Store corned beef to Pastrami

[Barrel99]

I come from New York. I have had some of the best pastrami in the world. I now live in Florida and still get some great pastrami. But, I had to try my own. I bought a cryo vac corned beef, about 3 lbs. I soaked it in water for 24 hours to release some salt. I then rubbed it with a rub from this site and let it sit 24 hours in frig. I then smoked it at 225 for 15 hours, IT 190.

I sliced a piece to taste it. It was tasty,not salty and a bit dry. Was it done? NO! THE SECRET TO GREAT PASTRAMI IS TO STEAM IT. Yes, it makes all the difference in the world. More moisture, better color, tenderizes and brings out the flavor.

So after leaving it in frig overnight, I steamed it for an hour. Should have been  2 but we got hungry...oh well. I think you can see the difference in the photos. It was fantastic. My 3 lb corned beef ended up at 1.6 lb cooked.

That being said, I will probably go to the deli restaurants for the sandwiches. For literally  a few bucks more I get excellent pastrami with all the trimmings and no work.

BTW the first pic is the meat after soaking it for 24 hours

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[Mike]

Looks great, I bought a few extras this month to do the same thing...can't wait to try it

[jbauch357]

The idea of steaming after smoking is intriguing, I'll give that a try with my next one as my last pastrami was very dry and tough.

[SuperDave]

I steam mine by foiling to finish but also steam again right before my sandwiches are made by adding some liquid to the pan and covering until meat is heated and the cheese is melted.

[DivotMaker]

15 hours for a 3 lb chunk of meat?  Good grief!  That's 5 hours per pound!  No wonder you want to just go to the deli!    Way too much work for a pound and a half of pastrami!

[Barrel99]

Tony, it's crazy. My 14 lb brisket only took 2 hours longer. Just goes to show ya, you never know what the meat is going to do. Deli for me!

[DivotMaker]

I did one of those little suckers one time, Arnie:

http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=1599.0

3.93 lb corned beef flat, 11 1/2 hours!  I made the mistake of not soaking it, and it was like eating a salt lick!  Ended up throwing it out.  I haven't done one since due to the stupid long time for such a little reward.  If I do pastrami again, it will be at least a 10 lb brisket - they cook SO much better than those little cuts!

[SuperDave]

I was very happy with my eye of round version of corned beef vs. the brisket flat that I'd had so much inconsistent results with. 

[DivotMaker]

That looked really good, Dave!  I never thought of using a round, but is definitely on my "to do" list!

[Barrel99]

Dave, I will definitely try the eye round also, but I am partial to brisket which is on sale here for $3.99 lb...Wow! Have no place to put it though. Not ready to smoke it right now.

Tony, soaking for 24 hours worked great. Very little salt left. But, I think the small piece of meat soaked up so much water that it took forever to release it...5 hours/lb...Yikes!

It did taste wonderful though. I agree, a big piece of meat would be more worth the effort. Also, I am fortunate enough to be able to get a whole pastrami at my local Restaurant Depot supply store. Same as they use in many restaurants. Already cooked. Just steam it and eat it and it's pretty good.

[Pork Belly]

You only need to take a pastrami up to 150, it is fully cooked and will be tender when sliced thin for sandwiches. If you want to eat it with a fork you need to go higher so it breaks down a bit. I prefer to go lower and let the slicer tenderize it.

[DivotMaker]

You only need to take a pastrami up to 150, it is fully cooked and will be tender when sliced thin for sandwiches. If you want to eat it with a fork you need to go higher so it breaks down a bit. I prefer to go lower and let the slicer tenderize it.

Wow!  That's good to know!  I always thought you had to go to done brisket temp!  Makes perfect sense...  Thanks Brian!

[va_rider]

So, how do you go about steaming a large piece of meat like a pastrami?? I've gotten intrigued by this whole pastrami idea...  Think I have it figured out from the brine, through the smoking....  But after that...  I'm confused.

[gregbooras]

Arnie,

I must have missed this post, man this looks really good and the idea of steaming it.....

Tonight we had Boar's Head Pastrami which is really great, but also $13.00 per lb.

Right now corned beef is $6.00 per lb. so on my next visit to RD I plan to see if they have something less pricey, but this is on my to do list.

Thanks for the post!

Greg

[Pork Belly]

Brisket is even cheaper than that. Buy Brisket, brine it You have Corned" Beef, turn that into Pastrami. I am sure you will like the result, it is so simple.

http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=1808.0 Corned Beef
http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=1809.0 Pastrami