SVQ Pastrami - Perfected

[fzxdoc]

David Parrish
Oh, I forgot to ask, Dave--did you take the meat off the smoker at 170, or did you take it all the way up to 203 (or probe tender) before removing it?

(As a point of reference only, in Meathead's book, as I recall, it says to take the meat to 203 (or probe tender) and then steam to 203 again before serving if it has been refrigerated, unsliced. That's a little different from his revised instructions here on the AR site.)

[Potkettleblack]

I suspect he took it off at 170, then took it further with the SV. If you took it to 203, you wouldn't need to SV. By doing SV, you can damage the meat less with heat, but get similar results in terms of connective tissue breakdown.

[David Parrish]

David Parrish
Oh, I forgot to ask, Dave--did you take the meat off the smoker at 170, or did you take it all the way up to 203 (or probe tender) before removing it?

(As a point of reference only, in Meathead's book, as I recall, it says to take the meat to 203 (or probe tender) and then steam to 203 again before serving if it has been refrigerated, unsliced. That's a little different from his revised instructions here on the AR site.)

I cooked the pastrami until I had the bark I wanted. I don't recall the final temp but it was probably 170 F to 180 F. I might have mentioned it in the original post of this thread.

[David Parrish]

I did. It was 170 F.

[fzxdoc]

David Parrish Thanks, Dave. I figured that you took it off at 170, but wanted to verify that you hadn't crutched it to 203. I'm following in your footsteps exactly for this cook. Those are big footsteps, too! Hope I can do as well.

K.

[David Parrish]

fzxdoc I'm sure you have what it takes. We want pics and notes on the result!

[Mitrakas]

Just found this recipe. What a great post, thanks David Parrish . I can't wait to try this.

[David Parrish]

Just found this recipe. What a great post, thanks David Parrish . I can't wait to try this.

You bet! I'm pretty sure you'll like it=)

[RonB]

I just ordered some Certified Angus short ribs from the local butcher. They will be in next week. And I am assembling everything else for this too. I have three questions for you David Parrish :
1- Did you use the "optional ingredients", (brown sugar, pickling spices and garlic), for the corned beef?
2- In his book, Meathead changed the "pull off the grill" temp to 203. If I do that, would you still recommend the sou vide bath? I would think that if I pull it when probe tender, that would be enough, but I'm obviously not sure. I don't have a sou vide device, so I would have to jury rig something...
3- How close to NY pastrami is the pastrami from this recipe?

Thanx ~ Ron

[David Parrish]

I just ordered some Certified Angus short ribs from the local butcher. They will be in next week. And I am assembling everything else for this too. I have three questions for you David Parrish :
1- Did you use the "optional ingredients", (brown sugar, pickling spices and garlic), for the corned beef?
2- In his book, Meathead changed the "pull off the grill" temp to 203. If I do that, would you still recommend the sou vide bath? I would think that if I pull it when probe tender, that would be enough, but I'm obviously not sure. I don't have a sou vide device, so I would have to jury rig something...
3- How close to NY pastrami is the pastrami from this recipe?

Thanx ~ Ron

1) Yes
2) Ron just follow my particulars and you should be fine. So for example pull the meat off the smoker once it has good bark, which will probably be 160 F to 170 F.
3) That's subjective. Regardless, it's awesome!

[RonB]

Thanx David Parrish - It will be several weeks before I have anything to report, but report I will - with photos.

[fzxdoc]

One thing about using this excellent recipe. Go a little lighter on the rub than you would for a brisket. That's because, due to the size of the boneless short rib pieces, you get rub on all 4 sides, pretty much, with every bite. It's not the same as a brisket where one bite may have rub/bark in it and the next one, not so much. The kids in our family thought that was too much and preferred the brisket vehicle, possibly because it was less spicy. For the adults, hands down, this short rib version was the best, for taste and tenderness.

Kathryn

[David Parrish]

Good advice!

[RonB]

Thanx fzxdoc

[Potkettleblack]

Getting beef navel rather than brisket or short rib plate might fix this issue without reducing rub. Or a short rib plate. Either way.

[Matt144]

I'm sure this has been discussed on the forum before, but what do you think about using angus chuck roast for the pastrami? The store right by me sells them real cheap, and I would be making a lot more pastrami if I didn't have to pay for a huge brisket (or short ribs) each time.

[RonB]

My first batch of meat for pastrami is curing now, so keep that in mind as I comment. I think chuck roast would taste great, and if you find a nicely marbled roast, it should be tender and moist. BUT, you may well wind up with pulled pastrami because the roasts are cut across the grain, so all you have is short grain that can be difficult to slice across the grain.
If you can find a very thick roast, or your butcher can cut one extra thick, I think it would slice better, and you might be better off cutting the roast into strips about the same width as the height of the roast - almost square. That should hopefully make it easier to slice across the grain.

[David Parrish]

Good info! Agree 100%. For these reasons boneless short rib meat will probably do better if available.

[Matt144]

Thanks, that make perfect sense.

[Jerod Broussard]

Need to try this on my next pastrami. Got some folks at church wanting some. I'm thinking of trying it with some chuck country style ribs they got at Walmart .

[Meathead]

Lately I have just been smoking it to 203F and that makes a HUGE diff in tenderness and the bark is perfect, really hard.

[fzxdoc]

Me too, Meathead. Taking to 203 sets a lovely bark. Have you been steaming it to reheat?

Kathryn

[richinlbrg]

It has been a while, but last time I did it I put the smoked brisket in vac sealed bags, chilled them at least 24 hours, then used my turkey fryer as a sous vide. Was excellent. Just another option.

fzxdoc , did you crutch?

[GutscranK]

David Parrish How thick was you meat to cured it 2 1/2 weeks!? Im trying to cured mine for the first time tonight using the Prof Blonder Curing Calculator and its says i should cure my piece for 10 days,i tought its was a little bit long(but what do i know,its my first time haha). And i saw your topic and it know make sense. My brisket is 3.5 inch. And how do you know if the meat has cured long enough to be safe?