Pastrami, smoked meat, and corned beef
- Thread starter darrin
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K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
To make pastrami you start by making corned beef which is usually brisket but sometimes round. The meat cut is soaked in brine first; for corned beef the cut is then braised or boiled but for pastrami a dry rub is applied and the cut is smoked.
'Smoked beef' can be anything: pastrami, jerky, chuck roll--whatever--cured or uncured, rubbed or not; it just needs to be smoked.
'Smoked beef' can be anything: pastrami, jerky, chuck roll--whatever--cured or uncured, rubbed or not; it just needs to be smoked.
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Montreal Smoked Meat is always brisket--as far as I know. I have had it in numerous places and it has always been brisket and always smoked. Though the spicing is similar pretty much across the board, the process pre-smoking can vary. Some I've had have been brine-cured first, some dry-rubbed then braised first, some marinated first.
Steve Gomes
TVWBB Fan
kevin whenever I had pastrami I never taste smoke flavor. I am going over all your posts about it now. Now I have my pink salt I am interested in making pastrami. Anyway, smoked pastramidoesn't sound good to me. Can I bake it instead? <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
To make pastrami you start by making corned beef which is usually brisket but sometimes round. The meat cut is soaked in brine first; for corned beef the cut is then braised or boiled but for pastrami a dry rub is applied and the cut is smoked.
'Smoked beef' can be anything: pastrami, jerky, chuck roll--whatever--cured or uncured, rubbed or not; it just needs to be smoked. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
To make pastrami you start by making corned beef which is usually brisket but sometimes round. The meat cut is soaked in brine first; for corned beef the cut is then braised or boiled but for pastrami a dry rub is applied and the cut is smoked.
'Smoked beef' can be anything: pastrami, jerky, chuck roll--whatever--cured or uncured, rubbed or not; it just needs to be smoked. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Steve Gomes
TVWBB Fan
okay we will work on that but I have had boar's head and many other good pastrami sandwitches when I was in new York. Why didn't I taste smike? Am I ready to be put in the loonie bin?
G Dechaine
TVWBB Pro
Pastrami may be smoked, but a lot of it can leech out during the steaming process. After you smoke , you have to steam it until (i forget the temps, sorry) it becomes tender and very slice-able. When you go to an old school deli and you look at the counter, they're pulling out big briskets from a steamer, then slicing.
Not exactly sure why the montreal stuff tastes smokier. Probably a heavier application of smoke (d-uh).
Not exactly sure why the montreal stuff tastes smokier. Probably a heavier application of smoke (d-uh).
G Dechaine
TVWBB Pro
As an aside...although brisket (sometimes round) is used for making pastrami, you can also make it with short rib. The same guy that wrote the Charcuterie book (ruhlman) just posted that on his blog.
I've got a bone-in short rib roast, which I'll de-bone and turn into pastrami. I can't wait.
I've got a bone-in short rib roast, which I'll de-bone and turn into pastrami. I can't wait.