Salt Beef / Pastrami question

[holehogg]

I have 4 pieces of salt beef around 22* cooking in my kettle for about 6 hours and has just started the stall. I am prepared to push through till around midnight and then remove. No idea what the IT will be but will wrap and hold in the oven till morning.
I will then finish the cook in my vertical gasser and need to serve just before 13h00.
I prefer to steam my pastrami to finish.
I have a huge water tray in the gasser and will use it to finish the cook.I am able to generate a lot of steam. The distance from bottom rack to top rack is 45 inches. For steaming purposes would it be better to place the meat closer to the steam source or will it be just as steamy on top rack?
The kettle is idling at 130C and I have been happy with my results cooking at this temp.
Without knowing what meat IT will be when I remove later on and what temp it will be when I get it into the gasser tommorow morning leaves me wondering if I will have enough time given I will only get it into the cooker by 9'ish leaving me about 3.5 hours before I need to dish.
Will the steam assist in speeding the cook time?
If I run the temp higher than my preferred 130C with the steam will this help shorten the cooking time without affecting the quality?
Am I changcing my arm using the above route?
Any suggestions outside of having to take the cook till done in the kettle.
There is no possibility of getting it into the gasser earlier than 09h00.tommorow so that's not an option.

[holehogg]

texastweeter some advice please.

[Ahumadora]

Steam will be in all points of your cooker as it heats and cools inside the pit. Humid enviroments transmit heat faster than dry.

[texastweeter]

will cook MUCH faster than it will in your pit. The steam will not only transmit the heat faster than air as Ahumadora said, it will also not allow any evaporator cooling as the air will already be at 100% humidity. I would start in the middle, and adjust accordingly. There will be a bit of temperature difference inside the different levels. Does that answer your question? What are the dimensions of your beef, has that has a huge impact on the cook time as well.

[texastweeter]

how did the cook go?

[texastweeter]

holehogg so it was too salty, or too chewey?

[holehogg]

Trying to steam in my vertical didn't work as I hoped it might it was more like moisture because of the flow. You definitely need a more closed environment like a pot with lid for it to have the desired effect.
The meat was moistish while I sliced but dried out almost instantly.
When I pulled to hold in oven overnight it was in the stall. I had 3 hours in the vertical and ran @ 130 but had to pull when IT was 88C and was not probe tender but not far off.
Few other things learnt.
THX again

[holehogg]

Wasn't chewy because sliced against grain
Best description is dry and salty.
Definitely a cook that's best forgotten. I'm taking it on the chin and marching forward.

[Troutman]

What is "salt beef"? Another term for corned beef??

[texastweeter]

Yes. South Africa commonly refers to it as such.

[johnec00]

Ahumadora can correct me if I'm wrong, but the "salt beef" we get from the Brazilian market for feijoada does not appear to have any nitrate/nitrite in it.