First Pastrami

[Habanero Smoker]

The finished dish does look good. So good I may try the dish.

I often find that when I purchase flats I get part of the point. It seems meat cutters find it faster and easier to run the brisket through the band saw, instead of using a knife and following the fat vein.

[HawkeyeSmokes]

Arnie, that sure looks better than any precured corned beef I have ever cooked. I would bet the next one will be just what your looking for. And I'm glad to hear that the flavor was off the hook.

[ArnieM]

I have more brisket in the freezer so I can continue practicing.  ;D  The problem is that I don't know what it is.  The label says "Beef Brisket Roast".  Wow.  It's 7.5 pounds which sounds to big for a flat and too small for even a well trimmed whole brisket.  I guess I'll figure it out once it has thawed.

[OU812]

Arnie

Glad to here your first attempt of corned beef turned out as flavorful as you liked, thats all that matters aint it? 

I'm sure your next one will be off the charts.

[Mulla]

My first Pastrami has been in since Thursday night, so 5 days now.  It is about 1-1.5" thick and I am thinking about pulling it.  However, everyone said that it should firm up nicely and to watch for patches of soft spots.  The whole thing still feels really soft and the color still looks about the same as when I started, a grayish color.

I was starting to think about what I may have done wrong and then I noticed the temp in the fridge is 34 degrees.  I then searched what temp I should brine at and found an article talking about the differences of salt transfer at lower and higher brine temps.  I gathered that I may have been brining at too low of a temp.  Any thoughts?

--Mulla

[Habanero Smoker]

If anyone read my first post disregard it. I've been up most of the night. Mostly asleep at this point, I confused the chemical reaction of sodium nitrate with sodium nitrite.

Brining (pickling) at too low of a temperature does slow the curing process. The closer you are to 40°F (staying in the safe zone) the better. So it would be better increase the refrigerator temperature or move it to a warmer area of the refrigerator, and to cure for a couple of more days. The outside color will remain grey. The red colorization will be just beneath the surface.

The meat should feel firm, as compared to raw meat, not solid. The firmness should be close to what a medium rare steak feels like.

[ArnieM]

I think I had the low temp problem too.  The fridge is set for 37^oF but I had the brisket in the deli drawer which is set for 34^oF.  Live and learn.  :-\