Reheating Pastrami


 
RCBaughn

RCBaughn

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Well, I had my first good attempt on a pastrami and now I'd like to know how most of you guys reheat it for a pastrami on rye. I tried a few small pieces in the microwave on a flat and they came out amazingly juice and tender despite being sliced about 1/8" thick. I smoked a point so that may be the reason it is so juicey and fatty, which I prefer honestly. I can't stand dry sandwich meat, there just isn't enough mayo or anything in the world to cover up that texture.

All the other briskets I've done have come out tough and had to be hit in a pressure cooker to tender, which made it dry, or came out dry straight from the smoker. This is the first time I've used on of the pre-corned briskets from Wal-Mart, I think it was Cornell brand, and I must say I am really impressed. I forgot that most people soak them in water for a few hours or over night, but I had great luck in it not being too salty. I didn't have anything in the rub except black pepper, ground coriander, and a bit of garlic powder so that may have helped it not being salty.

But anywho, just let me know if reheating pastrami in a microwave is sacrilege and if I really need to be doing it in a steamer to get better results than what I've already been getting.
 
Hello RC....I live in the Boston area and hot pastrami is a big favorite around here. I can tell you that every place that serves genuine pastrami just drops it in a pot of boiling water for a couple minutes and then they scoop it out and pile it on a nice roll or some good rye bread. Now , having said that , if you think it comes out good from the micro there's no reason not to do it that way....or a steamer , for that matter.but when we do it at home , we go with the boiling water method.
I'm glad to hear that yours came out good. I've been toying with the idea of trying it too.
 
Try one of the pre-corned briskets even though I don't think a lot of people around the community like them. It is so much easier and doesn't require a ton of space in the fridge to cure. I know I was always worried about the piece of meat not curing long enough or either letting it go too long. Nice to be able to cook one at the drop of a hat too. I would definitely go with a point too. The other one's I've done was from pretty big flats and they didn't turn out near as good, but those were self cured so that may have something to do with it. I'll probably give the pre-corned flat a try next time just to experiment. They're pretty cheap too. The one I bought was $5.99 and it wasn't even on sale. Forget how much it weighed, but a good bit of meat no doubt.

And thank you so much for the reheating tip. Does the pepper and bark fall off when you boil it? Or is most of it already off from the slicing? I know that even though mine is pretty thin it still has a pretty good layer of rub on it.
 
I'm pretty sure Ruhlman's book "Charcuterie" agrees with Frank H. If memory serves, that book instructs you to simmer the pastrami in water for up to two hours. This might help if the meet is a bit dry or tough.

I made some venison backstrap pastrami recently. After smoking for a few hours I wrapped it in foil with a bit of beef broth and popped it in the oven to bring it up to 165. I refrigerated them still in the foil and sliced the next day. I used the reserved liquid and a bit of water to reheat the meat and it was amazing. So, don't be afraid to add a little flavored liquid if anything strikes your fancy. Beef broth seems a logical choice, although you might be wary of the salt.

Some of the pepper and seasoning came off when slicing, but it didn't hurt the finished product. It might be a good idea to just use enough liquid to cover the meat and no more. That way the seasoning that goes into the pot doesn't get too diluted and has even more time to flavor the meat. Seems logical, but I'm no expert.
 
hey RC and andy.... ive never noticed any real loss of spices from boiling. i think by that time the rub has done its work of flavoring the meat and it comes out tasting pretty good. and you are right , andy about the amount of water........just enough to cover..and steaming works pretty well too.

RC , i am totally ready to take a corned beef and smoke it for pastrami...i think lots of people do it and say it comes out good.

well , keep on trying new stuff ! this is a lot of fun. :wsm:
 
Andy Rowland said:
I'm pretty sure Ruhlman's book "Charcuterie" agrees with Frank H. If memory serves, that book instructs you to simmer the pastrami in water for up to two hours. This might help if the meet is a bit dry or tough..
Click to expand...

holy cow ! two hours ? im pretty sure we just simmer it long enough to heat it thoroughly.....of course , this is store bought pastrami :D
 
Did Ruhlman just take it to 165, then cool, slice, and then steam to tenderness? It seems to me that only being smoked to 165 would produce a brisket that is pretty darn tough. Maybe that long simmering is the process through which the slices become tender? I would think that only reheating a brisket that had been smoked to just 165 would be pretty chewy. Not enough time for the connective tissue to break down, but maybe I am wrong. I smoked this one to about 195 internal and it was juicy and tender after the reheating in the microwave, but maybe typically you are suppose to only smoke it to a point, cool it, slice it, then steam/boil till it's nice and toothsome to your liking.
 
Luckily, I found it on Google Books. Ruhlman's book says to smoke (heavily) to an internal temp of 150 then simmer for 2-3 hours until tender. This is before slicing. Your question was about reheating though, so my reply was misguided.
 
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