These Cheesy Irish Tater Tots are the perfect St. Patrick’s Day appetizer! They’re made up of crispy, golden-brown tater tots that are loaded with tender, bite-sized pieces of smoked corned beef, gooey and melty cheddar cheese, and a few delicious toppings!
Prep the Corned Beef for Cheesy Irish Tater Tots
First, pull the corned beef out of its bag and place it into a food-safe bowl with enough water to cover the meat. Let the meat soak for four hours in total, but change the water out two hours through the soaking time.
The water helps pull out any excess salt from the brining/corning process, so swapping it out for new water ensures that you’re pulling out all the excess salt, not just some of it.
Cheesy Irish Tater Tots Need Smoked the Beef!
So, now it’s time to grill the corned beef for Cheesy Irish Tater Tots. First, slather the beef with oil and season it liberally with your favorite beef seasoning. Next, preheat your Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco Smoker to 250ºF. Add in some wood chips or wood chunks to give the beef some added smoky flavor.
Set the beef into the smoker. Make sure you place it fat side up so the fat can drip down over the rest of the meat as it cooks to baste it. More moisture is never a bad idea!
For more with corned beef, check out my Smoked Corned Beef Sandwich with Guinness!
Let the beef cook for 2.5 hours, then pull it off the grill and place it into a foil bin. Pour in beef stock and the Irish beer of your choice, because are these really Cheesy Irish Tater Tots without an Irish beer? Next, cover the foil bin with a sheet of foil and set it back on the smoker. Cook for another 2.5-3 hours or until the internal temperature of the meat is 202ºF.
Next, pull the foil bin off of the grill and allow the beef to rest for 30 minutes to give all of that moisture and flavor time to settle back into the meat. Be sure that you save the au jus from the foil bin. We’ll use it later to finish off our Cheesy Irish Tater Tots!
Assemble Your Cheesy Irish Tater Tots
First, cut your corned beef into bite-sized pieces. Slice it against the grain first, then chop it into smaller pieces. Cutting against the grain shortens the muscle fibers for a more tender bite!
Next, heat your smoker to 375ºF, then add the cooked tater tots to a cast-iron skillet. Set the skillet onto the smoker, then load the tater tots up with shredded Irish cheese. If you have time, shred your own cheese. Freshly shredded cheese has better flavor and a creamier, meltier texture.
Let the tater tots cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the cheese time to melt, then top them off with the chopped corned beef. Drizzle the Cheesy Irish Tater Tots with the reserved au jus for a little extra moisture and flavor. Allow the tots to cook for just another couple of minutes to make sure everything is nice and hot.
For other shareable meals, check out my Pulled Pork BBQ Nacho Table, Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Sliders, Loaded Buffalo Chicken Kettle Chips and Colorado Golden BBQ Wings.
Time to Serve!
Finally, pull the Cheesy Irish Tater Tots off of the smoker and finish them off with chopped scallions, diced tomatoes, and a dollop of your favorite sour cream.
Now, eat up!
For more delicious recipes, check out my cookbook Food X Fire!
Needing more spice in your life? My spice line can help with that. Check them out here.
Full Length Recipe Video on Facebook!
Cheesy Irish Tater Tots
Ingredients
Corned Beef:
- 3 lb Corned Beef Brisket Flat
- 3 tbsp Favorite Beef Seasoning
- 2.5 cups Beef Stock
- 12 oz Irish Beer
Tater Tots:
- 1 lb Frozen Tater Tots baked
- 1.5 cups Shredded Irish Cheddar Cheese
- Sliced Scallions for garnish
- Diced Tomatoes for garnish
- Sour Cream for garnish
Instructions
- Start by pulling your prepared corned beef brisket out of the bag and placing it into a food safe bowl with water to soak for 4 hours. Half way through the soak, discard the water and refill it. This will help to pull out any excess salt from the brining/corning process.
- When the corned beef is ready, lather it with some oil and thoroughly season it with your favorite beef seasoning. Preheat your Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco Smoker to 250F with some wood chips or wood chunks for added smoke flavor. Add the seasoned corned beef to the smoker, fat side up, to cook for 2.5 hours.
- Next, pull off your corned beef and place it into a foil bin. Add to the bin some beef stock and Irish beer, then cover with a sheet of foil and place back on the smoker. Cook for another 2.5-3 hours until it reaches over 202F internal. Once it is done, pull it off, save the au jus from the foil bin and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Grabbing a sharp knife, slice the corned beef against the grain and chop it up. Add your cooked tater tops to a cast iron skillet on to your Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco Smoker at 375F. Cover your tater tots with shredded Irish cheese and let cook for 2-3 minutes to melt. Next, add your chopped corned beef to the skillet drizzled with some of the au jus from the smoker. Let cook for 1-2 more minutes, then pull off the smoker.
- Garnish with chopped scallions, diced tomatoes and a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy!
I made this recipe tonight in my mother’s cast iron skillet from the early forties, it was absolutely delicious . I want to sent you a picture but it won’t let me