MMMM.. BRISKET..
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Q-talk *ON TOPIC ONLY* QUALITY ON TOPIC discussion of Backyard BBQ, grilling, equipment and outdoor cookin' . ** Other cooking techniques are welcomed for when your cookin' in the kitchen. Post your hints, tips, tricks & techniques, success, failures, but stay on topic and watch for that hijacking.


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Old 07-30-2012, 12:52 AM   #1
Moose
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Talking Mile High Smoked Homemade Pastrami Sammie on Fresh Deli Rye

Last weekend, I picked up a nice section of corned beef flat so I could take my second stab at Pastrami.

My first attempt, done about 5 years ago, was a complete unmitigated train wreck. I won't go into all the Gore-y details,() but I was still a young Noobian at the time and just didn't think things through, despite trying Thirdeye's excellent tutorial, so not reading through everything carefully, among other things, made for a culinary disaster. We wound up eating hot dogs that night the end result was so utterly inedible.

So after perusing numerous pastrami approaches, I decided on something I felt would produce the results I was hoping for. I would have more pics for you, but didn't document everything blow by blow as the lighting in our new place just isn't that conducive for good photos. I remedied that in the final sammie photo with good results using white butcher paper as my surface, along with a 40 watt light kit that helped compensate for the poor indoor lighting.

So let's get started.

First, I took the 3 lb uncooked store bought corned beef brisket flat, and put it in water in a large cooking pot in the fridge, covered it, and changed the water 4 times over the course of 24 hours to help pull out as much sodium as possible. We pulled the meat from the water, patted it dry, and let it come to room temp for a bit. Then a rub was generously applied to the meat that consisted of LOTS of fresh ground black pepper, coriander, smoked paprika, mustard, onion, and garlic powders.

I then fired up the UDS, and when it got to 275, added three chunks of pecan for smoke, and put the meat on, fat side up. Here my UDS, chugging away:



About an hour into the cook:



Three hours later:



As with any brisket cut, you need to gauge doneness by "feel", not temp, although when you get close to 180 degrees internal, that's when you want to monitor things more closely. When my probe thermo slid in like butter in all quadrants, I knew the meat was done. Total cook time was about 5 1/2 hours.

I took the meat off to cool for a few hours, then put in the fridge.

It was at this point I was kind of unsure where to go in terms of meat prep, so I consulted The Missus. While a number of approaches suggested steaming the meat in hunks prior to slicing by hand she strongly recommended we slice the meat first, then steam. I wasn't fully onboard with this at first, but as usual, her food science background convinced me this might be a good way to go, so I agreed. She also suggested bringing out the meat slicer we bought a while back, so we could get nice thin slices of pastrami, just like they do in delis.

So here's the meat after we took it out of the fridge, fully cooled:



Coming out of the slicer:



All meat fully sliced, and ready to be steamed:



Close up:



The Missus McGyvered a steamer by using two halves of a large roasting pan, separated by a pizza screen, which we placed the meat slices on:



We steamed the meat for about 20 mins, and when we lifted the cover, the slices of pastrami were juicy, tender, and delicious.

At this point, our mouths were watering, so we began on sandwich construction, which was accompanied by fresh pickle spears, and potato chips. Generous amounts of French's yellow mustard was applied to my sammich as I ate it, and I have to say, I enjoyed each and every bite, beyond description!



It feels really good to vindicate past failures!

And a BIG thanks to The Missus, whose wise post cook advice helped yield the best pastrami sammies we've ever tasted!
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Old 07-30-2012, 06:03 AM   #2
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Where does the line start to get one of those???
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Old 07-30-2012, 06:24 AM   #3
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Looks great. One question, does the steaming make that big of a difference in your mind? I have made once before without steaming and it was really good. Was steaming worth the extra step?
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Old 07-30-2012, 06:47 AM   #4
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^^^Wondering that too Moose.

Sure looks good!
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Old 07-30-2012, 09:08 AM   #5
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ARE YOU SURE you have enough Pastrami in that Sammich!
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Old 07-30-2012, 09:16 AM   #6
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Excellent work yet again! When I get done going all over the place I wanna try making some pastrami.

The UDS looks happy in it's new home!
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Old 07-30-2012, 10:18 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Twelvegaugepump View Post
Looks great. One question, does the steaming make that big of a difference in your mind? I have made once before without steaming and it was really good. Was steaming worth the extra step?
Having tasted the meat before steaming and after, the answer is a resounding yes! Big difference, and I plan on doing it this way moving FW. The meat was noticeably more tender after steaming.
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Old 07-30-2012, 10:30 AM   #8
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Looks like you nailed it Moose. I love pastrami, and that sandwich is making my stomach growl!
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Old 07-30-2012, 01:09 PM   #9
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Damn, wish they were serving that in our cafeteria today, looks killer!!!
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Old 08-03-2012, 12:54 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gtr View Post
Excellent work yet again! When I get done going all over the place I wanna try making some pastrami.

The UDS looks happy in it's new home!
+1. That looked awesome! I gotta try making some.
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Old 08-03-2012, 02:51 PM   #11
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Perfect!
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Old 08-03-2012, 03:03 PM   #12
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Great looking cook. I have been wanting to try this but fear the brisket cut. Good Job!!!
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Old 08-03-2012, 03:07 PM   #13
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Oh... Wow!
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Old 08-03-2012, 04:09 PM   #14
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Okay, just stop... you're killin' me here. It's dinnertime, and we aren't gonna eat for at least a couple of hours!

MAN THAT LOOKS GOOD!
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