Pastrami for Easter


 
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Tom Ferguson

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Well, actually it will be for lunch the day after Easter. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

I've read and printed Chris' recipe in the cooking section, and I've searched the forums for posts concerning Pastrami and I still have questions.

Chris' recipe calls for a finishing temp of 165*. Then I see posts saying this was followed and the results were great. Others say it was still "chewy" at 165*. In one recent post, Stogie says he always takes his to 190*.

Well, I started with a 4lb flat with a rather thin fat cap. This will be day 3 for the dry cure. I plan on rinsing it late this afternoon and putting it on the WSM. Because I had some problems last week with a cook, I am going to cook this to 190 then wrap in foil to hold.

Here's my questions: First off, any problems obvious with this plan? Next, if I'm not going to eat it tonight, but wait until tomorrow, should I hold it in a cooler for any length of time, or just foil it and let it rest until it cools, then put it in the fridge?

Oooops... almost forgot... what temp to shoot for in the WSM? Stay with the 250*-275* called for in Chris' recipe?

Thanks in advance and Happy Easter everyone!
 
Tom-

I've never cured my own, so can't comment on that (I just buy a corned beef w/o spices.) If you cured it three days, it shouldn't be too salty so rinsing should be enough.

On internal temp.....unfortunately, every piece of brisket is different. I've done two of these, and took them both to 185. One was great, the other was a bit tough. However, I would err on the side of "firm" as this is likely to be something you slice thinly (against the grain) anyway.

Oh, and you didn't mention dusting it with pepper prior to cooking....to me, it ain't pastrami unless you do that!!

Good luck!

Rich G.
 
Tom, as to your question about foiling it and letting it cool, that's what I do. I let the whole pastrami cool, then refrigerate it overnight. I find that makes it easier to slice nice and thin. I'd have to look at my notes to see about temps, as it's been way too long since I've done one. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Kelly
 
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