This BBQ breakfast hash recipe boasts chopped corned beef, deliciously crisp potatoes, and fried eggs, all cooked on the grill for one hearty and satisfying skillet dish.
Ditching the meat prep and specific ingredient quantities, this recipe throws corned beef, potatoes and eggs in a skillet and is cooked over fire. This is a quick and easy meal that’s a great way to use leftovers and an example of that rare thing: A good barbecue breakfast recipe.
Corned Beef Hash Explained
A simple blend of corned beef and potatoes, corned beef hash is a classic skillet dish that provides comfort and flavor in equal measure. Any version of hash is essentially a combination of chopped meat, potatoes and fried onions, all cooked together in a pan (in our case, a skillet) until crisp. It’s a classic way to enjoy leftovers, but while hash technically can be enjoyed any time of day, it’s best as a comfort breakfast, particularly if you’re cooking outside while camping or on the road.
‘Hash houses’ rose to prominence in the United States in the 18th century as a means to provide hearty one-pan meals at low cost. Meanwhile, in Britain and France, corned beef became a food staple as rationing kicked in during and after the Second World War, and became a cheap and easy way to prepare meals that didn’t rely on fresh meat. A number of different versions spiraled out of Irish, American and Western European Cuisine from as early as the 17th century, but its core ingredients of chopped meat and potatoes (its name is derived from the French ‘hacher’, to chop) remain the same.
So for our corned beef recipe, we’ve kept the core ingredients simple: Canned corned beef, diced potatoes, and eggs. But we’ve taken things up a notch by cooking it on the grill, giving the hash a beautiful added layer of smoke that can’t be replicated anywhere else.
How to Grill Corned Beef Hash
1. Fire
Fire up your grill to medium-high, with it set up for 2-zone grilling with the lit coals placed to one side inside your grill chamber.
2. Boil
Add water to a small saucepan and place it directly above the heat. Bring it to a boil and add the cubed potatoes, parboiling for just a few minutes. Remove from the heat and drain completely so they can crisp well in the skillet.
3. Fry
Still on the direct side of the grill, melt butter in a cast iron skillet. Add the potatoes and fry until golden brown and with a crisp finish. Then, move the skillet to the indirect side of the grill and allow to cool for a couple of minutes.
4. Sauté
Add the chopped onions and cook for a few minutes until they start to brown. Add the garlic and sauté for a further few minutes until fragrant.
5. Grill
Add the corned beef and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the corned beef still hasn’t started to brown or develop a crunch, briefly move it to the direct side of the grill to give it a bit more cooking heat.
Then, use a fork to create four equal-sized wells in the hash. Crack one egg into each well and cook until the egg whites have set and the yolk has cooked.
6. Serve
Remove from the grill. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve right away.
Quick Tips
- Don’t Overcook the Potatoes: Overcooked potatoes will turn mushy when grilled in the skillet, so only parboil the potatoes until they are just approaching fork-tender.
- Chop Evenly: Cube the corned beef and potatoes as uniformly as possible to help them cook evenly in the pan
- Butter is Key: While you can use oil in the skillet to start with, I much prefer to use butter. Obviously the extra fat adds more flavor, but it’s the key ingredient in providing the crispy finish we want on the potatoes.
- Spread the Potatoes: With crisp potatoes being a key component of this dish, it’s important to keep them spread in the skillet so that they can have as much direct contact with the skillet as possible and turn crisp.
- Go Big on Garnish: For the sake of keeping this recipe simple, I’ve saved on garnish, however if you have the time (and a well-stocked pantry!) try garnishes like chopped fresh parsley and diced scallions for a bit of added flavor.
Grilled Corned Beef Hash
Equipment
- cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 potatoes cubed
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 lbs corned beef cubed
- kosher salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- 4 eggs
- fresh parsley roughly chopped
Instructions
- Fire up your grill to 375°F (190°C). Set up for 2-zone indirect grilling.
- Bring a saucepan to a boil. Add the cubed potatoes, and parboil for 5 minutes. Remove potatoes from water and allow to cool.
- In a cast-iron skillet placed on the direct side of the grill, heat the butter until melted. Add the potatoes and fry until golden brown, turning regularly.
- Add onions and cook until they start to brown, about 3 minutes
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes
- Add corned beef and cook until it starts to brown. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Move the skillet to the indirect side of the grill and close the grill lid. Cook until the hash has started to develop a crunchy, brown crust, about 10-15 minutes.
- Use a fork to create 4 equally sized wells in the hash. Crack one egg into each well. Place the skillet back on the grill grates and cook until the egg whites have set and the yolk is to your liking.
- Remove from grill. Garnish with parsley and serve.
