[thirdeye]

Originally Posted by Dovid

Hi all.


The pastrami was cut thinly across the grain at an angle. My question is this. I think it was a bit rubbery in the chew. How can I prevent that and make it better?


Dovid

Originally Posted by Dovid

I also wonder what to do if I wanted the corned beef to hold together more? Boil fewer hours?

Has anyone parboiled their pastrami-to-be, then rubbed it and smoked it? Did it, or would it make a difference?

Thanks for the feedback!
Dovid

If the pastrami was rubbery, you might try a pressure finish, provided of course that you have a pressure cooker. You can dial in about any level of tenderness. (Say it isn't exactly right after 20 minutes, you just pressure the pot back up for 5 or 6 more minutes and see how you like that)

A pressure cooker works great for cooking corned beef too, but since it starts off raw it takes longer than finishing a pastrami. I like better than braising as the closed system of a pressure cooker keeps more flavor in there.