PASTRAMI-FINALLY

[Smokin T]

i finally made pastrami and it actually came out tasting like pastrami! eeeehaaa! :D even my aunt, who doesn't like much of my smokin almost grabbed my sammich outta my hand!

i grabbed a cheap ($1.69) corned beef and soaked it for three days, changing the water every four hours if i wasn't at work or sleeping :lol:

the more i soaked and rinsed, the 'whiter' the meat got. thought it ugly, but pressed on. after the soaking period i put a base of mustard and then cracked peppercorns, cracked coriander, celery and mustard seed.

smoked it from noon to 5:40p.m. doubled wrapped in foil, wrapped in towels. had a piece of it yesterday at lunch, but only just had the sammy today, for breakfast. will make some mods. to it for next time, but, for now am pleased. big thanks to all here who knew i was wantin to do this and offered their expertise :D T

[Mic]

Congrats, T! 8) 8) Sounds really good. How ya like that Guru on the WSM? Usin mine for the first time today (another post). Dontcha just love Q'n? :roll: :roll: :wink: :wink:

Mic

[Ed Embry]

Sounds great, T. I picked up a corned beef brisket myself. Gonna do the pastrami thing in the next few days.

[TAR RIVER RAT]

What kind of mods T?
Tarmod

[Smokin T]

thanks, guys!

Mic--yeah, yeah! i loooove Qin! even when it's bad, it's good. :lol:

QnBrew go for it! easy as pie!

Tar...first off i'll get a bigger corned beef! :D secondly, i'll probably use the same amount of peppercorns, but scrape some off when ready to eat. it was a little 'bitey' in that area. of course if you remember an old post of mine, "biter" was mentioned heavily :lol:

end note: i gotta remember to use less smoke wood in general :roll: T

[bigwheel]

Well that do sound yummy. I prob like it best with the peppercorns still attached. Now the next step in the process should start with making your own corned beef. That is easy as falling off a log and about a hundered times mo betta than the store bought junk. Bound to be a money saver too. I aint never seen no store corned beef as cheap as you mentioned. You very fortunant to snag it for that price. Musta been some the drunk Irishmen accidentally passed up for St. Paddys day:)

bigwheel

[Smokin T]

Bigwheel, it was yummy! the cheap price for the corned beef was the fact that it had a lot of fat on it and was a rather small piece.

in fact, a few weeks ago making pastrami from brisket was my original intent (if that's what you meant by making my own corned beef). unfortunately, i found out that i needed MTQ or some other nitrate to perform the cure. so, this time i opted for the store-bought corned beef and sure didn't want to spend a lot of money on one just to experiment. would ya happen to have a recipe in your pocket for homemade corned beef? :wink: i'll trade ya a jose conseco (sp?) for a mark mcquire :shock: T

[bigwheel]

Well thought you would never axe:) Fact is I have made tons of the stuff back in the good old days when it was legal to use Salt Peter..(now no chuckles from the mililtary types:) In that scenario you start out with a 5 gallon pickle bucket about half full of water and start adding salt to make a brine salty enough to float a raw egg..then you add 2 t. of salt peter..then you throw stuff in there like garlic onyawns peppercorns thyme bay leaves cloves etc..then you throw a packer brisket down in there and weight it down so it stay submerged and put it in the ice box for 10 days..viola it turn into corned beef at the end of 10 days. Now I aint made it lately but got a good pal named Len Poli who can fix you right up. Now all his recipes is in that goofy acrobat reader format so make sure you got that preloaded.

http://home.pacbell.net/lpoli/index_files/Corned_Beef.pdf

bigwheel

[Smokin T]

hey, Bigwheel! thanks for the info. :) will check out that site right now; just wanted to catch ya whilst you might still be online.

qwestion: what's a pickle bucket? :oops:

since i posted about pastrami, are ya gonna do some more for yerself? T

[bigwheel]

Ok here is another recipe which comes from the Morton Salt folks. Looks reasonable simple and to the point. They obviously doing flats on this one since they say it only weigh 5 or 6 lbs. A pickle bucket is a 5 gallon plastic bucket with a lid. Also easy to find swimming pool chorline and stuff packed in em. Also try the bakery of supermarkets. That get some cute little 3 gallon plastic buckets with lids which cake icing comes in.

http://www.mortonsalt.com/recipes/recipeex.asp?recipeid=43

If you cant find TQ local..order it from Joe Ames right here:

http://www.theingredientstore.com

biwheel

[Smokin T]

BIGWHEEL! YOU ARE THE BEST!

i remember your reply re: the ingredients store and i checked it out. great! thank you.

the particular area in the Mortons salt site that you referred me to was very helpful. i know, and appreciate everyone that had already turned me onto that site and many others.

i think i may be getting close to offering and suggesting advice rather than sucking it up from all of you. course, that's how i'd be able to do that, right?!!

[TexLaw]

T,

For the bucket, you can also check any homebrewing or winemaking supply stores you have in the area. They should have 5 or 6 gallon, food grade plastic buckets ready to go for you.


TL

[Smokin T]

TL... i have bought food-grade plastic from smart and final. same thing? T

[TexLaw]

I don't know what "smart and final" is, but I would bet it's the same or close enough.


TL

[Smokin T]

smart and final is a sort of restaurant supply store. large quantities of food containers (like to-go), paper products, plastic ware and food. i usually get my pork shoulders and briskets there. i bought two plastic containers with lids for brining things. T

[TexLaw]

Then, you ought to be in good shape. If you're ever in the market for something else along those lines, you might want to compare prices with the homebrew or winmaker shop. They might be cheaper; they might not.


TL

[Buckeye]

Well awrite T!!!!!! 8) Way ta git'r done :!: 8) 8) 8)

[Smokin T]

TL...i live (or used to :( ) in a rural community. now my $64,000 house in 1981 is worth $270,000! most people might be happy, not me. i don't know of homebrew or winmaker. would like to. are they online?

buckeye...always puttin on the dog! :lol: hey, btw, can i say "way to git'm" done? :shock: love ya, T

[glennr]

i don't know of homebrew or winmaker. would like to. are they online?

buckeye...always puttin on the dog! :lol: hey, btw, can i say "way to git'm" done? :shock: love ya, T

try www.morebeer.com

[TexLaw]

T,

They are all over the place online, and there are plenty in California. I haven't mail-ordered any homebrew supplies in years (I have a good local shop), but here are a few I've used in the past with success:

http://midwestsupplies.com/

http://williamsbrewing.com/

http://hoptech.com/


TL

[BBQ101]

:lol: I am inon this home made corned beef. With a last name like Gilheany how could I not be. I got a flat in the deep freezer and she is coming out.

[Smokin T]

TL...thanks! i'll give it a shot. shot, get it? :lol:

101...makin your own corned beef/pastrami is awesome! and i just bought a cheapo piece of meat. can't wait to get a better piece and really do it up! T

[BBQ101]

I got a nice 6 or 7 lbs flat defosting in the fridge as we speak. :lol:

[Smokin T]

when are you gonna cook it? can i watch :D T

[BBQ101]

:lol: I will take lots of pictures for you T.

[Smokin T]

ok, 101! i'll have to wait to do another one, but am going to do about 4 racks of spares and a beer can chicken. :D sounds like some of us are plannin on some good eats, soon, huh? :wink: remember, you promised me pictures! T

[BBQ101]

I will lets it thaw and then I am trying the Morten Corned Beef in a Seal A meal. Not sure about making Pastrami just yet. Once I make corned beef I gotta get me some cabbages and some spuds in a pot with a little pickleing spice. I almost forgot the turnips. A tall glass of Killians and a shot of Jamesons.

[Smokin T]

101...sounds good! 8) try doin pastrami! even my weak attempt at it turned out really good and you know how expensive it can be! T

[BBQ101]

:lol: Ok T Pictures are in red. Trimmed of the fat with my new Forschner Knives. Redneck Cooker was rite these knives are Da Bomb. Had to skip the ground Bay Leaves cause we do not have any. We should be able to try it in a week or so. It's about 1 1/2 to 2 inches think.
The Prep (http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0WAAIA8ga0IvoCM53J3j2QelE1l!0mcW7quH3RG!2gkcCTR91V PTwA3hmEFSQalsy2TeFoYawbeoFY*BYwdhlqIOv3kHU!Hi8Hvu TgVcxsBT8ve0Xhq7Eq4Yr*sA21kYAUwAAAP****8/DSC00106.JPG?dc=4675515590912810295)
Trimmed Brisket (http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0WACRAskaH4zoCM53J3j2QZGNY!siOFjg3VHWwzD615hvbXn5F H58Qs16uuQ*DKWBX!smrdPLjOX9hrYp2wRxX*vlFdJei6zpFYi TA!bRAzbLKaztaVwXL2Y1A!IPeNTTVAAAAP****8/DSC00107.JPG?dc=4675515590915789729)
Ready for the Fridge (http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0WAAAAMoabozoCM53J3j2Qe1g*iBvRaUA!Wv16fWNokal8wlAd imwzV0j2JTsEWdCmkEp2URqlD554RsibfGPiCWDuCJFgIbvbCJ XwdE0tH*O8YWseFyz3UIaMGYkcdNLAAAAAAAAAAA/DSC00108.JPG?dc=4675515590918451018)

[redneck cooker]

101, I knew you would like the knives!!! Excellent quality for the price...also has a great edge ...easy to keep razor sharp :D

[Smokin T]

AND WE'RE OFF! ok, 101. looks good. very organized as well 8) just a waiting game now, huh? T

[Ed Embry]

Great pics, 101. You've definitely got the linking thing down :)

[bigwheel]

Yeppers that do look good and mighty neat. Bet there was a woman around there somewhere:)

bigwheel

[Mic]

Great pics, 101. You've definitely got the linking thing down :)

Wish I did! :( :( :oops: Ain't figgered it out...yet! :wink: Great pics, 101!

Mic

[bigwheel]

Well got my little Rival fold up Christmas slicer all ready to rip. Warden off at the store buying sour kraut..rye bread..and cheese etc. in prep for a pastrami sandwich type orgy. About decided we gonna skip that tasteless holey furrin white cheese from Switzerland and go with genuine Texas peppa jack cheese. Guess these are gonna be mo closer to Redneck Reubens.

bigwheel

[Smokin T]

BW...only 6:30 am here and ya got me drooling already! :roll: i think i've got the same little fold up rival slicer you do. one of these days i'm gonna get the grown up version. :lol: enjoy your sammies. T

[bigwheel]

Well have about decided el cheapo slicers and briskets do not mix. It sliced fine but the chunks of flat was too big to fit on the slider without some meticulous whacking and manipulation of odd sized hunks...and trying to adjust the chunks to fit on there where it would cut against the grain was a nightmare. I'm going back to using a knife. Quicker..easier..and less messy.

bigwheel

[Smokin T]

:lol: yeah, BW.. last time i used mine some of the meat got stuck under the blade and p**ssed me off so much that i just rinsed it off quick like and threw it in a garbage bag! still sittin there :x i bought that set of Ronco knives and there's a nice slicing knife in there. will be using that until my research into a good slicer finds me gettin one. :roll: T

[bigwheel]

Got me a fair selection of them good Forschners like Redneck was recommending the other day. Whew..aint sure any better knives is made than those things. I aint much on the high dollar kraut knives cuz they too hard to sharpen. Think I owned a Ronco sphagetti making machine one time.

bigwheel

[TAR RIVER RAT]

Bigwheel. Get you a couple of diamond sharpening "stones". One course and one fine or super fine. Those things will sharpen the dullest, hardest knife quickly. Even more, after the "stones", use a cloth or felt buffing wheel with a bit of polishing compound and CAREFULLY buff the edge to a razor sharp edge.
Tar

[bigwheel]

Ahh appreciate the tip..but think I just stick with my Forschners. All it takes is a few licks on the steel and they be good for shaving all over again.

bigwheel

[BBQ101]

I have to say I got more Forschner Knives commin. Ordered a 14" Graton edge Slicer and a Cleaver for chopping pork and brisket. :lol:

[Smokin T]

hey, Big Wheel! heard those spaghetti machines are tha in thng! :lol: there's actually several knives in there that are great! T

Tar.. thanks for the advice. think i'll do that! 8) T