How to Make Corned Beef with Pre Chuck Roast

St. Paddy's day is almost here. Get out your pint glasses, stock up on beer, clear out your fridge and get your kitchen ready to make a corned beef feast. 

Corned beef is a meal made famous by the Irish and mainly eaten by Americans on St. Paddy's day. "Corned" just means preserved in salt. The recipe has been adapted and added to but the traditional corned beef recipe is simple. A few ingredients go a long way. 

Traditionally, corned beef is made with a brisket cut but we decided to experiment with our chuck roast and luckily, it worked out great. 

We are going to share the steps on how to prepare a traditional corned beef and then how to apply that recipe to a corned beef breakfast hash and a classic reuben sandwich.

This recipe was adapted by Simply Recipes.

Traditional Corned Beef with Pre Chuck Roast

Ingredients:

• 2 Pre Chuck Roasts (3 lb. beef)
• 1 gallon of water
• 1 cup plus 3 tbsp kosher salt
• 6 tbsp pickling spice
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 5 tsp curing salt 

Instructions:

1. Pour water into a large pot, large enough to hold the brine plus meat.
2.  Add kosher salt, 3 tablespoons pickling spice, brown sugar, and curing salt to the pot.
3. Add brown sugar. 
4. Bring the brine to a gentle boil and then turn it off.
5. Let cool. To speed up cooling, place the pot in the refrigerator.
6. In a durable plastic or glass container, pour the brine and add the raw meat.
7. Put container in the refrigerator and let sit for 3-5 days.
8. After 3-5 days, take meat out of the fridge. Rinse each piece of meat with cold water and place in a pot with fresh water.
9. Add 3 tablespoons of pickling spice to the water.
10. Bring to a gentle boil and then turn to medium low. Let cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours with the lid off. 
11. Remove from water and slice.

Once the corned beef is made you can slice it, dice it and throw it into many recipes. We chose to make a classic reuben sandwich with quality swiss cheese and rye bread and a breakfast hash with poached eggs. The corned beef will keep in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Pre Corned Beef Hash and Poached eggs | Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp butter
• ¼ cup onion, finely diced 
• 3 cups hash browns, shredded 
• 1 cup Corned Beef, cooked and diced (1/4 in. dice)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions:

1. Melt butter in a 9 inch non-stick pan over medium heat.
2. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Mix hash browns and corned beef and add to pan, pressing down on the mixture with a spatula. Cook for about 7 to 9 minutes, until the underside of the hash browns are browned and crisp.
4. Carefully place a large plate over the cooking pan and flip the pan upside down so the hash browns are on the plate, crispy side up. Slide them back into the pan and cook on the other side, about 6 to 7 more minutes. (Hash browns can be made ahead and kept warm in a 250 degree oven.)
5. Bring a medium size pot of water to a simmer.
6. Add salt and white vinegar. Crack each egg into a small cup or ramekin and gently tip the eggs in to the simmering water.
7. Turn off the heat and poach the eggs for 4 to 5 minutes. Gently remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and drain off excess water.
8. When hash browns are cooked through place poached eggs on top and finish with the chopped parsley.

Classic Reuben Sandwiches | Serves 4

Ingredients:

Sandwich

• 2 tbsp butter, room temperature
• 8 slices seeded marble rye bread
• 1 corned beef chuck roast, sliced as thinly as possible against the grain
• 1 cup sauerkraut (place in a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth and wring out excess liquid)
• 4 slices swiss cheese

Sauce

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup ketchup
• ¼ cup sweet pickle relish
• 1 tbsp pickle juice

Instructions:

1. Mix sauce together ingredients and set aside.
2. Butter one side of each slice of bread. Place 4 slices of bread, butter side down, on a griddle or in a large skillet.
3. Place sliced corned beef, ¼ of the sauerkraut and 1 slice of swiss cheese on each slice of bread. Top with the remaining 4 slices of bread, butter side up.
4. Heat the griddle or pan on medium heat and place a tray or platter on top the sandwiches to weigh them down. You can also use a panini press. Cook for 4-5 minutes per side.
5. Slice sandwiches in half and serve with pickle spear, potato chips and sauce for dipping.   

Look for Pre® Chuck Roast at a store near you. Use our store locator to see what retailers carry us. You can also find us on Amazon Fresh or Amazon.com.