Another method for pastrami

[Huskee]

In addition to Meathead's classic pastrami recipe with smoking and steaming, and ABCBBQ Dave's Sous-B-Q hybrid recipe, I'm adding my own twist which may just be the simplest option. Not better, but fantastic and simpler.

Treat the desalinated & rubbed corned beef as a regular brisket. No SV, no steaming tomorrow, just take it up to temp on your smoker as if it were a classic Texas brisket.

Smoke at your favorite brisket temp, 225-275. My favorite is 240. Why? Dunno, just is.
I happen to prefer wrapping at 170-180 after the stall, and I highly recommend it. It speeds up the cook, helps steam a little, and saves that glorious au jus to drizzle back on the meat.
Let it get to your favorite target temp, say 200-205, or 209, etc.
Hold it there an hour or so, if you're using a full packer or the point, then faux cambro it for 2hrs.
(Flat-only won't need that).
As many of you know I like to use my grill/smoker as my cambro by simply dropping its temp to 170-180 for the 2 hr hold phase, but do whatever works for you.

It's tender as all get out, still sliceable, and oh so easy!

I don't have that great of a camera, so here's the only pic I have of the end result:

[kmhfive]

I'm gonna give this a try in the GMG. Thanks! The picture looks ready-to-eat.

[fzxdoc]

Huskee , that's pretty much how I do all of my pastramis with the exception of holding it in the smoker for an hour after it reaches temp. What's the logic behind holding it longer in the smoker--to give it more time to braise?.

I never understood the magic that steaming brought to the party, because I couldn't tell a difference between doing it almost your way* vs. doing it almost your way* and then steaming the next day. I have yet to try Dave's sous vide method, although I have some pastrami taken to 165°F, chilled, and frozen. I plan on reheating it in the sous vide to see if I like it as well as I like the way you do it.

Twice I tried taking the pastrami off at 165 and steaming, and I didn't like the result nearly as much as letting it rock and roll up to 203-206°. What we don't slice and eat immediately gets sliced when cold, then the slices get nuked, a few at a time for about 30 seconds (to take off the chill) before tossing into the panini grill for a pastrami ruben sammie. Pure heaven. Tender, juicy and tasty.

Your cook looks so delicious my tummy is in rumble mode. Thanks for sharing!

Kathryn

*(without the hold-in-the-smoker-time)

[fzxdoc]

Thanks Huskee for the good info. I'm going to give your "extra hold time in the smoker" method a try. When you say you wane the temp, how low do you reduce the smoker temp for that extra hour before you start the faux cambro step?

Kathryn

[Huskee]

fzxdoc once I get near the target temp, let's say the meat gets close to 200, I tighten the vents to get the kettle down to the low 200s so it and the meat are close to the same for an hour. I do the same for chucks. I was worried this pastrami would crumble but I don't think storebought corned beef is the highest quality so this could explain why this method worked so well.

[fzxdoc]

Thanks, @Huskee!

K.

[DWCowles]

Beautiful!

[RonB]

That's the way I did my pastrami, and it came out great.

[Danjohnston949]

Dog Gon It I Just Took My First Wack at Making Pastrami from Start To Finish with a Naked Brisket Flat, I Pickeled for 6 Days, Desalted for 2 Days, Then added Rub for 1 Day and Then On The Smoker for +- 6 Hrs❓ It Was Wonderful, Now I Learn I Have to Learn Another Way❓. Now I Have To Do It Some Other Way❓ WAA, WAA, WAA . . .😠😠😠❓❓
Eat Well and Prosper! From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, Dan

[EdF]

You know what we say: do what works for you!