A tin of corned beef is a fantastic food staple to keep in your cupboards. The only issue with corned beef is that it tends to come in tins and you might not always need to use the whole tin.
So what do you do with leftover corned beef? Can you freeze corned beef?
Corned beef can be frozen for around 3 months. You can freeze it on its own in a block or slices or you can choose to freeze corned beef as part of a hash or pie.
Does Corned Beef Freeze Well? Yes
Can You Refreeze Corned Beef? No
How To Freeze Corned Beef
One of the best things about corned beef is just how long it keeps. Tinned corn beef has a super long use-by date, and even once open corned beef can be kept in the fridge for about 3 to 5 days.
However, if you know you aren’t going to use the whole tin at this time, then it is worth freezing the leftovers.
- Remove from the Tin
Make sure you remove your corned beef from the tin. You should never refrigerate or freeze cans, either open or unopened. - Wrap
Wrap up your corned beef in tin foil. You can either freeze whole or in separate slices. If you have chosen to freeze in slices, then wrap each slice. - Bag Up
Pop your wrapped corned beef into a freezer bag. Label the bag with the date and contents. - Freeze
Pop it into the freezer. It couldn’t be any easier!
How to Freeze Corned Beef Hash
Corned beef hash is one of those deliciously comforting meals, and the great news is that you can store any leftovers in the freezer easily! You could even cook up a big batch and divide it out into portions and freeze for easy to heat meals for a later date.
To hash, follow these few easy steps.
- Cool
Before you do anything, make sure the meal is completely cooled. - Bag Up
Place portions of hash into freezer bags. Label the freezer bags with the contents and date. Squeeze out any excess air as you seal the bags up. - Freeze
Pop the bags into the freezer and freeze for up to three months.
3 Tips for Freezing Corned Beef
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing corned beef to have the best results:
Remove from the Tin
You should never freeze tins. Before you freeze corned beef, pop it out of the tin. If you’ve bought corned beef in a plastic packet or a vacuum-sealed bag and have not opened it then this can be frozen as is.
Freeze in Portions
Consider the portions you would normally eat corned beef in and then freeze it in those portions. Remember, you cannot refreeze corned beef.
Freeze in Dishes
If you can, try to freeze corned beef in a cooked dish such as hash. This is a great way to mask the minor textural changes that are likely to occur when freezing corned beef.
How Long Can You Freeze Corned Beef?
Corned beef has a really long shelf life, but if you need to, then you can extend this by two to three months by freezing it. After this amount of time, the corned beef will start to taste freezer burned, and the texture might deteriorate.
You Can Freeze Corned Beef for Around 3 Months
How Do You Defrost Corned Beef?
You can defrost corned beef by taking it out of the freezer and putting it into the fridge to thaw out slowly for a few hours. The best way to do this is to take the corned beef out of the freezer the night before and let it defrost overnight.
If you plan to cook your corned beef, you can also add it to your cooking while it is still frozen. Just be careful when doing this, as there will be extra moisture that could seep into your cooking.
Can You Refreeze Corned Beef?
No! If you have thawed out frozen corned beef, then you need to use it within a day or two and never refreeze it. This applies to most processed meat products such as pastrami.
Does Corned Beef Freeze Well?
On the whole corned beef does freeze well. However, you should be aware that you might notice a slight texture change once it has been thawed out.
The taste should remain the same, but you might find that the meat is a little softer than it would have been straight out of the tin.
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing corned beef or corned beef in general, then these may help:
Can You Freeze Corned Beef Slices?
Can You Freeze Corned Beef and Potato Pie?
To freeze leftover pie or a cooked pie to heat up later, wrap the pie dish in foil and then freeze.
