Firemonkey Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 Pastrami is my favorite deli meat. I love all sorts of pastrami, even the turkey variety when I am trying to be healthy I have been thinking about trying to make my own for quite some time. With my work schedule having me home 2 full weeks in a row, coinciding with the start of football season, and the local market having a nice sale on meat it was the perfect combination of events to motivate me. I know pastrami is typically brisket, but I was looking for something a bit leaner. I picked up a small cut of london broil (this particular piece was top round) to use as an experiment before going all out with a much bigger roast. I went with a dry rub cure, using what I had on hand which was Morton Tender Quick, and a few other spices. I followed the amount of Tender Quick per pound from the instructions on the package, and adjusted my other amounts accordingly. As this was a smaller cut, It cured for 3 days in a ziploc in the fridge. I turned the bag over once or twice a day, and then after about 3 days I rinsed the meat off, and allowed it to soak in ice water for a few hours, changing the water every 90 minutes or so. I wanted to draw out as much of the salt as possible. After soaking, i gave it the traditional black pepper and coriander crust, wrapped it in plastic wrap and back into the fridge until the next day when I would fire up the KK and smoke it. I smoked it at 250 over light hickory smoke for about 3 hours, until it was 160*. Then I sliced of a tiny nibble, wrapped it in foil and let it rest an hour before refrigerating it. Today, I sliced it and had one of the best pastrami and swiss on rye sandwiches ever for lunch. The recipes I used were just minor variations on recipes widely available on the net. My specific mix is below. A "unit" is whatever amount of Tender Quick you need to use, based on the weight of your meat. CURE: 1 Unit Tender Quick 1 Unit dark brown sugar 1 Unit black pepper 1/2 Unit granulated garlic 1/2 Unit ground coriander 1/2 Unit onion powder Mix all ingredients and thoroughly coat he meat on all sides. Use all of the rub, do not shake off excess, and seal the meat in a ziploc bag. Refrigerate several days, turning periodically. Spice Crust: 3 parts whole black peppercorns 1 part whole coriander 1/2 part garlic powder 1/2 part thyme leaves Mix all parts, and grind coarsely. I toss it all in the magic bullet and give it a few 3-4 second bursts. Coat meat with rub, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to smoke. This experiment was an absolute success. I will definitely be trying this with a larger cut. I will make one modification though, and that will be to reduce the amount of black pepper in the spice crust to maybe 1.5 or 2 parts. I went with the higher amount this time in case I needed to steam the leaner cut of meat to get some tenderness. I expected I would lose some crust if I steamed it, but in this case it wasn't necessary. If you enjoy pastrami, I definitely encourage you to try making it yourself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdbower Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 Thanks! Every time I try pastrami I get a wad of flavored fat. I'll have to try your recipe sometime so I can finally get some nice lean pastrami of my own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duk Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 I gotta say that looks absolutely delish--I'm doing that next week Thanks for the inspiration Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naldo Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 Yeah, thanks. That really looks great. I, too, will be trying that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie from Jersey Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Majestik Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 Beautiful! Any chance you can bring me some o' that in November? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted September 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 I'm not even sure there is much chance of it lasting until this weekend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Majestik Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 Well, I expect you'll make a fresh one before then.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted September 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 You know, dry ice is prohibited in the cabin, so it has to not only be in your checked baggage, but declared and a form filled out, too. That is such a hassle. I think it would be better if you just went ahead and made one there, and I will try some and tell you if you did it right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 I think it would be better if you just went ahead and made one there' date=' and I will try some and tell you if you did it right [/quote'] Now, THAT is a true friend. One who wants you to eat for a lifetime! You know, give him a fish, he eats for a day. TEACH him to fish, he eats for a lifetime! Whadda guy.... And even willing to taste test it for you! The lengths to which people on this forum will go to help each other. It brings a tear to my eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdbower Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 It brings a tear to my eye. Nah, that's just an allergic reaction to your rabbits. Which, by the way, would make quite an interesting pastrami... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 Man, that is one of my all time favorite lunch meats. Gotta try your recipe as it looks great. -=Jasen=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
