1st try at making pastrami suggestion requested

[bbqLuv]

Looks smell and taste were good, Meat was a little tough, not tend, any suggestion?

Corned beef flat
Pastrami Rub:
2 Tablespoons Coarse Ground Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Montreal Steak Seasoning
½ teaspoon Granulated Garlic
½ teaspoon Onion Powder
½ teaspoon Spanish Paprika
½ teaspoon Ground Coriander

16:00 step one
5:00 next morning, replaced cold water, only once.
9:45 drained, dried with paper towels, seasoned, wrapped in plastic, returned to the refrigerator
9:55 Next day, Traeger at 225 degrees, super smoke on, meat to start smoking
14:45 Internal temperature 155 degrees, double wrapped in foil, added 1/4 cup beef broth
16:10 reached 195 degrees internal. 180*F in some areas, not tender enough
16:45 Internal temperature 205*F, open up foil to breath, loosely closed, placed in a cooler, covered with a towel.
1851 Flavor was good, Pepper strong, not as tender just ok, color good, rate it 3/5

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

It's possible you undercooked it? Have you validated your thermometer is accurate?

I let it rest on the counter about 20 minutes, then tight foil and rest so it doesn't continue cooking but also gets to sit a while.

[shify]

Sometimes I find corned beef flats can be a little tough. But even with that, although I now smoke all the way to doneness, I still like to steam to eat as I think that helps with the tenderness and texture

I did that with the pastrami I posted a few days ago. Cooked to 200 degrees, faux cambro and refrigerated. Then steamed whole for about 45 min until warmed through. Almost fall apart tender.


I have also steamed slices successfully, but I like it better steamed whole. If you slice first, you can steam for a few min to get it warmed through and tenderize it.

Edit: added picture

[jfmorris]

I've to-date only made pastrami using corned beef flats from the store, and while the ones I bought at Sam's Club were marked choice, I imagine the ones I got at the grocery store were just select grade. So its going to be tougher meat than you may be used to.

I've been smoking mine until about 170F, then vacuum sealing and finishing in a 195F sous vide bath for 4 hours or so, and been very very pleased with the results.

[Spinaker]

The first thing is....this is a flat. This is a tough piece of meat. I would wrap that brisket at about 175 F if I am cooking a choice flat brisket. Honestly, I only make points now a days. If I am making pastrami flats, I will use prime if I can get it.

When you are wrapping it, wrap it tight, with foil. Paper sucks up the moisture. make sure your wrap is not leaking and you monitor the meat closely. I shoot for 202 F. Then I will always make sure that I am putting the meat in a warm cooler or oven for at least 2 hours. I wrap the foiled meat in towels as well. When you are at 202 F the meat will continue to cook, tenderize, and break down.

I think the best way for results is buying a prime brisket, curing it your self and then smoking it. The store bought stuff is good, but nothing beats the home cure with Prime meat.

[STEbbq]

Yeah, I have done store-bought corned beef and cured it myself. It is much better when you start with Prime meat yourself.

I also never wrap.

[Draznnl]

I wrap in paper while cooking then in foil, tightly, while in cambro. I agree that prime meat is the key.

[Huskee]

Treat it like a brisket- don't open the foil to let it breathe, harness that heat and let it bask in it for 1-2hrs. This can be done in a cooler with towels, your oven at 170, your smoker with the heat slowly waning, it doesn't matter.

[realdocBBQ]

Doesn't keeping things wrapped up, or doing a SV finish, cause your crust to turn to mush? Every time I've wrapped brisket OR pastrami and steamed it like that, the rub turns to just plain mush.

I'm thinking of doing pastrami for my men's group Monday, but it's so dang hit or miss with store bought corned beef. I don't have room to do the curing myself, or if I use small enough pieces, it comes out dried out (smoking a small 2-3lb piece, I mean).

[Huskee]

Steaming it does, yes. Even Meathead no longer recommends steaming it unless a person wants to simply for tradition. What I like to do is delay wrapping until after the stall, then the bark is quite hardy and it holds up well. You can also place it back on the smoker for 10-15min just before slicing if you want to firm it up.

[bkstill]

I always wrap with foil after the bark is set. The bark does get soft, especially on the bottom, but it does stay together.

[jfmorris]

realdocBBQ I follow this method:

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...ted#post148541

For me, while Dave in that post cooks it past 170 on the grill, I take it off the smoker once it hits about 170F, vacuum seal, and then stick it in the fridge until I am ready to finish it. That plus the vacuum sealing keeps the bark pretty much intact after the SV bath. I cut the vacuum bag and put it on a cutting board to serve. This all works out pretty well, like last year when we were having a birthday lunch for my daughter on Sunday after church - and she requested pastrami. I put it in the bath before leaving around 9am, and it was perfect and ready for eating at 1pm.

[realdocBBQ]

Wish I could get those meat chunks. Never seen anything like that around here.

[Troutman]

Get a better piece of meat...period...end of story. And stop buying those garbage corn beef wrapped in plastic with god knows what kind of chemicals store bought brands. It's soooo easy to corn your own.

As Spinaker mentions its a brisket flat. You have to have some amount of fat or moisture in there or it's going to be dry as dust. So I going back to my original statement, buy better meat !!!

HeartBrand American Wagyu brisket flat, came out moist and tender. Yea it cost $7.99/pound but well worth it....

[bbqLuv]

That looks amazing, that is what I was after. I can almost taste it from here in NW Oregon.
Pastrami Reuben Sandwiches.

[Rod]

Or, if you're like me, have come to the conclusion that I'm just not a fan of brisket...period. I just did my last whole packer this past weekend. It was a prime. I trimmed it pretty much perfectly. Smoked it to an IT of 202. Cambro'd for 4hrs. Flat was tender, but a bit dry. The point is just too fatty for me. If I want beef I'm just gonna stick to ribeyes, tri-tip, chuckies etc.

[Rod]

This one is going into chili.

[jfmorris]

pkadare do you have other fat to mix in when you grind the brisket, or just the fat that comes on it?

[pkadare]

jfmorris I trim the brisket then weigh it to figure out how much fat I need to get the ratio I'm going for. If the trimmings aren't enough, I have a supply of beef fat in the freezer which I get from my local grocery store for free. I usually need to add fat.

[oldsmokey]

Last week I did a 6-pound flat that I had dry-cured for four days and then rinsed, soaked for two hours and then rubbed. I smoked it indirect on a BGE at 225F over Wicked Good charcoal and two chunks of cherry until the internal got to 160, then I pulled it off and steamed it until the internal temperature was 203. This was supermarket meat, nothing special at all. But it turned out fantastic and we were very pleased.

Flats are always a little dry, especially since I suspect this one was Standard grade, but on an open-face Reuben it was pretty sensational. I've been smoking pastrami this way for several years, and except for that one time when I forgot to soak, they've always been lovely.

[Redwng]

I will do 5 or 6 of these every year and no two are alike. In fact, I have gone to using corned beef points when they are on sale around St. Patty's Day. Even in the points the tenderness will be different each time and the cooking process is the same. If it is not tender enough for your sandwiches they do make an awesome breakfast hash in the morning.