2 Packers Go To Pastrami School: Q-View, 2 Recipes, Methods

Princess said:

Sweet Baby Jeebus those look AWESOME!!  I have two brisky parked in the Castle freezer, and I have just been too Chicken to do anything with them.

Your knifework makes me look like a hack, my man. Brilliant tutorial, as always. ::applause::

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Thank-you, Princess!

Ah, two briskies? I had to chuckle...whole brisket's got to be my favorite cut, just because there are so many things you can do with it...it's just so darn versatile and tasty. He-he-he, I know what I'd be doing with at least one of 'em! Well, OK, probably both...you just need to be able to commit the fridge space for about1-1/2 weeks.

Slicing? Well, maybe there's some science behind it...I'll try to explain what works for me, and give you some hints on how to build your knife handling skills...here goes:

When I grab a knife to finish up something like this...ah, pretty much every time I grab a knife...I check the edge for knicks/burrs, then, it hits the steel until I feel little resistance drawing the blade over the steel. I steel in two directions, with the final stage being such that the microscopic scoring on the edge will be directed the same as if I were drawing the blade through food. This seems to create a sharpness that aids in cutting with the most ease. It's just a little extra "edge" you can build in your favor to make slicing and carving a breeze. I wipe down the blade after straightening and give it a quick inspection, then we're ready if I didn't see or feel any nicks, and the edge feels like it would take off a finger with the slightest ill-guided slip-up. The thing about sharpness is that a dull knife will actually put you at higher risk for accidental cuts (finger-tips, ets). Nicks/burrs are easily found when drawing over a steel, as they will grab into the fine scoring of the steel and cause more resistance. They should be straight and smooth after you're done.

A very sharp knife can be a chef's best friend. When I start on the first few slices, I work it slow and easy, paying attention to how the meat is reacting, and how much effort I'm putting to the knife. Then, I can determine if I can slice thinner (if I want) or need to slice thicker (if the meat is fragmenting/shreading). Keeping the slices straight and even just takes time, practice and patience.

I try to use the same carving knife as much as possible, as they don't all fit the hand and/or handle the same, which can make you have to re-learn how to slice with that particular knife. If you switch back and forth between several knives for the same type of cutting task, you'll be struggling to make a decent cut. The shape, length and thickness of the handle determine it's fit to your hand. It should feel comfortable to gently grasp the handle, and it should take just a light grasp while drawing the blade over a steel or throught your food. I guess, in escense, the handle should fill your hand with little effort when you grab it, and if it does, you will use less effort to maintain control of the blade.

The balance between the handle and blade effect it's feel when drawing it accross a steel and when cutting food. A heavy handle seems to provide me with less control, as does a heavy blade. If the knife is balance well, with the center of gravity near the tang/finger gaurd, I get the best contol while working with it. All of these factor into how difficult or easy your task can become. The better the fit and balance, the better it will handle for you. The sharper the blade, the better it will cut. The better it cuts, the safer it is for the user due to requiring less effort. The more effort the cutting task requires, the more likely the chance for a slipped blade at the start, or a blade kick-out midway through the cut. Either can cause you personal injury, and none of us  want to see or hear about that, but it can happen.

Think of a knife as an extension of your fingers. If it feels good in your hands, and is the proper type of knife for the task, put it to a steel and straighten the edge. If it feels good in your hand when you straighten the blade, it likely will feel good when you slice your food. I don't buy knife sets, just the partricual knife I'm wanting, and I never buy a knife I will use for cooking if I can't hold in my hand first, so on-line buying is not a viable option for me, and really, it shouldn't be for anyone who's serious about the art of cooking. My knife collection is not very large, with 2-chef, 2-carving and 1-slicer that I use on a regular basis. Then, for ocassional use, I have 1-cleaver, 1-utility and 1-boning knife. That's about it for my knives. You don't need a whole drawer full to get the job done. Oh, speaking of drawers? That's a dangerous and damaging place to store knives. A knife block is a must. In my our door kitchen, I store them individually-wrapped in towels and in a snap-lid storage bin inside a cabinet. No fingers get cut and no blades get damaged from how I store them, so I'm sticking with that method.

Think I pretty much covered everything there...

Have fun, great smokes, good eats!

Eric

windshield king said:

holy crap that look good,just saw this today glad I didn't miss it .again great job

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Ha-ha! Thanks brother, that was a blast doing the cure and smoke...all new recipes for another wild and crazy ride! LOL!
 

jefflisa828 said:

that is great lookin stuff mmmmmmm I love pastrami. For my taste though it is missing some jalapeno cheese slices lol looks great man nice work sorry about the scale

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Thanks man, I do throw some kicked-up cheese on now andf then, but the flavor of the meat with this is just too good to get very heavy with add-ons.

africanmeat said:

OMG it looks heavenly thanks

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Thanks brother, lots of pastrami out there, but we all have a few twists to bring to the smoker. Sometimes mine seem too off-the-wall to try, but eventually I just roll with it and see where the ride takes me.
 

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Dang, Princess drug this one up from several weeks back...brings back alot of good memories! Hmm, speaking of memeroies, I have to remember to grab what's left of this from the freezer (about 6-7lbs) to bring to our family gathering in June. I have a few more items up my sleeve to reveal when we get there as well. Can't wait!

Eric