Pastrami gets to 203 degrees... never?

[ahurvitz]

I've attempted a couple of pastramis in my Green Egg, both using Meathead's method (with 4 lb. corned beefs from Costco). Everything went according to plan. Smoked at 225. In both cases, I hit the stall after 4-6 hours. In both cases the meat never really got anywhere near 203. After at least 8 hours, I had to pull them and steam them. They turned out great, but I really wanted them to get to temp in the Egg. Has anyone brought them up to 203 in an Egg and how long does it take?

[rickgregory]

Smoke at 275. I mean, think about it, the differential between something like 190F and 225F isn't a lot. A higher temp will mean you're applying more energy to the warm meat and raise the temp faster.

However, I don't think it matters much if you're steaming them.

[ahurvitz]

I was trying to follow Meathead's recipe which says 225. I did end up bumping it up to 250 after a bunch of hours. I looked at several recipes and a lot of them say 225. I'll try the next one hotter. Thanks

[Huskee]

Not in an Egg but in the SnS Kamado and all other cookers, yes. I usually take mine anywhere from 197 to 209, then hold it 1-2 hrs, exactly like a brisket,but this takes close to 12 hrs, sometimes over. I don't fret about a specific number, only the human cares about that.

[ahurvitz]

Those pesky humans. I probably should have figured 12ish hrs. Meathead's recipe seems to suggest 6, but that's not long enough.

[shify]

The Big Green Egg has zero to do with it. At 225 degrees it’s not surprising a brisket, even if cured, is not done in 8 hrs. 12-14 hrs would seem more appropriate. I’d bump up the temp to 275.

[Attjack]

225 is pretty low.

[willxfmr]

+1 for bumping the temp up to 250-275.

[Oak Smoke]

In my Kamado I do pastrami at 275 also. I cook brisket at 300. At 225 there's so much moisture retained in the cooker that I don't get good bark on either. It takes very little air flow to maintain a kamado at 225. At a higher temp you get a shorter cook and more air flow to get better bark.

[fzxdoc]

For consistency, Meathead says he suggests 225° in all his recipes. He has said here on the Pit that he often does his cooks at that temp as well.

There's nothing wrong with bumping the temp to 250-275°, though. I've done a side by side brisket comparison (two different cookers, two different packers) both at 225° and 275°. I prefer the latter, for timesaving reasons and for the fact that I couldn't tell the difference in the end result. Give it a go and see if you like it!

Kathryn

[Steve R.]

I don't think I have ever had a thick hunk of meat get to 200°+ in any kind of reasonable amount of time while cooking at 225°. Wrapping once the bark is fully formed does help, though. Wrapping and bumping the heat up, or starting hotter, helps even more.

[rickgregory]

Meathead, if I remember this right, developed the book recipes on a Mak 2 star. That makes sense given that a lot of people use pellet grills, but like all pellet grills, the MAK puts out more smoke at lower temps and less (some a lot less) at higher. The problem is that low temps will take longer, sometimes hours longer.

If you're using a pellet grill you can go low for the first 2-4 hours, them bump it up or start higher and add a smoke tube. BUT if you'd on some variety of charcoal, just bump it up and let it go. Of course, you can also run it at 225 on a pellet the whole way, you just need to plan for a (much) longer cook.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

He does 225 for recipe consistency as noted above A pellet grill just further ensures that consistency. I ramp up or play with temps on his recipes all the time with usually great success