Smoke Corned Beef?


 
L

Luke and Bethany

TVWBB Fan
As my wife and I were having our annual Irish American St. Patrick's Day supper of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, onions, soda bread, and Guinness... an interesting question came up. What would the taste be like if you smoked a corned beef brisket, and which would be better for smoking? We boiled a flat for St. Patrick's Day and it was definitely much better than the point for boiling... but what about smoking? Anyone ever try smoking corned beef?
 
Interesting question - our host, Chris A says smoking a corned beef (either flat or point) makes it into "Mock Pastrami" others like me, say it makes Pastrami. We agree on a prior rub with pepper, coriander and other such goodies.

The other thing we agree on is it is Good Eats
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I'm a new kid in class here, but this is one thing I do know about. Did it just last weekend, and there are several notes from others doing the same.

Check out the recipe here, and just scroll down in the BBQ forum looking for messages about Pastrami or Mock Pastrami.

I definitely recommend taking care to soak the corn beef brisket in water and changing the water often. My 'strami is delicious (brought a big ziploc of it to work yesterday and it was a hit) but it would be even better if I'd changed the soak water more frequently to reduce the salt further.

All in all it was an easy recipe and something fun and different to do with the smoker.
 
Hold on there!

Just because you smoke a corned beef brisket it does not make pastrami or mock pastrami! Smoked corned beef tastes like corned beef!

To make pastrami requires you to soak the brisket and use other seasonings as Rich suggests.

Thanks to Ray Lampe turning me on to smoking a corned beef brisket I've done many of them. Basically rinse the brisket, grind black pepper on it and smoke. It tastes like corned beef. The people I've done this for don't think it tastes salty.

If you try this use the flat cut. If unavailable use the point. Try to avoid using the round cut.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Steve Abrams:
Thanks to Ray Lampe turning me on to smoking a corned beef brisket I've done many of them. Basically rinse the brisket, grind black pepper on it and smoke. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Try loading the pepper mill with a 1:1 mix of black p-epper and coriander seed.

What can you lose??
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Try loading the pepper mill with a 1:1 mix of black p-epper and coriander seed.

What can you lose?? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

A good corned beef brisket (LOL)
 
Hi All,

As far as I know there is not one way to make pastrami. It is usually made from the deckel or the end of the brisket called the plate, which has more fat than the actual brisket itself It can be wet brined or dry brined with a variety of spice combinations. It is then covered with spices usually black pepper, coriander seed, paprika, etc. It is smoked, then sometimes steamed. It is more of a process than a product.

Corned beef is always wet brined and then cooked in liquid until tender. The brine for the red variety contains a curing agent while the brine for the grey variety does not.

So, whether you use an already prepared corned beef or you brine a brisket yourself, just cover it with spices and smoke it, you'll have made pastrami. I really don't think there is such a thing as "mock pastrami".

Al
 
I'm with Al. Corned or dry-cured then smoked = pastrami and spicing varies.

Sidenote: The plate is located behind the foreleg. It is not part of the brisket. From the plate comes skirt steak, hangar steak and some short ribs. The 'point' of the brisket is often used for pastrami though many people prefer using the flat. Some use top round. The 'deckle' is not the point end of the brisket (I have no idea where this started but see it on a few Q sites). It is a somewhat thin piece of very fatty lean that is between the brisket and the bone. It is removed before the brisket is cryo'd at the packinghouse.
 
I "think" the reason Chris calls it mock pastrami is the dry cure way to go about turning a brisket into corned beef. I am not trying to put words into chris's mouth but I assumed that is the reason it is called mock.

I saw good eats on food network last night when alton showed how to make a corned beef. It is a wet cure the way he showed it.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
I'm with Al. Corned or dry-cured then smoked = pastrami and spicing varies. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Exactly! Wet or dry cure they both do the same Damn thing! It's wether you add the Pastrami spices to the outside or not, which turns it one way or the other.
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bryan S:
Exactly! Wet or dry cure they both do the same Damn thing! It's wether you add the Pastrami spices to the outside or not, which turns it one way or the other.
icon_smile.gif
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>I'm with Steve on this one. To me, smoking a corned beef results in something that tastes like pastrami on the outside but corned beef on the inside, thus "mock pastrami" or "faux pastrami". The texture and taste of a brisket flat that has been dry-cured and then seasoned and smoked is what I associate with "pastrami".

Whatever it is, it's fun to do and pretty tasty.

Regards,
Chris
 
i plan on doing one of these saturday evening myself. can't wait for some smoked meat ruebens. yum yum
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Chris Allingham:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bryan S:
Exactly! Wet or dry cure they both do the same Damn thing! It's wether you add the Pastrami spices to the outside or not, which turns it one way or the other.
icon_smile.gif
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>I'm with Steve on this one. To me, smoking a corned beef results in something that tastes like pastrami on the outside but corned beef on the inside, thus "mock pastrami" or "faux pastrami". The texture and taste of a brisket flat that has been dry-cured and then seasoned and smoked is what I associate with "pastrami".

Whatever it is, it's fun to do and pretty tasty.

Regards,
Chris </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I'm just talking about the curing process. If it take a brisket flat and wet cure it or dry cure it, it's just a cured flat. What spices I add determines wether it's corned beef or pastrami. Now if I buy a pre cured corned beef, then that changes everything. Because what's done is done.
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