Corned Beef hash...from a can. Preferred brands?

[saintp]

Hi. We are going camping this summer for 10 nights and I have been thinking of menus and camp stove ideas. One of my favorite treats when I go to diners or out for breakfast is homemade corned beef hash. Now, I have no plans to make my own and bring it with me camping. So, does anyone have a preferred brand of the canned kind? I'm in Massachusetts, so have Stop and Shop, Whole Foods, Big Y and Trader Joe's. Thanks!

[Tripeler]

I hope Will Owen pipes up on this thread. He has posted before that he *prefers* canned hash over fresh made. I wonder if he has a favorite brand...

[fldhkybnva]

I am so glad this thread has been resurrected...I have a serious craving for corned beef hash and am seriously tempted to grab a few cans tonight at the store.

[Veggo]

A friend of mine from the Bahamas makes a breakfast dish he calls 'fire engine'. Canned corned beef sauteed with diced onion, sweet and hot peppers, and a big scoop of tomato paste. Pretty good with a couple fried eggs.

[EWSflash]

What brand are you going to get???

[Owtahear]

I had leftover real corned beef today. So I made homemade corned beef hash. I hate to say it, I don't know why, the tinny, canned tasting Hormel hash is just more to my liking. But I can only eat it in small amounts. Though my homemade was not bad at all.

[Bacardi1]

I feel the same way myself. In fact, I gave up bothering to make my own hash - the canned is perfectly fine for me. I'd much rather use any leftover corned beef for Reuben Sandwiches anyway. ;)

[Owtahear]

Agree. Rueben sandwiches are a much more prudent use of good corned beef.

[mamachef]

Where oh where is the "Like" button? I've got to agree: as much as I love a great homemade CBH, if it's an either/or proposition, I'll take that Reuben, hands down.

[greygarious]

I usually make it using canned corned beef - the type in the tin with the key. But the best one I've made combined that with some leftover sliced corned beef from the deli. I find canned corned beef hash unpalatable unless heavily doctored with sauteed onion, and degreased. Even then, it's saltier than I'd like.

[shaogo]

Yes. Onions. Big fat sweet onions, not those little yellow things that come in a mesh bag.

Greygarious, I always admire your interest in health, but for me, I say bring on the grease! (the presence of a lot of oil/fat in corned beef hash makes it easier to make the crust when you fry it).

Also, in my 56 years, I've not tried the canned corned beef, and you've got me started. I'll chop up some potatoes and onions and try it out this Monday morning.

No one yet has mentioned the importance of having perfectly-cooked runny poached eggs to go on top of this hash....

[EWSflash]

I love canned corned beef, and haven't had it in so long- but when I do heat it up (as opposed to cooking it) I turn it out from the skillet onto a big pile of paper towels and roll it up gently but seriously :-) which pulls a lot of fat out of it, but you knew there'd be plenty left in it to flavor it. Makes it nice without the spreading grease pool that would accompany it otherwise. Sometimes I throw it back in the skillet to crisp up again.
But mostly I don't buy it, because it's a LOT easier to not buy it than to not eat it, and when I eat it I eat the whole damn can. There. I said it and I'm a little embarrassed but I don't feel like I'm the lone ranger here on this thread and I comfort myself with that thought.

[Jelly71]

I am the exact same way. I grew up with the canned. The first time I ordered it in a diner as an adult and got "real" corned beef hash I was very disappointed.

My granny used to use the canned CBH to make tacos. It's a weird family recipe, but total comfort food for us.

[EWSflash]

I can totally see the attraction to CBH tacos. Thank you for that idea...

[pichinga2]

I loved corned beef hash from the very popular, in Florida, Denny's Diners. Then they took it off the menu allegedly because of supplier issues. With that, my reasons for eating there vanished. That was a few years ago. Ever since then, I moved to the tri-state I have longed for a good old "my style" type of breakfast. Don't be confused here, I was born and raised in Latin America, but I guess for some reason I always loved a lot of stuff from my North American neighbors, from music like oldies, and jazz, New Orleans type of food, etc. Having said that, I finally decided it was about time to find at least one brand of canned corned beef hash that could bring that old feeling back. I started buying and so far I'm more inclined to the Libby's Corned Beef Hash than that of Hormel. Why? Because it's less dry, and it basically tastes better. I didn't add anything to it, just a good ton of heat. Don't burn it, but I like mine crispy. Mine came out juicy and crispy at the same time. Have a good breakfast everyone!!

[DougWeller]

I'd love a clone recipe of Mary Kitchen corned beef hash - and roast beef hash.
Doug

[mamachef]

You can probably reverse-engineer it from the labelled ingredients, but you may find out some things you'd rather not know. :)

[DougWeller]

Beef and Cooked Corned Beef (Cured with Salt, Sugar, Water, Sodium Nitrite), Rehydrated Potatoes, Water, Salt, Sugar, Flavoring, Spice, Sodium Nitrite - I imagine it's the flavoring that's the key. I thought I remembered mustard being in it, but that must have been another version.

[mamachef]

Well, mustard could certainly fall under the heading of "spices." I think the secret is a LOT of msg, and using a robot coupe instead of doing knife work so the texture won't be distinct.

[ratbuddy]

I like the reduced fat Mary Kitchen stuff.

I vastly prefer it to 'real' homemade or restaurant corned beef hash.

[rochfood]

Have a can of Herefords. never tried it before. Bought it at ALDI. Says its from Chicago.
You couldn't find canned corned beef in the store for a while..there was shortage in argentina/brazil..wherever its manufactured.
On a side note..i use canned corned beef..but mix it with fresh diced potatoes and fry up in a skillet. tastes good.
what bugs me if you go to a diner ands its the canned corned beef and potatoes . Too mushy..Sheesh..you think they could cut up a can with some fresh potatoes. Always a turn off for me. There is a difference from "canned corned beef and hash" and corned beef and hash prepared with" canned corned beef".

[John E.]

There is a local breakfast spot in my area with two locations (I think I recently saw a third location even closer to our home) that seem to get rave reviews in the local papers, Chowhound, and Yelp. I ate there twice. The restaurant's name has Eggs in it. The eggs were fine. It was the canned corned beef on one visit and the bad biscuits and gravy on the other visit that had me wondering why so many people like the place.

[alkapal]

my mom would make a hash with diced potatoes, onions, canned corned beef and a little bbq sauce. cooked till a little crispy on the edges in a hot cast iron skillet. mmm, i can taste it now. good memories.

[playfulotter]

Hereford is the best brand but like "rochfood' I buy just the canned corned beef and then add potatoes, onions and green bell pepper to it when I cook it up.

[alkapal]

i cannot find this anymore in northern virginia. if i DO find it, it is extremely expensive. you have some source in trader joe's?

[arktos]

Slightly off-topic, but I'm wondering if ppl add seasonings/ingredients to enhance their canned corned beef? I always do, the vanilla CCB is a little too much like something one would get at Petco.

[John E.]

My mother always added leftover potatoes, roast beef, and onions. I think she actually added the canned stuff to her homemade if there were not enough leftovers.

[greygarious]

Canned corned beef - the stuff in the trapezoidal can that is opened with a key - is not the same as CBH. To turn it into hash, you need, at the very least, onion and cooked potato. Other seasonings and vegetable additions vary. I like to grind up sliced corned beef (when I notice it
in the deli ends sold at the supermarket) and include it along with canned corned beef.

I have never seen Saval CBH but noticed it on sale in the supermarket flyer. There was no picture of the package but based on the adjacent items in the flyer, I assume it is a refrigerated product.

[shaogo]

Deli ends corned beef +++! That's the way to go.

We don't have to do that any more, 'cause my new restaurant features a corned beef special on thursday that we then make into hash on sunday for "sportsman's breakfast."

Hash was *always* the traditional way to use-up left-overs but we can't get enough of it.

Now, in a pinch, (or camping) (or lazy at home on one of those blessed mornings I don't have to go to work) -- Mary Kitchen is good, the huge #10 cans at the bulk stores (or Restaurant Depot) are better. Just oil up a non-stick pan and DON'T TOUCH THE STUFF once you've laid it out in the pan; that's the trick to a good "crust".

[KSlink]

Garlic, onions, hot sauce, black pepper.....

[LA Buckeye Fan]

For me, Arktos, I always saute a little onion and top with cheese. Feel free to use the domestic cheese in this application. :) But always...and you may want to write this down...always with sourdough toast. I live in a black and white world.

[tracylee]

Ohmigosh, arktos! I used to work at Petco, and my only experience with corned beef hash was from a can sometime after starting that job. One of the natural canned dog food brands smells just the same. I can't remember what brand it was, it's been years.

[KSlink]

Libby's has always done it for me, heads and shoulders above the rest in my little world....

[boyzoma]

Libby's was what we ate when I was growing up. Have not had any in years. But always loved it.

[MplsM ary]

Residing in Hormel land (where it is still sometimes pronounced as rhyming with "normal"), we can't get Libby's. My mother used to request it from my West Coast siblings as a Christmas present. Only Libby's or homemade would do for her.

[John E.]

Huh? Is it pronounced other way? (I didn't even know Libby made corned beef hash).

[greygarious]

I live in the northeast US, where it is only pronounced hor-MELL.

[Delucacheesemonger]

When l saw the thread, the only one that came to my mind is Armour corned beef hash. If l go to the new hot breakfast place or neat old diner, always order corned beef hash and it is never IMHO as good as Armour.

[Bacardi1]

YES - "Armour"! That's one of the other brands I couldn't remember before that I also sometimes buy.

[fourunder]

In my area of Northern New Jersey, other than Hormel/Mary's Kitchen.....Broadcast and Libby's brands are also available in supermarkets......Wholesale in Number 10 cans for Foodservice....the diners often use a brand named Castleberry.

[LA Buckeye Fan]

I like Mary's Kitchen. I think canned corn beef hash is a very different beast as "real" cornbeef hash. I love both, but canned is my dirty little secret. Have fun camping.

[saintp]

dirty little secret, indeed. my husband likes to make sweet breakfasts (pancakes, french toast, etc....) but i am searching for something to satisfy my craving (always) for savory. so, while hormel's might be pretty gross, if i fry it up long enough and top it with some runny eggs, i will be a very happy camper after having spent the night on the ground!!! thanks for the replies.

[John E.]

Mary Kitchen is the preferred brand of canned corned beef hash, but it could be considered a little 'gross' to some because it is quite fatty. I remember cooking it after I got out on my own and living in my own place. I had seen my mother serve it out of the frying pan with the poached eggs on top but I didn't know exactly how she heated it up. So I put about 5 tablespoons of oil in the pan first. Wow, talk about greasy.

[greygarious]

One of my unorthodox food combinations is to drizzle a bit of maple syrup over (homemade) corned beef hash so there may be common ground between you and your husband!

[mamachef]

Completely agree w/ this.

[greygarious]

I'm in MA, too. I really liked the plastic pouch of shelf-stable roast beef hash that Trader Joe's
USED to sell. It was labeled as from Argentina, if memory serves. So it was probably re-labeled product from a standing manufacturer, though I've no idea who. You might try tracking them down. I think the "grossery" canned offerings are awful - Mary Kitchen is slightly less horrible than Hormel. One step up from those is Chef-Mate, which I have seen in Costco and BJ's. It's what most restaurants use. Fried long enough to crust, it's pretty good, but it's in a very large can so unless you are sharing with a dozen people, or can refrigerate the unused portion, it's not suitable for your purposes.

[John E.]

Uhm...Mary Kitchen IS Hormel.

http://www.hormelfoods.com/brands/hor...

I still preferred homemade corned beef/roast beef hash but Mary Kitchen is the go to if canned hash is going to be consumed.

[coney with everything]

I join greygarious in mourning the loss of the TJ roast beef hash. I've never seen a comparable product

I think Mary Kitchen/Hormel is about as good as it gets.

[John Francis]

TJ's roast beef hash was very good, but it wasn't made from corned beef, was it? Mary Kitchen used to be it for me, but since I started cutting back on fat, I haven't had it or any other CBH in years.

[greygarious]

You;re right, roast beef hash and corned beef hash are not the same, but I mentioned the former product because it fills the same breakfast niche, and the TJ version was markedly better than the canned RB and CB hashes. Haven't looked at this thread in some time - I think what I meant in my previous post was not Hormel but Libby's, now that I think of what the cans looked like.

[Bacardi1]

I LOVE canned corned beef hash! And frankly, I've yet to meet a brand that has disappointed me. The only two brands that every supermarket around here regularly carry seem to be "Hormel" and "Mary Kitchen". Both are very good.

[EWSflash]

+1

[LuLuLuLuLu]

Hello. I'm new to this board. Can someone tell me what happened to Mary Kitchen's corned beef hash. It seems much greasier than it used to be, and I can leave it cooking for almost an hour and it never becomes crisp-it just starts burning on the bottom. I've heated it at all different temps to see if that was the problem, but there is no different. I'm looking for another brand-I live in southeast Wisconsin, does anyone know where I can get a decent canned corn beef hash that actually becomes crisp?

[alkapal]

see shaogo's post below…

he says don't move/stir the hash, so it will get crispy.