Sous Vide-Que Pastrami Comparison

[Hugh]

fzxdoc - Ok, now its PBC vs Sous Vide for my next project. As you point out, sous vide gives me ETA. Stress free and low maintenance. Cheap to get in to relative to PBC. Not a bad companion for my gasser with grillgrates. The kicker is winter cooking. Its white up here for 1/2 the year. Long and slow indoors is appealing with a quick trip out to the gasser for a smoke and or sear. More advice please!

[EdF]

SV has a cheaper entry point, then the PBC (also not particularly expensive) can follow soon.

[Hugh]

Thats what Im thinking Ed. SV for a winter project. PBC in the spring. Curious if anyone has done hambergers SV and how they were.

[EdF]

I haven't - yet. I know someone else on the forum has and really appreciated the result (safe but rare).

[JCBBQ]

I always make as many burgers as I can when I grind my own meat. The ones I don't use I freeze and then sous vide straight from the freezer at a later date and then sear on cast iron or on the Primo depending on time. It's a very delicious and convenient meal

[BriggsBBQ]

Thank you for all the great information. It comes just in time as I am about to do a brisket flat corned beef and point pastrami

[Potkettleblack]

Hugh I've done burgers sous vide and they are incredible.

https://furloughgourmet.wordpress.com/2013/11/05/burger/

[fzxdoc]

Hugh , I think sous vide now and PBC in the Spring sounds like a great plan. I liked the sous vide method for the pastrami, burgers, and for chuck roast. I haven't tried pulled pork with it. I'm not a huge fan of steak on the sous vide because I liked the flavor with the cold grate method on the kettle of my WSCGC better. The sous vide steak was good though. As I've said before, the best thing about sous vide is that the meat is no longer the boss of me. I can work more stress free to get the sides ready while the meat is in the sous vide.

If if you do sous vide first and sear on the gasser all winter, you'll have a good base of techniques in hand by the time you're ready for that PBC.

Kathryn

[fzxdoc]

Good to know, shify . Thanks for the info! What smoker did you use? What was the meat temp when you pulled it? did you faux cambro it at all?

Kathryn

[shify]

Sorry fzxdoc just saw this. I used a WSM. I created a post last week about another attempt that wasn't as successful (pork wasn't as juicy, might have been due to the meat itself vs cooking method). I think I pulled the butt out at 150ish as it was fully cooked from the SV but wasn't focused on meat temp, more color of bark. Did not cambro it. Pulled it maybe 10 min after taking it off the WSM

[fzxdoc]

Thanks for the additional info, shify .

K.

[Hugh]

Sous Vide is officially my winter project. Thanks all.

I am new to smoking and low and slow cooking. I only had Brisket this summer for the first time when I cooked it. I followed Meatheads directions and smoked it on my gasser. Brisket now ties as my favorite meat with Prime Rib (but 1/3 the price). Blows me away that I can serve brisket to my guests for the same price as hamburgers. Its novel here and people love it.

I'm really looking forward to doing my first brisket sous vide. As Fzxdoc says, the idea of the meat not being in charge of me really takes the stress out of it for me when I have a bunch of guests.

[Hugh]

Funny you mention chuk, my butcher was out of brisket till today, I was wondering what my backup plan would be. I'll definitely give it a try.

[fzxdoc]

Hugh Try a chuck roast, smoked on the gasser, or using this sous vide method: https://www.chefsteps.com/activities...hy-chuck-roast

It turns out soooo tender. Ribeye flavor and tenderness for much less $$.

Kathryn

[Hugh]

How would you compare a chuck to a brisket if they are cooked the same? Are there other beef cuts I should consider cooking the same way? Just looking at a beef picture Plate, Flank, Shank. What are these like as a roast smoked and cooked low and slow?? Would you cook them to 203 degrees?

Hugh

[Hugh]

Just to be sure. I'm going to smoke it on my gasser next without the benefit of a SV. I still cook it to 203 degrees like a brisket, correct?

[EdF]

Yep, probe tender for the smoked chuck roast. If you want to get fancy, this is a no-fail alternative: https://dizzypigbbq.com/recipe/clays-pulled-beef/

[fzxdoc]

Hugh , if you want to slice the roast, take it to 203. If you want to have pulled beef that practically falls apart from the roast, take it to 208. Of course faux cambro. I like to follow the method that David Parrish wrote about here:

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...-barrel-cooker

I like to make Philly Steak sandwiches from the pulled beef. I also use it as a substitute for ground beef in meat marinara sauce for spaghetti or lasagna or chili or tacos, for example.

i actually prefer smoked chuckie to smoked brisket. It doesn't run as much of a risk of being dry that brisket sometimes can, IMO.

Kathryn

[EdF]

I'm one of those chuck roast favorers too.

[JGrana]

fzxdoc, great write up! I plan on doing the sous vide style, likely #2. I have 2 small flats that have been corned and rinsed.
I have a question... I had left a nice fat cap (~1/4") on the flats. This was based on Meat Head mentioning that a little fat cap when you do the smoke/steam comes out nicely.
The question - since I will be sous vide'ing the flats can I leave the fat cap on?
Thanks in advance

[fzxdoc]

Sure, JGrana , that fat cap will bring some flavor too. I always leave 1/8 to 1/4 inch on.

[JGrana]

Thanks!

[SierraBBQGuy]

fzxdoc your description for Clint Cantwell’s method was to smoke to 165°. His instructions says to smoke to only 125°. Was this intentional or was there a typo in one or the other?

[fzxdoc]

I did take it to 165°F, SierraBBQGuy , because I was comparing it with piece #2 and I wanted to keep the cooks as equal as possible between the two sous-vided pieces. You're correct, if you're doing the Full Cantwell, then 125° is his recommendation.

I went back and clarified that in the original post.

Kathryn

[dshaffes]

Kathryn - Did you use lump or charcoal? Any wood chunks?

[fzxdoc]

I used 2 Post Oak chunks and 2 Jack Daniels Charred Oak Barrel chunks in that cook, dshaffes .

Cooked with Kingsford Original.

Kathryn

[Potkettleblack]

Revisiting as it keeps sending me notifications: The big takeaway is that, once again, the field beats Clint in SVQ (KIDDING). As said before, Clint makes perfectly cromulent SVQ, but doesn't live the SV like some of us weirdos.

I will be doing a full pastrami later this year. Maybe from scratch, maybe from store corned beef. But my membership may expire before then.

ChefSteps did QV as several members did above:

https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/sous-vide-pastrami

Meathead advises:

The crust tends to get soft when you steam. No doubt about it, a hard crust is more appealing. So you can firm the crust by putting it on a hot grill or in the oven or under the broiler for a few minutes. The best crust comes from the full smoke.

Between the finished picture at ChefSteps and the result Meathead is talking about, I think QVQ is clearly indicated. Or at least QV-shock-roast... THINK OF THE BARK PEOPLE! THE BARK MUST BE SAVED!

At any rate, I haven't done one yet, but have done enough things QV - SVQ - QVQ, QSS, and so on that I think I can plan it, so that's my story... QV__ depending on what I see after V.

That said, there's always Kosher Dosher who has done more pastrami than anyone who doesn't work at a deli.
https://kosherdosher4.blogspot.com/2...-pastrami.html
Cure-Q-V-Q. (I dunno whether my idea to QVQ is a circle of repetition with Lloyd or if we got there through independent research.
SV: 142 f for 40-44 hours.
Guy has made pastrami out of nearly everything (lamb, beef, duck, tritip, brisket flat, brisket point, navel, ribs) and has made more than I think I could eat in a lifetime.

[fzxdoc]

Agreed, Potkettleblack , but I add them just before searing/serving

I just pre-seared a pork loin roast before making it walk the plank. Set to 135°F/3 hours. We'll see what happens.

Kathryn

[Potkettleblack]

If you presear, you still gotta post sear.

[fzxdoc]

Yup. Copy that. @Potkettleblack

K.

[PappyBBQ]

Thanks fzxdoc. What a great write up and follow on conversation. THIS is what makes being a member so valuable.

[Spinaker]

This was a great write up! Thanks again Kathryn.