A method of re-dispatching packets at a packet forwarding element that includes a hardware dispatch unit and a multi-core processor. The method, at a first core of the multi-core processor, receives a packet of a particular packet flow from the hardware dispatch unit. The packet is dispatched from the hardware dispatch unit to the first core based on hardware implemented hashing algorithm. The first core identifies the plurality of header fields of the packet that uniquely identifies the particular packet flow. The first core performs a software implemented hashing algorithm on the identified plurality of header fields of the packet to calculate a hash value. The first core re-dispatches the packet from the first core to a second core of the multi-core processor based on the calculated hash value.