Brisket > Pastrami

I started with a packer flat and soaked it into my brine curing solution for two weeks. Then soaked it in clean water changing it out a few times for a day.

Re-seasoned it with coriander, brown mustard and juniper berries ground up and patted into the meat heavily. Tossed them into the vacuum bags and set them in the fridge for a few days. Then finally last Sunday it was time!

I fired up the smoker and let the wonderfulness begin! On the same day I kept some back to boil into corned beef and then cooked the cabbage. In the pic of the pan you will see the corned beef on the left and pastrami on the right. the head and a half of cabbage was already bag vac’ed and in the freezer.

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What did you think of the results? How was the moisture? Same or different than doing a regular brisket

Last Saturday my wife was making corned beef and gave me one of the flats for the smoker. Didn’t even know until two days ago that by smoking it then becomes pastrami.

For my first attempt, I was quite pleased. Definitely on the list to do again.

Pat, years ago I made my first attempt using a package of corned beef from the store. If I remember right I was reading to take the finish tempt to somewhere around 190 to 205. I thought it was dry and salty.

Next two times, I’ve used prepared corned beef again except I tried to desalt it with using a soaking bath for a few hours changing out the water every 1/2 hour. Lowered the final temp to the 185 still dry then 180 getting better on the next years attempt.

15 or so months ago I tried my first attempt to going at it from a complete scratch brisket. I was such a dar, dar as I was so busy with work and trying to fit this in I ended up with not knowing where I placed any notation of what I did! It was phenomenal in its flavor, tenderness and texture. Never had any better from anywhere. There was a problem there as I can’t remember all the little tidbits that I did!!

This time I’m going from past learning and what I think that I remember I went from scratch once again. Finish temp was again 180 after foiling at 160 as always, but I didn’t get it sliced the next morning after an a night in the fridge. Smoked on Sunday, sliced on Tues, bagged on Thursday. I’m being very picky and critical in saying that the flavor is not what I had the year before and it is a bit drier. Not a bad product now mind you, just not what I’m able to craft (even though I have no idea as to how to do it again)!

This pic is from my first ever pastrami.

Don’t know why the pic didn’t load?

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Did mine with good old round cut corned beef. Soaked it in water overnight and put a rub on it for several hours before going in the smoke. Been enjoying some Ruben sandwiches for the last couple of days.

Why am I drooling like my lab?

Well done gentlemen…looks great!

Man! That looks great.
Never tried to make pastrami, well I guess tomorrow will a day of search for brisket and tonight research. I have done some research which starts with corned beef recipe and ends in steaming when while the smoking stall happens until temp rises to 203.
I’ll sepeate the point and flat to process them seperately.

I put the pickling spice that comes with corned beef in a coffee grinder with some whole peppercorns to make my rub for pastrami.

Dave, your “Round Cut”, are you referring to the partially processed corned beef that is in a round loaf? Or the point or flat from the whole muscle

Sinker, when you start into smoking whole muscle meats in the beef and pork you will learn about the stall and what is actually going on as it will drive you crazy! Stay the course sailor! Ya think you are in the fault, just stay the course.

Diesel, maybe your lab has been a bit too close to your screen?

Denny, I found a store that not only sells brisket point and flat corned beef but also sells eye of round corned beef and is my preference after trying all of them. The texture is better and more tender than the brisket cuts. If I buy a packer brisket, I want real smoked brisket.

Dave, you prefer the eye of round? I thought when I had it @ the Izaak Walton club on the 14th was a bit lacking in tastes for “corned beef”. Several of us did agree.

You did smoke it for pastrami?? And you say “eye of round corned beef and is my preference after trying all of them. The texture is better and more tender than the brisket cuts.” humm .

Maybe I need to look into this a bit more. BUT I still need to figure out my last smoke from about one and a half years ago! I had elderly Italians here in tears. Not kidding.

Did smoke and steam for pastrami. Pickling spice and course black pepper is a great rub.

Steaming helps push through the stall it may soften the bark created when smoking but a quick cook under the broiler or in hot grill will firm the bark right up. Steaming brings in 6 times the energy still being at 212 of boiling water or the ambient temp of 250 degrees while introducing a moist enviroment rather than increasing the heat of dry heat. It works great and significantly cuts cooking time while still breaking down the connective tissues and collagen. I’ve done this with a chuckeye roast and beef short ribs and they turned out unbelievably tastey and tender.
The cooking and the acceptance of smoke has already been done by 160 degrees, there really is no need to wait out the stall.
Wrapping in foil at 160 degrees one is essentially steaming using the moisture of the meat being emitted and contained by the foil.

Now I dont know if that’s how it works it just maybe my brain babling on!
I do know it works.

Keep that impresive cooking coming.

Denny O I’ve been trapped by that dreaded stall and ive used steam to push through that stall significantly cutting cooking time. Something about steam still being 212 degreas same as water but increasing the energy output 6 fold, molecules moving around at increased rate.
Helped me with pork shoulder roast, chuck roast and beef short ribs.

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Sorry about the double posting I didn’t think the first post went through so I submitted a shorter one. Now you have to suffer through double :

Oh ya suffer!

suffer, suffer, drool, drool, suffer

I use the “Texas crutch” for pastrami, ribs, pulled pork,brisket and several other items. cabbage, humm I’m drawing blanks now.

Denny O, I sure hope you conquer that quest for that one past recipe that illudes you. I too have a few of those that haunt me from a smoked center cut shoulder roast to even smoked venison sausage chili.
Its a controllable disease. I ounce made 3 5 quart pots of chilli in a week chasing that monkey. My neighbor’s and friends sure appreciated my efforts. Ounce in while I came close, but dang, I sure mastered that chilli thing.
I should do that notes and record thing I guess.
Here’s to chasing that monkey

Some of my notes match Denny’s and agree with the suggestions to try to end at different temps.

One exception, I saw an extreme stall at 149 degrees. In fact the temp even dropped to 145 before bottoming out. Time was about 90-120 minutes in the upper 140’s.

After it came up pretty quick and I put foil on at 160. Took it to 201. Like Denny said, I found it a little drier and saltier than optimum.

IDK Denny, the most recent batch looks pretty good to me!

Just thinking about things to help with the flavor/moisture, curious if you mind posting your brine recipe? Could be that your salinity % is too high
(5% is ideal) or if you use table salt in addition to pink salt, you might be getting a more pronounced salt flavor vs kosher/sea salt. Always best to measure by weight vs volume too; not a knock on your methods, just a general statement.

For me, I wouldn’t brine that long and/or have all those rinse water changes – you might be messing with the muscle fiber structure too much by introducing then removing the salt in that manner. Most recipes I see call for 3-5 days in the brine, a good rinse in the sink then another day in the fridge for everything to relax before rubbing and smoking. I’ve done the 3-5 day brine and rinse with corned beef and it worked well, have not tried it on the smoker yet.

Hope this helps, good luck.

Question, after the desalination and the rub is put on to marinade in the fridge for 2 days, is it best to cover or not to cover while in fridge? Some say cover some say not to.
Being I’m getting a whole brisket and separating the point from the flat I think I’ll cut the flat in half to make to make more equal portions. One half of flat bagged and sealed the other uncovered.
Decided to use Amazing ribs.com method to start with.

OK, speaking of methods…Look into Sous Vide for your next brisket. I just starting using this method after years of just smoking. I would be a liar if I told you another method makes one as juicy. I combine the Sous Vide cooking method with the last 3 hours in the smoker. On YouTube, there is a channel called ChefSteps. They do a vid on brisket without smoking. Pretty impressive and super easy. Check it out sometime.

Do it now…thank me later.

OK, I know some of you won’t look for it so here is the vid.

From what I have read JD I have know dought about what your talking about.
Cant remember who it was but there has been talk of Sous Vide. Wish I would have listened closer at the beginig of winter.
Definately something I’ll get into. Right now my investments are going into that silly fishing thing people are talking about.

A sous vide machine is pretty cheap right now, I have the older version of this one (bluetooth only, no wi-fi) and I love it. Works essentially the same as a crock pot, just more precise and versatile since you’re cooking the food in a water bath.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HHWSV1S/ref=twister_B01BTNRUWW?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Clamp it on to one of these and off you go.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VARW8C/ref=twister_B01FXRJ34I?_encoding=UTF8&th=1

Good resource to get started if anyone is interested.

http://www.seriouseats.com/sous_vide_101

1hl&sinker wrote:

From what I have read JD I have know dought about what your talking about.
Cant remember who it was but there has been talk of Sous Vide. Wish I would have listened closer at the beginig of winter.
Definately something I’ll get into. Right now my investments are going into that silly fishing thing people are talking about.

Yeah, I hear ya. A fella needs about $150-$200 for one of these water immersion circulators. I can’t tell you how this has changed ALL my cooking. I use a device called Joule but many others are available. I shop at Costco and get the beef and pork loins and cut to size and package in ziplocks or food saver bags with the herbs and spices already packed in. Then freeze. Then all I do for mealtime is pull a bag out, set in the water, grab a few beverages and wait til it’s done. Take it out of the pouch and sear in a hot pan and bingo, Bob’s yer uncle. I do the same with veggie purees. Cook in advance, put in ziplock and freeze. I just drop my veggie puree bag in the water with the meat and both are ready at the same time.

Finished it up this morning.

Dave,
Is this what you like for your cut?

Corned Beef Eye of Round USDA Choice

Denny O wrote:

Dave,
Is this what you like for your cut?

That would be it. My opinion is that the quality of the brisket cuts can be hit and miss unless one buys the “Prime” grade. The eye of round roasts have always been good to me.

SuperDave1959 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Denny O wrote:</div>
Dave,
Is this what you like for your cut?

That would be it. My opinion is that the quality of the brisket cuts can be hit and miss unless one buys the “Prime” grade. The eye of round roasts have always been good to me.

BINGO! Prime of nothing for this guy. The increase in cost is nominal considering the time to brine, season, cook/smoke, make sauce, etc….

JD Winston wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>SuperDave1959 wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Denny O wrote:</div>
Dave,
Is this what you like for your cut?

That would be it. My opinion is that the quality of the brisket cuts can be hit and miss unless one buys the “Prime” grade. The eye of round roasts have always been good to me.

BINGO! Prime of nothing for this guy. The increase in cost is nominal considering the time to brine, season, cook/smoke, make sauce, etc….

JD, you believe that the upgrade in cost is not an upgrade at all versus the additional costs attributed to having to deal with the lesser cuts to create the same final product?

SuperDave1959 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Denny O wrote:</div>
Dave,
Is this what you like for your cut?

That would be it. My opinion is that the quality of the brisket cuts can be hit and miss unless one buys the “Prime” grade. The eye of round roasts have always been good to me.

Dave, I had what I thought was an “Eye of Round” corned beef and I (imho) had a lackluster flavor over the cb that I was accustomed to @ my local IWL club from the past from a supplier from Kansas City!

JD, by the way a Joules branded Sous Vide is in in my radar. I’ve watched many videos on this fish tank warmer (as a friend of mine has referred to them) And I may pull the trigger if I become more convinced about it the next 6 to 10 months.