Smoked Cured Pastrami - 1st Attempt

[earlyman55]

Hi Gang -

This weekend was a busy one... smoked 2 briskets on the Bradley, 3 racks of baby backs on the Weber Smokey Mountain and a first - homemade pastrami! I used Morton's Tender Quick on a brisket flat - cured for 3 days in the fridge. Then rubbed with black pepper, coriander and garlic powder and into the Bradley for about 3 hours until the internal temp hit 165. Rested overnight in the fridge and thin sliced some this AM.  It was incredibly salty, too salty to enjoy. I got the recipe from the Weber Virtual bullet site:  http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/pastrami.html  I followed the instructions to a "T".  After posting on their forum and asking for advice, a member told me that the problem was due to an excessive amount of Tender Quick. The recipe wasn't specific enough about how much to add.  The Morton web site state that 1TBSP per pound is the correct amount to add (otherwise you'll end up with a result similar to mine!)

The result LOOKED absolutely beautiful - georgous pink meat with a crunchy coating of black pepper and coriander - but looks can be deceiving!  Anyway, I think I might have salvaged it afterall.  I've been soaking the pastrami all day in a large bucket of water (changing the water often) and I'm happy to report that it has knocked the saltiness way down. By tomorrow I think I'll have a great product for sandwiches, albeit without the crunchy coating, as most of it washed off in the water bath.

So, I would recommend giving some homemade pastrami a try - but really watch the amount of Tender Quick you use!!  ;)

-Earlyman

[Up In Smoke]

i have never made pastrami but i will be watching this thread.

[Mr Walleye]

Here's a link to Hab's pastrami recipe over on the recipe site. I've made this and it's great.
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?p=185#post185

The one thing you didn't mention if you did or not... you want to soak the piece of meat after you have cured it. The last time I did Hab's Pastrami I soaked for 2 hours ( changing the water each hour). Then sliced a piece off and fried it just to get a idea on the salt level. Turned out perfect.

Mike

[Gizmo]

I see a couple of errors in the Virtual weber site post.
I would suggest following the pastrami recipe that Mr. Walleye provided the link to.  Pretty much a guarantee this will turn out extremely well.  I bet that recipe has been tried at least 100 times, and then Hab's let us in on the secret. :D  Seriously, though, many forum members have tried that recipe many times and have all enjoyed the results tremendously. 

[3rensho]

Here's a recipe I've used a number of times with great success -

http://lpoli.50webs.com/index_files/Pastrami.pdf

[Habanero Smoker]

I basically use the curing recipe that is on the Weber site. You didn't state how much of the mix you made, and how much you applied to each brisket. If you only applied TQ and no sugar, that will make it taste too salty. Sugar helps take the edge off of the salt. Also you didn't mention soaking prior to smoking/cooking the pastrami. If you skipped that step it will come out salty. Try doing what Mike pointed out. I only soak for an hour and get good results. I soak in at least 3 gallons of cold water; changing the water after 30 minutes, and turning the brisket over when the water is changed.

While I'm thinking about it Steaming Pastrami has been added to the recipe site.

[Buck36]

Habs thanks for the steaming addition!

I love your pastrami recipe for venison but it does get a bit dry. I am excited to try this new method.

[lumpy]

Sure would be nice to see some picutures ;D

Lumpy