Question - Pastrami from store bought corned beef

[RemoGaggi]

I've got a frozen store bought corned beef in the freezer that I want to make some pastrami with. Everything I've seen on the net says to soak it in water for at least 8hrs to get the excess salt out. Does anyone see any issues with just putting the frozen corned beef in water then in the fridge and letting it defrost and soak at the same time as opposed to defrosting first, then soaking?

I'm thinking it shouldn't matter much, but just want to double check. I probably won't be able to smoke it until Friday anyway, so I'm in no rush.

Thanks.

 

[Big George's BBQ]

I personally would defrost 1st and then soak in water changing it frequently Thirdeye's blog has a great Pastrami tutorial I have used this several times Comes out Great

 

[NCGrimbo]

That should work, but make sure you change the water every few hours to pull more salt out of the meat.

 

[Moose]

Thawing and debrining at the same time would slow the process down considerably, as the meat won't fully debrine until some time after it's completely thawed. This would expose the meat to an overly long immersion in water that might impact the texture in a way you may not like.

I just thaw the meat completely at room temperature, then give it a water bath in the fridge, changing the water about 3 times over the course of an 8 hour soak. You can also speed up the process of thawing by soaking the meat(provided it's completely vac sealed) in a sinkful of water.

 

[lunchman]

I've made pastrami from corned beef, following Meathead's "Close to Katz's..." recipe and have never done the soak in water step. Laziness, poor planning, whatever. I've never noticed an excess of salt in my pastrami, maybe I've just gotten lucky. Perhaps I'll give the soak in water step a try next time I make one.

 

[pmad]

As always, Moose is correct.

 

[Big George's BBQ]

Putting raw potatoes in the water speeds up taking out the salt

 

[RemoGaggi]

Thanks everyone! Glad I checked. I'll defrost first and then soak.

 

[Big George's BBQ]

Enjoy I am waiting to see some corn beef to make pastrami in my stores

 

[mike243]

Thawing meat at room temperature has never been recommended i am pretty sure, definitely soak to get salt out

 

[Moose]

Thawing meat at room temperature has never been recommended i am pretty sure, definitely soak to get salt out

Big difference between thawing meat AT room temperature, vs thawing meat TO room temperature. The latter I would never do, the former I've been doing for decades.

 

[frayedend]

Big difference between thawing meat AT room temperature, vs thawing meat TO room temperature. The latter I would never do, the former I've been doing for decades.

It's funny, a lot of folks will say to never thaw at room temperature as it's unsafe. But I always do it with no issue. I just make sure the surface still feels cold to the touch and put it in the fridge or cook as soon as it's ready.

Maybe trying to thaw a 14 lb brisket at room temp could be an issue. But smaller cuts will thaw in under the 4 hour safe time.

 

[pmad]

I just make sure the surface still feels cold to the touch

If it feels cold, it's still below room temperature.

 

[mike243]

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safe...afety-basics/big-thaw-safe-defrosting-methods