Steamed Pastrami

Consiglieri · February 01, 2009, 08:00:21 AM

Hey Habs:

I was comparing notes in this thread with the beef pastrami thread http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=1618.0

and had a question: should the juniper berries be part of the cure or the rub. If in the cure, they might infuse a bit more flavor.

Habanero Smoker · February 01, 2009, 02:27:48 PM

The juniper berries should be an ingredient in the cure; and they seem to add a little more color to the pastrami. I need to correct that when I get around to putting it on the recipe site. My hibernation time is almost over, and I'll start getting a little more active. :)

Consiglieri · February 01, 2009, 10:10:26 PM

Thanks, Habs. The steamed pastrami was the hit of the super bowl party, if you don't count the final minutes of the fourth quarter. What a game!

I completed the pastrami about 11:30 am PST, with a kick off at 3:00 pm, PST. I FTC'ed for a while, but wanted lunch. I sliced it all and kept it warm in a crockpot with a cup of beef broth. Lots of fans out here that never really thought of pastrami before. Cheers, Habs!

Habanero Smoker · February 02, 2009, 02:19:34 AM

I'm glad everything went well. I've never thought of using a crock pot to keep the pastrami warm. Thanks for that tip.

Consiglieri · February 02, 2009, 09:46:22 AM

Quote from: Habanero Smoker on February 02, 2009, 02:19:34 AM
I'm glad everything went well. I've never thought of using a crock pot to keep the pastrami warm. Thanks for that tip.

Does a great job keeping the pastrami warm, but the color of the meat darkens over time. No one but me really noticed or cared though.

Gizmo · February 02, 2009, 08:09:59 PM

Quote from: Consiglieri on February 02, 2009, 09:46:22 AM
Does a great job keeping the pastrami warm, but the color of the meat darkens over time. No one but me really noticed or cared though.

That is a scientific principle thing Consig.

As the mouth opens, the top jaw moves up and back there by obscuring one's vision. The smell that accompanied the approach of the food hits the brain before the eyes have really focused on any changes and thereby confuses the brain. As the eye starts to focus, it loses sight due to the upper jaw as mentioned before. Once the bite comes, the taste buds kick in, futher confusing the brain on any changes to appearance and the overwhelming joy of taste makes the brain forget everything previous.

We live in the momement. :P

carnie1 · February 03, 2009, 06:20:19 PM

I've always thought about steaming Pastrami too, but always ate all of it before I could try, Do you think I could steam in a pressure cooker? instead of the oven,I have done corned beef in it with beer (no water) and it has always come out pretty good.

Smokin Soon · February 03, 2009, 07:26:22 PM

The Crock pot works well for a group cook, but do not retain any leftovers as they will turn to mush. You can really revive a pastrami that you might have gotten a bit too dry in a Crock!

Habanero Smoker · February 04, 2009, 01:34:24 AM

Quote from: carnie1 on February 03, 2009, 06:20:19 PM
I've always thought about steaming Pastrami too, but always ate all of it before I could try, Do you think I could steam in a pressure cooker? instead of the oven,I have done corned beef in it with beer (no water) and it has always come out pretty good.

If you are referring to whole pastrami, it would seem doable, but I would be very careful not to steam it too long. You don't want it to be at a point where it is falling apart. When I steam a whole pastrami, I will take it out of the smoker when it hits 150°F, then steam it until it hits 160°F - 170°F.