# Too-salty corned beef **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 27, 2010, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-salty-corned-beef/548185 "2010-07-27T14:40:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-salty-corned-beef/548185/1 "2010-07-27T14:40:16Z")
Well, this hasn’t happened before… A few months ago I bought a corned beef brisket and put it in the freezer. Sunday, after it had been thawed, I put it in water in the slow-cooker for several hours until it was tender. It’s entirely too salty. Should I put it in fresh water and try to boil the salt out? Or is there another way of making it edible? (I’ve thought about hash, but I haven’t any potatoes.) ---
**Author:** ![Cowgirl\_Jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@Cowgirl\_Jules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowgirl_Jules)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-salty-corned-beef/548185/2 "2010-07-27T15:11:17Z")
It’s probably too late now that it’s been cooked. Did you rinse it before you cooked it? I always do that to rinse off the brine on the surface. It wouldn’t hurt a corned beef to soak it for a little while to pull some of the salt out, but again, that’s before cooking. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-salty-corned-beef/548185/3 "2010-07-27T15:25:41Z")
I normally pre-soak corned beef (it usually is too salty for me), but I don’t see why you couldn’t try putting it in a fresh change of water to cook a little more salt out of it. The only thing I could see you risking is the texture getting too stringy. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-salty-corned-beef/548185/4 "2010-07-27T15:45:33Z")
Huh. I’ve never rinsed or soaked my corned beef, and it’s always been fine. I guess the best thing to do would be to get some potatoes. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-salty-corned-beef/548185/5 "2010-07-27T15:51:42Z")
Reuben sandwiches! You could make them with coleslaw instead of sauerkraut to counteract the saltiness. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-salty-corned-beef/548185/6 "2010-07-27T15:53:09Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Huh. I’ve never rinsed or soaked my corned beef, and it’s always been fine. > > I guess the best thing to do would be to get some potatoes. Is it the usual brand of corned beef you buy? Is it the usual amount of water you use with your corned beef? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-salty-corned-beef/548185/7 "2010-07-27T15:54:42Z")
I don’t remember the brand. (I’m not going to dig through the trash!) I should have made note of it. Yes, the amount of water was the usual amount. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-salty-corned-beef/548185/8 "2010-07-27T16:00:06Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I don’t remember the brand. (I’m not going to dig through the trash!) I should have made note of it. Yes, the amount of water was the usual amount. If it’s a different brand, that could be your problem. Not all corned beeves are equally salty. You could also experiment and cut a small portion of corned beef off, and heat it in a saucepan with a cup or two of water, and see how that affects the texture and salinity, in case you want to try simmering the whole thing again. (I wouldn’t do a full boil.) ---
**Author:** ![theshortgiraffe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/db5fbb/32.png) [@theshortgiraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theshortgiraffe)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-salty-corned-beef/548185/9 "2010-07-29T19:53:02Z")
You said that you don’t have any potatoes, but, in the future try throwing a couple into the pot with the beef. I always cook my corned beef with a few potatoes thrown into the pot, even if you don’t plan on eating them they soak up the extra salt very well. Also, I don’t know about where you get your corned beef from, but the butcher I go to always packages them with a piece of paper that says “ **do not cook in brine**.” I of course didn’t follow these instructions once and even with the potatoes cooked in the pot with it I’m pretty sure the meat could have been mistaken for a salt-lick and lured unsuspecting deer. Since then I always rinse my corned beef before putting it into the crock pot with fresh water. ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-salty-corned-beef/548185/10 "2010-07-31T10:33:21Z")
> [@theshortgiraffe](#): > > You said that you don’t have any potatoes, but, in the future try throwing a couple into the pot with the beef. > > I always cook my corned beef with a few potatoes thrown into the pot, even if you don’t plan on eating them they soak up the extra salt very well. I came in to suggest heating it back up again with fresh water and some potatoes which are meant to absorb salt in all sorts of oversalted stews etc - but you don’t have any. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-salty-corned-beef/548185/11 "2010-07-31T16:04:40Z")
I’ve diced it and some potatoes, and they’re sizzling right now as hash. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-salty-corned-beef/548185/12 "2010-07-31T16:30:38Z")
That was the ticket. The potatoes absorbed the excess salt. I also put a liberal amount of black pepper in, and I’ve just cracked an egg on top and covered it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-salty-corned-beef/548185/13 "2010-07-31T19:15:23Z")
> [@Girl\_From\_Mars](#): > > I came in to suggest heating it back up again with fresh water and some potatoes which are meant to absorb salt in all sorts of oversalted stews etc The potatoes-less salty thing is [an old wives tale](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=528089), as discussed before here on the board. The reason it tastes less salty in the hash is because, well, same amount of salt, more volume of food. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-salty-corned-beef/548185/14 "2010-07-31T19:20:58Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > The reason it tastes less salty in the hash is because, well, same amount of salt, more volume of food. Exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/too-salty-corned-beef/548185/15 "2010-07-31T22:13:28Z")
Oh there you go. I’ve never tried it myself, and just heard about it often enough to think it could work. Sounds like the OP has a solution anyway - enjoy dinner!