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Puerto Rican Corned Beef

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After you make Puerto Rican Corned Beef, you will not look at canned corned beef the same way. This recipe is one of the most delicious ways to make this. Is a perfect combination between salty and sweet.

close up of puerto rican corned beef made in a cast iron.

What is Corned Beef?

Canned Corned Beef is made with different beef cuts that have been finely minced. It is salty and has a very distinct delicious flavor. The corned beef that comes in a can is very popular in places like the Philippines where it can be consumed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! In Puerto Rico and the whole Caribbean, it is a staple food usually eaten over white rice. It is made with only a few ingredients like corned beef, sofrito, tomato sauce, sazón, oil, onion, green pepper, ripe plantain, and water.

Corned beef is popular in the Caribbean because it is very convenient to have during hurricane season. I will say that it is also popular In Puerto Rico for how economical it is but sadly that’s not entirely true anymore. Is it cheaper than some cuts of meat? Yes, it is. But in 2011 there was a shortage of canned corned beef caused by some recalls in the major producer which is Brazil. Once they came back to the shelves of the supermarkets they were crazy expensive. So now canned corned beef is almost a luxury so let’s cook it as such.

a plate with white rice- canned corned beef and in the background corned beef in a cast iron.

Do I need to cook canned Corned Beef?

You do not need to cook canned corned beef, you can eat it straight from the can. The corned beef has already been cooked but I always suggest heating it in some form before eating. You don’t have to, it is just a preference.

Recipe Variations

  • French fries– the most popular way to make canned corned beef in Puerto Rico is with french fries inside of the dish! Not the ones that come frozen but homemade fries. You won’t believe how good this is.
  • Potatoes– this is not common in Puerto Rico but still good is to make it with potatoes. You can boil the potatoes and then add them to the dish or pan fry them. Almost like a corned beef hash.
  • Sweet potatoes- are great because they add sweetness to the dish and balance the saltiness.
a very close up shot of puerto rican corned beef.

What to serve with?

By far one of the best ways to eat this is with white rice and some tostones or arañitas on the side. If you want more of a breakfast dish you just have to fry an egg and put it on top. You can put it over any veggies like broccoli, mushroom, or asparagus. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

How to store?

Store in an airtight container. Keep in your fridge for no more than 4 days. Keep in your freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat you can do so in a microwave or on the stove. To heat over the stove, I like to add a couple of tablespoons of water so it won’t be too dry.

How to make Puerto Rican Corned Beef

a step by step of how to make puerto rican corned beef.

1. Peel and cut your plantains. You want to cut them first in halves. Then each half into 3 to 4 pieces the long way. You can also cut in circles or diagonally but cutting in halves makes it easier to cube them later. 

2. Fry the plantains for 1 minute on each side. Once cooled down, chop into cubes. Set aside.

3. Roughly cut onion and green pepper.

4. Add oil, onion, pepper and sauté for 2 minutes.

5. Add sofrito, tomato sauce, and sazón and sauté for 2 more minutes.

6. Add the corned beef and break it apart into smaller pieces. Add water and cook for 6 minutes.

ingredients needed to make canned corned beef.

Ingredients

1. Oil- I used vegetable oil.

2. Ripe plantain- You need to have yellow ripe plantain. They are responsible for balancing the savory flavor in this.

3. Veggies- I used onion and green pepper. 

4. Sofrito- it adds a lot of flavors and is a must have.

5. Tomato sauce– I used tomato sauce but you can use tomato paste. You would need 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and 1 tablespoon of water.

6. Sazón- not only adds flavor but also adds color.

7. Canned Corned Beef- the brands don’t make much difference is really what you do with it in this case.

8. Water

a bowl with rice and puerto rican corned beef.

Other Puerto Rican staples

Carne Frita

Ensalada de King Crab

Serenata de Bacalao

black cast iron full of corned beef cooked in a puerto rican style.

Puertorrican Corned Beef

This is a simple yet very delicious way to cook canned corned beef. This is a Puerto Rican recipe full of Caribbean flavors.
Author: Stephenie
4.84 from 6 votes
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Prep Time :5 minutes
Cook Time :12 minutes
Total Time :17 minutes
Servings :6

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 1 ripe plantain
  • 1 onion
  • 1/2 green pepper
  • 2 tablespoons sofrito
  • 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon sazón
  • 1 12 ounce canned corned beef
  • 1/2 cup water

Instructions
 

  • Peel the plantain and cut it in half. Then cut each half into about 3 or 4 long pieces. In a large pan add the oil over medium high heat. Fry the yellow plantain for about 1 minute on each side or until they have a golden brown color. Remove from the oil and cool down. Then you want to chop them into cubes and set aside.
  • Cut the onion and green pepper. Roughly chop to about 1 inch long pieces. In the same pan with the oil you just used for the plantains, add your onion and green pepper and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the sofrito, tomato sauce, sazón and plantains in with the onions and peppers. Cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add the corned beef and with a spoon start to separate it into smaller pieces and mix it in with the other ingredients. Add the water and cook for 6 minutes. Stir occasionally. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

1. In Puerto Rico, corned beef is made 2 ways. One is with ripe plantain and the most common one is with french fries. If you want to swap just take one potato, peel it and cut them into the classic fry shape. Then, you will treat it just as you would with the plantain. Fry them and set them aside until is time to add.
2. You can use fresh plantain or buy the ones that already come frozen. 
3. You must keep an eye on your plantains when frying. This is because the riper your plantain is, the faster it cooks. But also it can get burnt faster.
4. You can roughly cut the veggies any size you want and you can add more onion or green pepper if you like.
5. I did not add salt to this recipe because I like to leave it to each individual’s taste. This is because, for some people, corned beef tastes salty.

NUTRITION

Calories: 208kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 0.1mg | Sodium: 313mg | Potassium: 205mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 396IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Course :Dinner | Main Course | Side Dish
Cuisine :Caribbean | Latin | Puerto Rican
Keywords: puerto rican corned beef

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Stephenie says

    Hi Janet, thank you for the visit. I love corned beef too, specially with white rice is super good!

  3. Alesia says

    This looks great!…I plan to try it next week ….when I look at it I cant help but wonder how would it taste if I added Chorizo?….or maybe do a alternate dish substituting ground Chorizo and some other meat , like diced or shredded chicken breast?…. but using all of the other ingridients?….I plan to experiment….Thanks for sharing the reciepe!

  4. Stephenie says

    Hi Alesia, You can definitely experiment! I don’t know about the chorizo only because I haven’t done anything similar but I know for sure the chicken will be really good. Let me know how it goes. But remember that whatever you use, it needs to be something that cooks really fast like the chorizo. If using chicken added already cooked or hey maybe even use canned chicken.

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