Hi guys, i have been wanting to do pastrami for a while now, so i decided to base it on the recipe of Habanero Smoker. I started the prep yesterday, only prob i've run into is i couldn't get any Tender Quick, so i used curing salt instead, what do you reckon, will it be ok?
I made the dry cure up and rubbed it right into the brisket and vacuum sealed it, i'm thinking of leaving it in the fridge for the 4 days as in the recipe, will this be ok as i've vacuumed it?, or will 4 days be too long?
Would be gratefull for any advice guys, as i really do have a yearning for pastrami ;)
Thanks...........LilSmoker(http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Tip-Hat.gif)
I'm not sure the percentage of salt carrier is the same on both of those. I will check tonight if I have a chance. Sorry I don't remember off the top of my head. (Must be the age thing kicking in). Ut oh. I hear Old's knocking at my door :D ;)
BTW Habs recipe is the best!!! :)
I don't have much knowledge of the curing salt you used. Their are a few formulas out there. This site give some comparison between Morton TQ; Cure (Insta cure)#1; and Cure (Insta cure)#2.
http://gourmetsleuth.com/equivalents_substitutions.asp?index=C&tid=2216
I never vacuum sealed during curing, so I would be very interested in knowing how your pastrami turned out.
PS
I forgot to add, as long as you follow the curing instructions of the cure you are using, it should turn out fine.
Thanks very much guys, Habs i'll certainly let you know how it turns out, i'm really looking forward to this one ;)
LilSmoker(http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Tip-Hat.gif)
Hab you are the man....
My Morton book that I ordered with the curing salt and tender quik says Tender Quik and Sugar Cure are interchangeable. They don't list the ingredients (flavoring agents) so I can't compare label to label...but if I recall the FDA says X amount of nitrite per pound of meat, and the book shows the same amounts needed.
I've made Habanero's Pastrami a couple of times...now all the guys at work want to ditch their wives and come live with me (why couldn't it be the women at work??)!! I made it once with whole bottom round (on sale), trimmed to about brisket thickness and it came out just as good as brisket. If you can get whole coriander and grind it just before rubbing, it will have a much better flavor. Sam's Club is starting to sell 3 gallon ziplocs, FYI.
Good Luck,
Dan
Hi Dan and thanks very much, i'm in the u.k. so there are lot's of things you guys use that we can't get over here, i'm always on the lookout for some Tender quick or at least a good substitute.
It does get very frustrating at times ::)
Anyway by this evening it should be cured, and i've got my rub prepared, so i'll let you guys know how the finished product turns out. ;)
Hi guys, well the results of the pastrami:
Rubbed and almost ready to go in, i did two as they are quite small:
(http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s62/Gitster59/b1.jpg)
After they'd cooled from the FTC etc, and yeah i know it should now go in the fridge for a while, but i just had to try it ;D
(http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s62/Gitster59/b2.jpg)
I made a sandwich and put the rest in the fridge, well i can't tell you how lovely this tastes, it really is so good, i'm having a hard time here trying not to go and slice some more :o
Habs, as i say i had to use curing salt instead of TenderQuick, i used the same ammount, I couldn't follow any guide, as the salt just comes bagged up no instructions, and i vacuumed whilst curing.
Now because i haven't tasted your recipe before, it's hard for me to tell how close i've got to pulling it off?, but all i can say is, i really like this pastrami very much, and one of my sons and the wife just tried some and they agreed it's very morish indeed.(http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Tasty.gif)
I can't wait till it's been in the fridge for the right ammount of time, this is definately going on the favourites list.
So Habanero Smoker, thanks for a great recipe!(http://smileys.on-my-web.com/repository/Respect/respect-023.gif)
Btw, does it look about right to you guys?...............LilSmoker(http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Tip-Hat.gif)
I'm drooling! ;)
All my life I've lived a little left of living right so I don't know what looks right. I Do know though, your pastrami looks FANTASTIC!!!! Dang good job!!! ;) ;D :P :)
Nice job Lil
I agree with Iceman, your pastrami looks real good.
Darn that looks good. approaching quiting time here and a hot pastrami sandwich w/ swiss really sounds gooooooood. I'm going to have to take some pics of my occasional success stories.
I've wanted to do pastrami for some time, but haven't got around to it yet. I'd like to do a "real" one and a turkey one, but I haven't seen a recipe here for trying the pastrami bird (an I'm reluctant to trust other sites). Any one have a lead?
Hope everyone has a good 3 day weekend.
I'd bet LilSmoker would share his technique.
Hey thanks very much guys, coming from you guys those comments mean a lot to me(http://smileys.on-my-web.com/repository/Respect/respect-023.gif)
@ Consiglieri, well personaly as for beef pastrami, i'm gonna stick with the Habanero Smoker variety, i'll experiment on the curing, vacuuming and not vacuuming, and maybe get something closer to TenderQuick for the cure, but i want to keep it as close if not the same as Habs recipe, because it really is that great, in fact if anybody is thinking of beef pastrami, then you really should try this ;)
As for turkey pastrami, when i was looking into doing the beef, i came accross the odd turkey version, but none of them really took my fancy, but this looked like one of the better ones, i haven't tried it myself, but i may well give it a go in the future.
Turkey Pastrami :
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 pounds turkey breast
1 quart water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon dry juniper berries, crushed
1/4 cup black pepper, coarsely ground
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon whole cloves
3 bay leaves
PREPARATION:
In a saucepan combine the water, brown sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the 1 tablespoon of whole black peppercorns, thyme, bay leaves, whole cloves and garlic.
Allow to cool. Place turkey breast in a nonreactive container and pour cooled mixture over it. Make sure that the turkey breast is completely covered. Cover and refrigerate for 48 hours.
Prepare smoker for a smoke at about 220 degrees for 2 1/2 hours. Combine juniper berries and coarsely ground black pepper. Remove turkey breast from brine mixture and rinse under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels and cover with juniper berry-black pepper rub. Make sure you press the rub into the surface of the turkey. Place turkey breast in smoker, skin side down and smoke for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165-170 degrees. Remove from smoker and allow to cool.
The turkey pastrami will continue to gain flavor the longer you let it rest. You can wrap it tightly and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
............................................................................................................................................
I think the garlic could be substituted for granules or powder, and maybe other spices added to personal taste?, but it looks like one of the better turkey pastramis?
If you give it a go let us know how it turns out.
Ok, i'm off for more beef and spices now, got to start getting the next pastrami under way, thanks guys ;D ;)..........LilSmoker(http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Tip-Hat.gif)
This was my first attempt at Turkey Pastrami:
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=1619.0
Since then I've increased the pickling spice to 1.5 tablespoons in the brine, and only cooked the breast to 150°F. It was better then my first attempt, but nothing outstanding. If I do turkey pastrami again, I am going to use boneless thigh meat.
Thanks Habs, i didn't know that you'd also done the turkey. ;)
@ Consiglieri maybe this is the recipe for you? ;)
LS and HS: Thanks much for the followup. I admit, given my druthers, I'd much rather be sampling the pastrami beast than the pastrami bird, but you (meaning I) gotta choose a "healthy" alternative from time to time. And I like pig too much to compromise on those choices.
Sooner or later I'm going to try the beef version all the same.
Cheers.
Hab: you've really got me hooked on this stuff! ;D my brother has also now become a pastrami junkie!.
I've got one just finished it's cure time right now, i'll be smoking it in the morning, but i wanted to say about the vacuum curing. I'm sure it speeds up the curing process, i was gonna take this one out after 3 days as it felt and looked cured, but as it was all sealed up still it was difficult to be 100%.
So when i do the next one, what is the best way to tell if it's completely cured?, would i just remove it from the vacuum bag, and cut a slice to make sure it's a consistent colour right through?, and if it isn't, just re-seal and leave a day or so longer?.
I'm not too worried as the last 2 seemed perfect to me and whoever else had some said the same, and they were cured for 4 days, i just don't want to overdo the curing.
Can't wait to have some more tommorow, my brother will be coming round for his share, i might not answer the door when he knocks ;D
Thanks..........LilSmoker(http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Tip-Hat.gif)
Quote from: LilSmoker on March 02, 2007, 01:42:19 PM
Hab: you've really got me hooked on this stuff! ;D my brother has also now become a pastrami junkie!.
I've got one just finished it's cure time right now, i'll be smoking it in the morning, but i wanted to say about the vacuum curing. I'm sure it speeds up the curing process, i was gonna take this one out after 3 days as it felt and looked cured, but as it was all sealed up still it was difficult to be 100%.
So when i do the next one, what is the best way to tell if it's completely cured?, would i just remove it from the vacuum bag, and cut a slice to make sure it's a consistent colour right through?, and if it isn't, just re-seal and leave a day or so longer?.
I'm not too worried as the last 2 seemed perfect to me and whoever else had some said the same, and they were cured for 4 days, i just don't want to overdo the curing.
Can't wait to have some more tommorow, my brother will be coming round for his share, i might not answer the door when he knocks ;D
Thanks..........LilSmoker(http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Tip-Hat.gif)
The vacuum curing seems interesting. You will probably get me hooked on that.
I have used several variations on the recipes from here and all have turned out very good. One variation I have done that has turned out excellent was to use a Buffalo roast. This gives a truly unique and wonderful flavor to my Pastrami.
Welcome to the forum Michael Housh! Buffalo roast? Hmmm. We got a Buffalo farm down the road. That is pretty lean meat, might not do so good in the BS. Perhaps cold smoke and then in a crock pot.
Hi and welcome here Michael Housh, the buffalo sounds interesting ;)
Hi Mike;
Welcome to the forum.
I've been thinking of using something other than brisket, for my pastrami. What internal temperature do you bring the meat to?
In a few days, I'm going to attempt turkey pastrami again.
I have added 1/2 cup of Apple Cider vinegar to the wet cure, injected and put in a vacuum sealed container for 4 to 6 days, then the Bradley smoker at around 160 degrees until internal temp was 145 to 150. Placed in Plastic bag to FTC for 8 to 12 hours. I have also found a large baking pan in place of the water bowl and fill with hot water for smoking. I prefer to alternate Pecan and Maple for the smoke. The pastrami always comes out moist and tender.
Hey Mike , welcome to the forum. You're off to a great start in a very sharing place. Good to have ya
with us. :)
Coyote
Quote from: Michael Housh on April 19, 2007, 03:15:29 PM
I have used several variations on the recipes from here and all have turned out very good. One variation I have done that has turned out excellent was to use a Buffalo roast. This gives a truly unique and wonderful flavor to my Pastrami.
Sounds great Michael. Moose might be the next thing for me to try. How did you process the buffalo? Same as Beef?
We are pretty lucky here to have several places to buy buffalo cuts. I do cure and smoke the same as for beef.
Welcome Mike, thanks for joining it... ;D
Anyone tried this with deer?Perhaps a hindquarter?
That would interest me as well Dewy.
Love that high speed beef,
Coyote
No I haven't tried it with deer meat. In my book there are only two rules in making pastrami, 1) it has to be either cured meat or fish; and 2) it needs to be highly seasoned.
Right now I have two 2.5 pound turkey breasts, and four turkey thighs curing, that will be turkey pastrami. I was going to dry cure one breast, but got distracted and ended up brine curing all of it. One turkey breast, and two thighs I added some Insta cure #1 to the brine to give the finish produce a different taste. Tomorrow afternoon will be the end of the 48 hour brining time, and if the weather holds up; I'll be smoking them on Saturday.
It's getting harder to find turkey breast that hasn't already been injected with a brine. I finally found some that were injected with 6% plain water. The only reason I can see for injecting with plain water is purely to increase the weight.
Upon inspecting the freezer it looks like Ive got no hind quarters left :'( , looks like a project for this fall.