Welcome!


This is a membership forum. Guests can view 5 pages for free. To participate, please join.

[ Pitmaster Club Information | Join Now | Login | Contact Us ]

Only 4 free page views remaining.

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Pastrami Questions

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Pastrami Questions

    Working on only my second pastrami. Just finished corning my brisket flat. I'm "rinsing" overnight in water and will apply the rub then let it sit for two days with a plan on cooking Friday. So far so good.

    The last time I did this I didn't smoke it all the way to 203 but rather stopped stored and then steamed it before serving. I'm NOT going to do that this time. Didn't care for that rigmarole. I'm going to smoke it the whole way.

    My main question is this: Can you faux Cambro pastrami? Seems like that should be not only doable but good for the texture. Thoughts?

    Also, anyone have an estimate on the cook time? Planning to cook it at 275 on my Primo. It's a little under 4lbs and about 2 inches thick in the biggest part. It's been a while since I cooked just a flat, I'll have to see if I can find some notes. Your input will be greatly appreciated.

    #2
    It cooks the same as brisket of the same thickness I’ve never steamed it,why bother when you can cook it straight.

    I absolutely faux cambro it just like brisket.

    The only tricky thing about pastrami is soaking out the right amount of salt without soaking out too much.

    Kenji recommends microwaving a small amount of sausage in the making to a safe temp then tasting it to make sure the salt level is right.
    I just thought of this so I haven’t tried it here but you could cut a small piece and do that here also.

    Comment


    • JCBBQ
      JCBBQ commented
      Editing a comment
      Ok, great! I'm planning on the faux Cambro. I'm figuring around 9 hrs ish for the cook and then I'll budget a couple hours for it to sit. Thanks for the input.

    • PappyBBQ
      PappyBBQ commented
      Editing a comment
      Yeah, I soak all the salt out I can because my diet is sodium restricted. Other folks in the household simply salt theirs to taste.

    #3
    I was going to say what Polarbear777 said, but since he did, I won't.

    Comment


      #4
      Think of it as pink brisket, nuff said.

      Comment


        #5
        If you really think about it, taking it to a point of solid bark, and then wrapping, would not be too different than taking to a solid bark and steaming only more efficient, for heat transfer.

        Comment


        • JCBBQ
          JCBBQ commented
          Editing a comment
          Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. Thanks for the confirmation

        #6
        I agree with all the above. You could think of it as a differently-seasoned brisket. The steam step is just traditional pastrami technique, but I found it to be way more of a hassle than it's worth for not much gain to the end product, IMO. I would never steam a regular brisket so I stopped doing it with pastrami and I preferred the results of that method.

        I desalinate 2-3" thick flats for 10hrs with one water change. I found 8 was too salty still (but not bad) and 12 wasn't salty enough anymore. That's just me & my timing for the storebought corned flats I've used. I wrap everything after the stall, 180 or so, the bark is just right for me at that point. Cook time for me is my typical ~10 hrs on heat, ~2 hrs faux cambro, ~12 total.

        Comment


        • JCBBQ
          JCBBQ commented
          Editing a comment
          Perfect. That’s what I was thinking. Thanks Huskee

        • EdF
          EdF commented
          Editing a comment
          Well, I like it slice it to order, steam the thin slices, and put them on that pastrami Reuben. That's the way Mama taught me! ;-)

        #7
        As an aside, if you use an equillibrium cure and roll your own, you save on the desalination step. Of course, you add two-three weeks of curing...

        Comment


        • JCBBQ
          JCBBQ commented
          Editing a comment
          Oooph! Maybe when I retire I'll think about that...

        • Potkettleblack
          Potkettleblack commented
          Editing a comment
          I have an upcoming post. Waiting for completion... it's just waiting for the final smoke.

        #8
        I've done pastrami both ways - all the way on the grill, and the steaming method. I prefer to steam. Flats can get away from you and dry out bad, and I haven't had that problem steaming. It's strictly a personal choice. You have to try both methods and kinda decide for yourself!
        Last edited by PappyBBQ; October 10, 2018, 12:20 PM. Reason: Fix spelling

        Comment


        • JCBBQ
          JCBBQ commented
          Editing a comment
          Thnx Pappy!

      Announcement

      Collapse
      No announcement yet.
      Working...
      X
      false
      0
      Guest
      Guest
      500
      ["pitmaster-my-membership","login","join-pitmaster","lostpw","reset-password","special-offers","help","nojs","meat-ups","gifts","authaau-alpha","ebooklogin-start","alpha","start"]
      false
      false
      {"count":0,"link":"/forum/announcements/","debug":""}
      Yes
      ["\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1157845-paid-members-download-your-6-deep-dive-guide-ebooks-for-free-here","\/forum\/the-pitcast","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2019-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2020-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2021-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2022-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2023-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2024-issues","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here"]
      /forum/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here