What short ribs for pastrami?

[Michael_in_TX]

With the price of a full packet brisket being suddenly out of my price range this year (do you know how much a full furnace replacement costs? It's a lot....), I almost had given up doing pastrami this year for my anniversary in early January, but then I remembered that pastrami can be done with other cuts other than brisket.

I looked at chuck roast, but one of the concerns is that it, in addition to being quite thick and taking forever to cure, is that due to the way it is cut from the primal, it tends to shred rather than slice.

Many of yall seem to have having great success with short ribs. I've done short ribs in other dishes once or twice, but I don't think my local HEB carries the "right one." They carry the ones with the bones that are "Korean-style" designed to be butterflied and thinly sliced. They are labeled as Beef Chuck Short Ribs. They are also extremely fatty and don't look like the ones I see in yall's prep photos.

So I am thinking of going to a local butcher and asking for the right ones. So, what exactly do I ask for?

[holehogg]

This is will not answer your question just sharing that I often buy cured (salt beef / corned beef) Topside or Silverside for making pastrami. It's definitely different to brisket but works just fine if sliced very thin and piled up for a Sammie and makes awesome SOS.
I cook it to around 140F (60C). Bought a couple chunks on Sunday @ $2.60# (R99/kg)

[Dewesq55]

I have done it with a regular 4 bone chuck short rib roast using the ChefSteps' recipe.

[johnec00]

We make our pastrami from boneless chuck ribs (AKA chuck flap AKA chuck edge roast). Used to be relative low cost but it is the same cut as used for the increasingly $$$$ denver steaks. Not going to be cheaper than brisket I'm afraid. Here's a couple of pictures I saved a few years ago.

[Michael_in_TX]

I never see anything like that at my HEB, but wow that “form factor” looks perfect for pastrami/sandwhiches.

[johnec00]

Its very difficult to find. I was getting it from an on-line outfit that is now belly-up. They had prime for about $6 a couple of years ago. Publix here fabricates their beef from the primal in store, so they will cut it from the chuck roll, but $15/pound is too high for me. If HEB cuts their own beef you might try asking them. Walmart has packers for $5, so that's what we're going to use until I find something more reasonable.

[bbqLuv]

Use Corn Beef in a package from the store

Smoked Pastrami Recipe - Meathead's AmazingRibs.com

[SheilaAnn]

Michael_in_TX the Korean style is for kalbi. You don’t want that for pastrami. I have done one with a chuck roast. It was the bomb dot com!!! I have this as a paprika file if that’s how you roll.

https://girlscangrill.com/recipe/homemade-chuck-roast-pastrami-recipe/

[Spinaker]

bomb dot com!!!!! THAT is a throwback! Thank you for that.

[jfmorris]

This is a good way to go, and it looks like she was able to slice versus shred, even using the chuck roast. Maybe because she broke it along the fat seams into even small hunks of beef for curing and smoking?

[Spinaker]

I will use beef plate ribs (123A). However, if you can't get those, you can use short ribs.

TBH, plate ribs or short ribs are my favorite for pastrami. I mean........short ribs for anything is pretty darn good.

[Johnny Booth]

Walmarts around here have corned beef brisket points on sale year round. $6.78/lb tho.
Beef plate ribs are normally much more expensive around here.
Back ribs are least expensive, but there is not much meat on them for Pastrami.
Tri Tip is getting higher too.

For Total yield (bang for the buck), I’m afraid it looks like choice brisket.

[bbqLuv]

And the fat absorbs the flavor, so good.

[WI Bubba]

Ditto on the plate ribs. I would be very surprised if HEB didn't carry them. But honestly, any fatty cut that is cured, smoked, and sliced thin is going to be fine.

[Michael_in_TX]

I think I am going to try a chuck roast.....as the holidays, as usual, are getting away from me. (Read: my family has realized how long the time is between semesters so my todo list is expanding.)

Even if the chuck roast shreds......it's going to go in a sandwich. I think I'll be fine. I do need to get some meat and get to a'curin' as it were.

[SheilaAnn]

Michael_in_TX curing is 5-7 days. But you probably knew that already….