Pastrami soak

[smoke freak]

Got some cornedbeef brisket points. Gonna try pastrami for the first time. Been readin bout soakin and there seems to be some different points of view. Some soak for long periods only changin the water a few times. Others are changin the water every two hours. Whats the reason for changin so often? Just curious.

 

[smokewatcher]

It's to leach out the excessive salt within the corned beef. I soak mine for two days, changing the water twice a day.

 

[richtee]

I would imagine a good massaging of the brisket while submerged would facilitate this process.
Dunno, never tried it but seems logical.

 

[blacklab]

yeah soaking is to get some of the salt out. I've soaked 24hrs and was still to salty for me. Next time it's 48hrs.

 

[rw willy]

I made pastrami once.
I soaked a store bought one for 10 hours and changed the water about 4 times.
After I ate it all over the course of a week. I realized it was a tad salty.
Soak long and change water a bunch of times.

 

[smokin' joe]

All good points from personal experience, but I have to admit...I soak mine for 2 hours, changing the water once...and I have never had a problem with salt. If i soaked mine for any longer it would have no flavor. Just my .02!!!

 

[gobbledot]

Ditto what Smokin' Joe said. I done one like he said and the rubbed it with course black pepper and man oh man it was good.... Glad none got on my eyes while eatting or my tounge would of beaten them out..

lol. You'll be fine with a short soak. I didnt have the time to soak mine for a long time but I did change my water about 4 times in 2 hours..

 

[nicko]

I did one a few weeks ago, tooo salty but the rub was right.

* 4 tablespoons kosher salt
* 4 tablespoons paprika
* 3 tablespoons coriander seeds
* 3 tablespoons brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
* 2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
* 1 tablespoon white peppercorns
* 8 cloves garlic, minced

gind the seeds and peper corns together then add every thing else.

 

[bbq bubba]

Rich likes to massage his meat....pass it on!!

 

[lcruzen]

You mean "rub" don't you?

 

[smokin' joe]

Sounds like a good rub Nicko. I would of course eliminate the 4 tbsp of kosher salt.when doing pastrami. I have done several, each time changing up the rub a bit, it all about personal taste. I also find that if I vac pak it and let it sit for a few days in the fridge it takes on a very nice flavor.

Several posts have discussed the advantages of shrink wrapping the brisket once its rubbed, I have to agree that it seems to open the pores of the meat and makes for a more flavorful finished product.

 

[camocook]

I read this thread a couple of days ago because I had a corned beef in the fridge from the St. Paddys day sale.I wanted to try pastrami.I read in a couple of places about the saltiness and the people that had the problem had added salt,either in their homemade rub or in Montreal seasoning.Also comments about the longsoaking time.I soaked mine for about 2 1/2 to 3 hrs. changed the water 3 or 4 times.Covered it with equal parts of course ground blk. pepper and corriander seed.Light smoke the entire time(6 hrs. +/-)untill internal temp. was 175*.Let it cool,in the fridge over night,and thin slice for sandwiches.One of the best Ive tasted in years.Next time I will vacuum pack at least 1 day before smoking.Not very salty at all.We saved a chunk on the end to make some hash with our eggs this mornng.Sorry no QVIEW,forgot.

 

[tbone2k]

is there somewhere that would tell me how to make pastrami.?? sounds interesting.

 

[smokin' joe]

Hey TBone...Pastrami is very simply...smoked corned beef brisket. You can corn your own brisket or just buy a corned beef from the grocery store. After you get it home some people soak it for a few hours or even over night to remove excess salt. I soak mine for 1 hour changing the water once after 30 min. Then you pat it dry, and rub it down with pepper and whatever seasonings you like. I also apply a thin layer of heinz 57 sauce to help the rub adhere to the meat. Vac pack the meat or wrap in saran and allow to sit in the fridge for a day or two. When you are ready, smoke it at 225-250 and there you go.

I take mine to an internal temp of 150 degrees then foil for an hour, put in the fridge overnight to firm it up a bit then slice the next day. Leftovers freeze well. Hope this is what you were looking for!!!

 

[tbone2k]

damn, that does sound easy. :)

i read some people soaking for 48 hours even.? is there a reason for the HUGE differences in soaking time. 1 - 48 hours.?

 

[smokin' joe]

Some people monitor their salt intake due to health concerns, and some just dont care for the salty flavor. I dont like my meat overly salty either but I have never had a pastrami turn out too salty. Could be too that brands of corned beef differ so much from state to state, maybe some manufacturers use more salt than others. Hard to say, its all about your particular tastes.

 

[walking dude]

did one couple weeks ago..........soaked it for 24 hours...........cut off a piece and fryed up.........still WAY too salty........soaked another 24, did the same, and it was perfect...........but a chipolte rub on it, and off to the smoker it went...........got a thread on it round here somewhere

 

[Dutch]

Hey Joe, A question for ya-How does the Heinz 57 sauce hold up to the smoking process? I know that the flavor of yellow mustard cooks off and you can't tell that it was every there. I usually give my beef a rub down with Worcestershire sauce before adding the rub.

 

[smokin' joe]

Hey Dutch, I would have to say that the Heinz 57 sauce is a must do from now on when I do beef. It smokes well, and does retain a good bit of its flavor unlike the yellow mustard. I like the hint of spicyness and the bit of heat that it adds to my pastrami. I also tried it on a butt a few weeks ago with similar results. Very tasty!! I imagine it would also work well with poultry although I havent tried that yet. Hope this helps.

 

[jerseyhunter]

Well I soaked a store bought cornedbeef, started at about 2pm, changed the water at 9pm and 7am tookit out at 10 am and seasoned and smoked for pastrami. Came out a tad salty, could have used another 4 hours. If this helps anyone. Ps I sliced it and warmed it in a pan, scrambled some eggs and added to pan. Came out pretty good. Wonder if anyone ever tried making bacon out of briskett.