pastrami is almost ready

billyray · January 11

Started the fire this morning, it was 12 degrees outside. The brisket for pastrami has been on for 4 hours, it was a 4-1/2 lber. I will take if off in about another hour, should be 165-170 by then. Cooked @ 275 dome indirect. Here's the recipe. The diagonal marks are to remind me of the cutting direction.

http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/1996/05/beef-pastrami.html

Village Idiot · January 11

Billyray. Was your brisket "corned". I think that corned brisket has been cured and pastrami is cured. If you used regular brisket, I'm not sure you've got pastrami.

Either way, I bet it tastes great !!!!!

nolaegghead · January 11

Nice. I've done three so far. Cure, smoke then steam was how I did em.

billyray · January 11

Village Idiot said:

Billyray. Was your brisket "corned". I think that corned brisket has been cured and pastrami is cured. If you used regular brisket, I'm not sure you've got pastrami.

Either way, I bet it tastes great !!!!!

It was corned beef I bought it at Costco. Next time I'll corn my own to cure when I have more time.

billyray · January 11

nolaegghead said:

Nice. I've done three so far. Cure, smoke then steam was how I did em.

This is my fourth. I've done the 3 varieties that were on the web site. The wet with the pressure cooker finish was pretty good, this one will be his #1 recipe.

nolaegghead · January 11

I want to try adding an SV step to see if I can get some to where it's so tender you don't even need teeth to chew it up.

billyray · January 11

Tell me what your directions will be for time and temp. I've got another corned beef in the fridge and will give it a try with the SV.

billyray · January 11

nolaegghead said:

I want to try adding an SV step to see if I can get some to where it's so tender you don't even need teeth to chew it up.

I'm seeing where Logsdon is calling for medium brisket @ 140 for 2 to 3 days. What do you think?

nolaegghead · January 11

Sounds about right. I'm discovering that the older a cow gets, the more of this connective tissue there is that needs more time/temp to break down. I'd even try a small (young) packer at 135 for 2-3 days. A large packer I'd jack the temp up to 145. At least, this is from my experience with some of the toughest meat - short ribs.

I'm about to throw a questionable (for most people) packer brisket on the egg - not cured or anything, I just forgot I took it out last night to thaw and it's been sitting in my shop for 20 hours. I figure it got some nice enzyme tenderizing and probably a nice colony of somethin' I don't want to put under the microscope. (bwahahaha). This is a 8.5 pound full packer - smallest I've ever seen. Hoping it's from a young cow. Going Travis on this. :D

bboulier · January 12

I have made this recipe before and highly recommend it.

rtt121 · January 12

I know I am a new comer and post counts hold weight but I wanted to offer my brisket-pastrami experience...

I have done 15-20 packers that I self cured. I have a used a few recipes but I have had by far my best results with an accident that I now repeat.

Using the virtual recipe (google - Virtual Weber Pastrami) I have made some really good pastrami's. The best was produced when I could not find Morton Tender Quick anywhere but a butcher gave me a bag of Sweeter than Sweet (Ham cure). I replace the tender quick with the sweeter than sweet 1 to 1 and then replace the sugar with kosher salt 1 to 1. Both of these in the cure only. The rub and the rest of this recipe remain the same.

Hopefully someone else gives this a shot.. It's worth it.

Enjoy!

nolaegghead · January 12

rtt121 said:

I know I am a new comer and post counts hold weight but I wanted to offer my brisket-pastrami experience...

I have done 15-20 packers that I self cured. I have a used a few recipes but I have had by far my best results with an accident that I now repeat.

Using the virtual recipe (google - Virtual Weber Pastrami) I have made some really good pastrami's. The best was produced when I could not find Morton Tender Quick anywhere but a butcher gave me a bag of Sweeter than Sweet (Ham cure). I replace the tender quick with the sweeter than sweet 1 to 1 and then replace the sugar with kosher salt 1 to 1. Both of these in the cure only. The rub and the rest of this recipe remain the same.

Hopefully someone else gives this a shot.. It's worth it.

Enjoy!

Good info...now if you could translate that into relative weights....I use pink salt which is 6% sodium nitrite, balance salt. Really, the salt to sugar ratio is the big thing....the nitrite amount is generally done by meat weight.

rtt121 · January 12

nolaegghead said:

Good info...now if you could translate that into relative weights....I use pink salt which is 6% sodium nitrite, balance salt. Really, the salt to sugar ratio is the big thing....the nitrite amount is generally done by meat weight.

More good info. Thanks nolaegghead... you are very helpful I have been lurking for a while and your posts are very informative. I am very interested in learning new techniques or science.. not so much looking at pictures of other people's food (not hating- just me). You know your $h**!

The sweeter than sweet is actually only 0.84% sodium nitrite. The balance has some salt but is mostly sugar and maple syrup. I am not worried about the low nitrite because I have cured a full packer with only brown sugar and salt.. it worked but it was just too salty.

I agree with salt to sugar ratio being a large factor... I think that is why I like this recipe. Not sure interms of percentages how different it would be than the original recipe but I see it like this- Original recipe had a salt cure and a sugar addition for flavor. In a time of desperation I reversed this and made it a sugar cure with a salt addition.

In reality the salt addition is probably doing the majority of the curing.

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