Using Costco Packaged Corned Beef for Pastrami

[jgaepi]

Has anyone bought a Costco pre-marinated bag of corned beef to make a pastrami? Do I soak the corned beef overnight in water, like I would if I marinated it myself in prague salt? I typically make the homemade kind but I was lazy.

[fzxdoc]

Follow Meathead's instructions on the free side for soaking commercial corned beef before applying a delicious pastrami rub.

https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/beef-and-bison-recipes/home-made-pastrami-thats-close-katzs-recipe/

If using storebought corned beef, see if you can find the point instead of the flat. Waaaay better results.

I just picked up 4 corned beef points at Publix and have already soaked them for 8 hours (they were the low-sodium variety). (If the corned beef has high amounts of sodium (around 44% Daily Value), then I like to soak the cut(s) for 24 hours with two changes of water.) Two days in the fridge with rub on. Will smoke on Sunday.

Kathryn

[bbqLuv]

Ditto--I tried this and it works.

[WayneT]

Yep, I’ve had great success with the Morton’s brand corned beef from Costco. I picked up the largest one by weight I could find two weeks ago and it turned out fantastic. I desalinated it for 48 hours with two changes of water. Afterwards, I applied MH’s Katz copy cat rub and smoked it over hickory pellets in my Pit Boss Copperhead 5. I smoked it to an IT of 195F/probe tender after using a foil boat when it stalled at ~170F. It turned out to be one of the best pastramis I’ve made.

[fzxdoc]

Wow, that's a long soak. It must have been one salty hunk o' corned beef. If I had the gumption, I'd compare it in a side-by-side with a 24 hour/2 water change method. I'm talking about regular corned beef, as opposed to low sodium corned beef. I once soaked a regular corned beef for 24 hours with 3 water changes and it took out too much salt. Had to salt the final product before eating.

Kathryn

[WayneT]

realdocBBQ This was a flat, or one of the flattest points I’ve ever seen. Not 100% sure.

[WayneT]

fzxdoc Kathryn, you called me out. 🤫 It wasn’t a 48 hour soak by design but that’s how long it was in the water before I got around to prepping it for the smoke. Apparently, it was a very forgiving piece of corned beef because it was superior to any pastrami I’ve ever done. And there was no salt in the rub.