Corned beef/pastrami


 
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My dad (Roger Cole, aka "The Innards King" of the Pork Belly Bandits) posted this message on the SBBCA Yahoo Groups list.

A little while back, I made a pastrami following Chris' recipe in the "Let's Cook" section of this board. It turned out beautifully. I'm thinking of doing a side-by-side test using my dad's pastrami method (message text below) and using Chris' recipe.

We ordered a meat slicer from The Sausage Maker and it should be here today or tomorrow. Life is good!!!!

Kelly

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DAD'S MESSAGE:

This is the week for Corned Beef wars... All the chains have them for cheap. The REALLY cheap ones are point cut..... Flat cuts are also available...Just bought 2 at Ralphs for $1.49

As near as I can tell, there is no difference between a corned beef and a pastrami (as far as the brining process goes.) The difference is how you cook it.

Take a corned beef, soak it for about 2 hours to leach out the salt. Wipe it dry. Coat with heavy coat of cheap French's yellow mustard. Cover with
heavy coat of cracked black pepper. Cook at 250 in WSM for 5 or 6 hours. Light smoke.

Makes excellent Pastrami. Let cool or refrigerate overnite. With electric slicer, slice paper thin. Pile high on deli rye, serve with Kosher Dill pickle.

Use the cheap point cut for the classic boiled corned beef & cabbage. Use the flat cut to make pastrami.
 
Wow Kelly,
My mouth is already salivating. I never thought that I could use the corned beef for pastrami. I've ordered stuff from The Sausagemaker before, such as casings and spices. Their chorizo seasoning makes a terrific rub for grilling chicken. Very spicy! I've always thought the shipping costs were too high. Out of curiosity, what made you order the slicer from them?
 
My understanding (or opinion) is that corned beef and pastrami have the following in common: 1) the cut of meat (usually brisket or bottom round); and 2) both are usually, but not always, cured with sodium nitrite, resulting in the pink color we associate with these meats.

The differences between the two are that: 1) pickling spices are the key flavor ingredient in corned beef, whereas coriander and black pepper are the primary flavors in pastrami; and 2) corned beef is usually cooked in simmering water, whereas pastrami is slow roasted and/or smoked.

It seems like you'll get a hybrid by taking a cured, uncooked corned beef, applying pastrami seasonings to it, and smoking it. A delicious hybrid, don't get me wrong, but something that's a combination of the two.

However, I will say as a disclaimer that I've seen plenty of recipes for pastrami that include pickling spices in the cure, and some that call for steaming pastrami rather than slow roasting. So maybe there's not as clear a distinction as I have in my own mind.

Other opinions on this subject are welcomed!

Regards,
Chris
 
Very interesting thoughts, Chris. I am going to do the corned beef flats as pastrami this weekend, but next time I will do a side by side comparison. I will certainly post the results. How bad can it be to taste the experiments?? /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

Kelly
 
It's Friday and I have the next three days off. I have FOUR pastrami's on the WSM and my meat slicer will be delivered today.... life doesn't get much better than this!

Kelly
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Kelly Ratzlaff:
[qb]It's Friday and I have the next three days off. I have FOUR pastrami's on the WSM and my meat slicer will be delivered today.... life doesn't get much better than this!

Kelly[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Hey Kelly,
Sounds like a great weekend for q'in and playing with the new toy. Sure hope you'll give a report on the new slicer. I'm looking forward to hearing how you like it. Have fun!
 
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