Pastrami temps?

[mykidsdad8]

Good day all!
During the pandemic I have been playing with different techniques and rubs in the quest for perfect pastrami. I am blessed to still have my dad and my father in law alive and well and we have been dropping food and wine at their door regularly. I am trying to create pastrami that they can easily heat, slice and eat. In other words they won’t steam the meat for hours prior to eating a sandwich. They want simplicity and who am I to argue?

i have read pulling the meat at 165, 180 and of course 203. What I am thinking is get the meat to 180 so we have a good crust and smoke but not all the way to 203. I would then cut hunks and vac seal the bags so they can gently bring up to temp at a slow simmer on the stove (they will not SV) and the slice and eat.

Any thoughts?

Stay safe, and thanks!

[JCGrill]

What you suggest probably would work. Most people who pull at lower temps intend to steam. I don't steam, which is why I pull at 203.

[texastweeter]

I smoke through the stall, then steam until 203° chill, slice and bag seal. When reheated in water bath they are fall apart tender

[Potkettleblack]

If you haven’t already found it, KosherDosher has what might be the ultimate ‘strami cure and rub.

[shify]

I would cook all the way and then chill. For my pastrami leftovers, I leave it whole and slice cold. Then steam the slices which only take a few minutes to heat thru, so I would think that would be the best approach to slice and seal in a serving size. That’s how I do it when I make bacon for my dad. Don’t want him to mess around and having to slice a big slab

[EdF]

That's the way my Momma did it. It works!

[Jerod Broussard]

My last thick chunk made it to 210 wrapped on the pit.

[fzxdoc]

I do like shify , take the pastrami unwrapped (or wrapped at 180° depending on time), to probe tender, somewhere between 195 and 205°, serve some for supper and chill the rest overnight. Then I slice and vacuum seal the leftovers. It's so much easier to slice when cold. I can't tell the difference between rewarming the slices over steam or giving them a handful of seconds in the microwave.

Usually I just reheat them by putting the cold slices on bread in my Panini maker, add the fixins for a Ruben sammie, and sear away for several minutes . The meat is always perfectly heated through in panini rubens made that way.

Kathryn