set aside in a bowl or Tupperware filled with enough cold water to cover your spuds (this prevents them from turning brown).

Finely chop your corned beef until the pieces are the size of crumbled taco meat. 

Now drain your diced potatoes, then boil them for 5 minutes.

Drain potatoes once again, rinsing them with fresh cold water to stop the cooking process.

Add 4 tablespoons of butter to your skillet with the onions, and turn heat to medium. Add potatoes and corned beef. Season with salt and pepper and a couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Stir with a wooden spoon to mix the flavors.

Cook until the meat gets nice and crispy, stirring and flipping the mixture often so as not to burn. It usually takes a good 20 minutes to get it to perfection.

Serve the hash with eggs and toast.

CAN YOU FREEZE CORNED BEEF HASH?

Absolutely! If you’re simply freezing your leftover hash, let it cool then scoop into a high-quality freezer bag. Squeeze out the excess air, seal shut, and freeze for up to 3 months.

If you’re preparing this hash as a make-ahead frozen meal, here’s the combination I like best when filling my freezer bag:

• Meat: Fully cooked and chopped
• Potatoes: Diced and fully cooked
• Onions: Chopped and raw
• (The butter, Worcestershire, and seasonings should be added fresh when you heat up the hash.)

WHY IS IT CALLED “CORNED BEEF?”

Corned beef isn’t made with corn. It has nothing to do with the English county of Cornwall or the Cornish people who hail from the region. The “corn” refers to the pellets of rock salt used to make corned beef. These kernels of salt, known as salt corns, are part of the meat’s curing process.

HOW DO YOU COOK FROZEN CORNBEEF HASH?

Transfer your bag of frozen hash to the fridge overnight to thaw. 

Heat butter in a skillet, then pour in all the ingredients in the bag.

Fry on medium heat for about 20 minutes. The onions will sauté while the meat turns crispy. 

Use a wooden spoon to stir the ingredients every couple of minutes, and season with salt and pepper while you’re cooking. You can’t hurt this recipe by stirring too much, so all you active chefs – have at it! Be sure not to smash your potatoes. The goal is to end up with toasty little golden cubes.

WHAT KIND OF CORNED BEEF SHOULD I USE?

While this recipe was intended as a way to make use of leftover beef, you’ve still got options even if you don’t have any leftovers. 

Fresh corned beef is readily available in grocery stores and Costco around St. Patrick’s Day, usually in pre-portioned packs (1 size only). If these give you more corned beef than required, you can always make a second batch of corned beef hash and freeze it!

Butcher shops are pretty reliable sources for corned beef, and will let you customize the amount you purchase.

Canned corned beef can be found in the supermarket aisle next to products like Vienna sausage or canned tuna.

In a pinch you could use a few packages of thin-sliced corned beef deli meat. While delicious on sandwiches, I find it to be a little too lean to make a good hash. If the deli counter has fresh-sliced corned beef, order 2 lbs sliced dinner cut. Or just buy a 2-pound hunk to take home and chop up.

You can also make corned beef and cabbage using this Instant Pot recipe or this Crock Pot recipe.

WHAT ELSE CAN I DO WITH CORNED BEEF HASH?

It can be the star ingredient in lots of other unexpected recipes. If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, here are a few idea starters:

1. Roll it up in a tortilla with scrambled eggs and cheddar cheese for an Irish breakfast burrito.
2. Use it as a hearty filling for an Irish omelet.
3. Pile it on a potato roll for a delicious sandwich.
4. Scoop it into hollowed-out bell peppers and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees (F).

PRO TIPS/NOTES

This recipe serves 4, but you can stretch to 5-6 by adding easy side dishes. Transform this great breakfast into a great, big breakfast by adding a peppery fried egg on toast for each person.

Or make a “bird’s nest” by clearing a hole in the center of your hash, then cracking 2-3 eggs into the hole after your hash is ready. Cover your skillet/pan, and, and cook just long enough for the egg whites to set. Serve and enjoy! 

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU MAKE FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAY?

• Prepare this delicious Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage.
• Make these cool and delicious Crème de Menthe Brownies.
• Blend these fresh and fun Green Smoothies.
• Slow-cook this tender Crock Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage. 
• Bake this incredible Guinness Irish Brown Bread Recipe.

If you make a batch of this Irish recipe, I would love to see it! Snap a picture of it and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #happymoneysaver and tagging me @happymoneysaver

This recipe was first posted on Mar. 18, 2014, but has been updated with new photos and better-detailed instructions and tips on March 2nd, 2022.