- Aug 27, 2008
- 5,170
- 409
Hey everyone!
I haven't made alot pastrami for quite some time (I did one small batch a few months ago just for giggles), and after scoring a case of brisket at Sam's Club a couple weeks ago, I decided to plan this project well in advance. The packers were thawing in my Q-fridge for almost 5 days, and were still partially frozen
today when I started prep. Also, a thought which came into the picture early on is the fact that these packers were from a case which had not been handled yet, meaning they were as fresh as I could get at the time, and went straight into the freezer from the store, so they'd be great candidates for a curing project. I like to work with partially frozen meats just for the purpose of being able to keep it well-chilled during processing, even though it is a bit more difficult to actually get the point/flat seperation done, I have one less thing to worry about, as the meat is still very cold and partially frozen when I'm ready to bag it up with the brine cure. Trimming of the fat is actually easier when partially frozen, IMO.
I'm including methods for those wanting a fresh look at preparation for pastrami from scratch, and a couple of tasty unconventional recipes I've used in the past, and have modified them slightly for a bit different flavor profile.
I'll post up all the numbers along the way, for anyone interested in seeing the comparisons/ratios of the full weight vs seperated/trimmed weights, then on to the smoked/finished weights.
CHERRY RBP CORNED BEEF BRINE & CURE
4 Tbls dried, minced, ground tart cherries (prep method found in the Wiki for my "Cherry Rub")
2 Tbls ground red bell pepper
1-1/3 Tbls black peppercorn
1-1/3 Tbls thyme
2 tsp oregano
1-1/3 Tbls garlic powder
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup Morton's Tender Quick Cure
4 cups water
4 cups ice-water
Mix all dry ingredients except TQ into 4 cups water, and heat to simmering temp, then remove from heat and cool.
Prep meat to be cured, add 4 cups freshly iced water to brine solution, add TQ and mix very well.
Measure out as needed for multiple bags or containers.
Cherry brine:
HOT ANCHO CHILI CORNED BEEF BRINE/CURE
4 Tbls ancho chili, freshly ground
1-1/2 Tbls minced garlic
1 tsp thyme
2 tsp rosemary
1 tsp cinnamon, ground
2 tsp cumin
1-1/3 Tbls cayenne Pepper, ground
6 Tbls morton’s tender quick cure
4 cups water
4 cups ice-water
Mix all dry ingredients except TQ into 4 cups water, and heat to simmering temp, then remove from heat and cool.
Prep meat to be cured, add 4 cups freshly iced water to brine solution, add TQ and mix very well.
Measure out as needed for multiple bags or containers.
Hot Ancho Chili Brine:
Weighing out largest of the pair of students for today's:
And, the smallest:
Trimming the big daddy of the packers...a look at the fat cap before it meets my blade:
And, the back side:
Getting started with seperation of the point/flat:
It's harder to stay on the fat seam between the point/flat when it's frozen, but I'll get through it:
The slivers of fat you see here are just a small portion of what I cut out of the seam to start spreading it open as I worked my way in...:
Ah, a light at the end of the tunnel:
You can see where I cut off the thin section of point layer still remaining on the flat, just next to the removed fat...this part has nearly no fat seperating the two cuts, so I left it alone...it would cure and smoke much faster than the rest of the point, so to keep things more uniform, it stayed were it is:
Seperation is complete...point on the left and flat on the right...heavy ends of both cuts (I'll refer to them as tips for definition in further discusions below):
The opposite end of the board...thin ends of both cuts:
Trimming is not completed yet, so lets get rid of some tough edges and fat:
Notice the light pink/gray (connective tissue) on the edge of the point (bootom cut:
And now, it's history...trimmed the flat to show all red meat as well on the edges. Also, notice how the meat grain runs accross the length of the point with alot of intermuscular fat, while the muscle grain runs lengthwise the flat with a leaner muscle interior...that's the easiest identifying indicators once the pieces are seperated, as at times, the packer will look differently (longer and more slender in width, as this one is):
I cut-down the point and flat to fit the gallon ziploc bags for brine curing, leaving them as large as possible, while cutting off the heaviest ends (tips) of the two cuts to put into a third bag. These pieces, being thicker, will require longer curing time if left as one piece, so by cutting them off, they will get brine/cure penetration from all sides, speeding up the cure a bit. I'm not injecting brine cure solution, as I never have before for corned beef and get great results every time, so I'm not going to fix what isn't broken. I could get a faster cure with injection, but the interior of the meat can suffer some texturual issues if you get in a hurry with the release of fluid from the needle, and this can show up in the finished product. Without injection, I tend to get the curing done just about the time I'mm be able to toss 'em into the smoker, so I'll just keep rolling with this method.
Here are the tips of the point and flat:
The single larger cut of point:
And the single larger cut of flat:
I tossed those all back into the fridge while I did final prep of the brine/cure solution and calculated what measurements I wanted for each bag based on the shape/weight of each bag's contents.
Time fore some Tendeer Quick to mix into the brine solution...I mixed up another 4 cups of ice water with the 4 cups of brine without straining and added 1 cup TQ, which 50% of recommended strength for a fast cure, but I'm stretching this out for more than a week. I've run with much lower concentrations also, but it's a bit risky if the cuts of meat are too thick, so I'll lean more towards the full-strength dose of TQ:
The spices are suspended more now with the TQ mixed into the brine, with the minced garlic and a few peppercorns floating on top:
After consideration of the bulkiness (heavy cross-section) of the tips of the point and flat, they'll get the most brine cure solution in order to fill the bag up and get the air out without squeezing the pieces tightly together. I want them to be able to lay as loosely as possible in the solution to give best curing results. So, I measured out 2 cups for the smallest single cut being the point, then, 2.5 cups for the largest single cut, being the flat, with the remaining 3.5 cups for the point/flat tips.
I would have ultimately used vac sealed bags for this project, which would have allowed me to keep the point and flat cuts in single pieces in two bags instead of three, but then, the uneven curing issue would come into play due to the heavier sections of the tips of the point/flat, so the triple-bag method seemed the best route to go.
Let's bag 'em all up and send 'em to the study hall (fridge) so they can get started on their home-work (curing):
I'll flip the bags over twice daily and work the brine solution to remix and redistribute throughout the surfaces of the meat for the most even curing.
I opted to wait for preparing the cherry brine/cured brisket until in the morning, due to lengthy uploading and previewing/editing. It's the smaller packer, so they should be cured pretty close to the same time...probably 6-7 days, which will be just right for my next pair of days-off work, but maybe longer...I'll see what the meat bags feel and look like each time I handle them, while making a few notes and taking pics for comparisons each time I see any change or the lact thereof. When changes in texture have ceased, that's a good indication that the curing is completed, and I'll let them go for another day or so just to be sure. Then, it's smokin' time!!!
Here's the ratios I have thus far, as promised:
15.25lb packer weight
3.5lb point/flat tips
2.3125lb (2lb-5oz) point cut
3.8125lb (3lb-13oz) flat cut
9.625lbs total trimmed & seperated weight
5.625lb trimmings
63.11% trimmed/seperated meat yield
36.89% trimmings
I'll post pics of weights and write-up the ratios of the small fella which I set aside for the cherry rbp brine/cure, just for giglles to see how those ratios come out, as well. If you're wondering why I chose the larger packer for the hotter brine/cure, well, those of us here who eat much of my pastrami have grown to like the spicy heat...it's an experience which you don't soon forget...the more you chew a piece, the deeper and more intense the flavor becomes. It's not to the point of choking you up in the first bite or two, but will eventually put sweat on your brow.
The brisket has it's homework assignment...lets see how it comes through.
See ya later when the home-work is finished, and again when and they take their final exams!
Been a looooong day coming up to this point on this post (8 hrs off and on, I think)...hope it works...SUBMIT!!!
Eric
I haven't made alot pastrami for quite some time (I did one small batch a few months ago just for giggles), and after scoring a case of brisket at Sam's Club a couple weeks ago, I decided to plan this project well in advance. The packers were thawing in my Q-fridge for almost 5 days, and were still partially frozen
today when I started prep. Also, a thought which came into the picture early on is the fact that these packers were from a case which had not been handled yet, meaning they were as fresh as I could get at the time, and went straight into the freezer from the store, so they'd be great candidates for a curing project. I like to work with partially frozen meats just for the purpose of being able to keep it well-chilled during processing, even though it is a bit more difficult to actually get the point/flat seperation done, I have one less thing to worry about, as the meat is still very cold and partially frozen when I'm ready to bag it up with the brine cure. Trimming of the fat is actually easier when partially frozen, IMO.
I'm including methods for those wanting a fresh look at preparation for pastrami from scratch, and a couple of tasty unconventional recipes I've used in the past, and have modified them slightly for a bit different flavor profile.
I'll post up all the numbers along the way, for anyone interested in seeing the comparisons/ratios of the full weight vs seperated/trimmed weights, then on to the smoked/finished weights.
CHERRY RBP CORNED BEEF BRINE & CURE
4 Tbls dried, minced, ground tart cherries (prep method found in the Wiki for my "Cherry Rub")
2 Tbls ground red bell pepper
1-1/3 Tbls black peppercorn
1-1/3 Tbls thyme
2 tsp oregano
1-1/3 Tbls garlic powder
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup Morton's Tender Quick Cure
4 cups water
4 cups ice-water
Mix all dry ingredients except TQ into 4 cups water, and heat to simmering temp, then remove from heat and cool.
Prep meat to be cured, add 4 cups freshly iced water to brine solution, add TQ and mix very well.
Measure out as needed for multiple bags or containers.
Cherry brine:
HOT ANCHO CHILI CORNED BEEF BRINE/CURE
4 Tbls ancho chili, freshly ground
1-1/2 Tbls minced garlic
1 tsp thyme
2 tsp rosemary
1 tsp cinnamon, ground
2 tsp cumin
1-1/3 Tbls cayenne Pepper, ground
6 Tbls morton’s tender quick cure
4 cups water
4 cups ice-water
Mix all dry ingredients except TQ into 4 cups water, and heat to simmering temp, then remove from heat and cool.
Prep meat to be cured, add 4 cups freshly iced water to brine solution, add TQ and mix very well.
Measure out as needed for multiple bags or containers.
Hot Ancho Chili Brine:
Weighing out largest of the pair of students for today's:
And, the smallest:
Trimming the big daddy of the packers...a look at the fat cap before it meets my blade:
And, the back side:
Getting started with seperation of the point/flat:
It's harder to stay on the fat seam between the point/flat when it's frozen, but I'll get through it:
The slivers of fat you see here are just a small portion of what I cut out of the seam to start spreading it open as I worked my way in...:
Ah, a light at the end of the tunnel:
You can see where I cut off the thin section of point layer still remaining on the flat, just next to the removed fat...this part has nearly no fat seperating the two cuts, so I left it alone...it would cure and smoke much faster than the rest of the point, so to keep things more uniform, it stayed were it is:
Seperation is complete...point on the left and flat on the right...heavy ends of both cuts (I'll refer to them as tips for definition in further discusions below):
The opposite end of the board...thin ends of both cuts:
Trimming is not completed yet, so lets get rid of some tough edges and fat:
Notice the light pink/gray (connective tissue) on the edge of the point (bootom cut:
And now, it's history...trimmed the flat to show all red meat as well on the edges. Also, notice how the meat grain runs accross the length of the point with alot of intermuscular fat, while the muscle grain runs lengthwise the flat with a leaner muscle interior...that's the easiest identifying indicators once the pieces are seperated, as at times, the packer will look differently (longer and more slender in width, as this one is):
I cut-down the point and flat to fit the gallon ziploc bags for brine curing, leaving them as large as possible, while cutting off the heaviest ends (tips) of the two cuts to put into a third bag. These pieces, being thicker, will require longer curing time if left as one piece, so by cutting them off, they will get brine/cure penetration from all sides, speeding up the cure a bit. I'm not injecting brine cure solution, as I never have before for corned beef and get great results every time, so I'm not going to fix what isn't broken. I could get a faster cure with injection, but the interior of the meat can suffer some texturual issues if you get in a hurry with the release of fluid from the needle, and this can show up in the finished product. Without injection, I tend to get the curing done just about the time I'mm be able to toss 'em into the smoker, so I'll just keep rolling with this method.
Here are the tips of the point and flat:
The single larger cut of point:
And the single larger cut of flat:
I tossed those all back into the fridge while I did final prep of the brine/cure solution and calculated what measurements I wanted for each bag based on the shape/weight of each bag's contents.
Time fore some Tendeer Quick to mix into the brine solution...I mixed up another 4 cups of ice water with the 4 cups of brine without straining and added 1 cup TQ, which 50% of recommended strength for a fast cure, but I'm stretching this out for more than a week. I've run with much lower concentrations also, but it's a bit risky if the cuts of meat are too thick, so I'll lean more towards the full-strength dose of TQ:
The spices are suspended more now with the TQ mixed into the brine, with the minced garlic and a few peppercorns floating on top:
After consideration of the bulkiness (heavy cross-section) of the tips of the point and flat, they'll get the most brine cure solution in order to fill the bag up and get the air out without squeezing the pieces tightly together. I want them to be able to lay as loosely as possible in the solution to give best curing results. So, I measured out 2 cups for the smallest single cut being the point, then, 2.5 cups for the largest single cut, being the flat, with the remaining 3.5 cups for the point/flat tips.
I would have ultimately used vac sealed bags for this project, which would have allowed me to keep the point and flat cuts in single pieces in two bags instead of three, but then, the uneven curing issue would come into play due to the heavier sections of the tips of the point/flat, so the triple-bag method seemed the best route to go.
Let's bag 'em all up and send 'em to the study hall (fridge) so they can get started on their home-work (curing):
I'll flip the bags over twice daily and work the brine solution to remix and redistribute throughout the surfaces of the meat for the most even curing.
I opted to wait for preparing the cherry brine/cured brisket until in the morning, due to lengthy uploading and previewing/editing. It's the smaller packer, so they should be cured pretty close to the same time...probably 6-7 days, which will be just right for my next pair of days-off work, but maybe longer...I'll see what the meat bags feel and look like each time I handle them, while making a few notes and taking pics for comparisons each time I see any change or the lact thereof. When changes in texture have ceased, that's a good indication that the curing is completed, and I'll let them go for another day or so just to be sure. Then, it's smokin' time!!!
Here's the ratios I have thus far, as promised:
15.25lb packer weight
3.5lb point/flat tips
2.3125lb (2lb-5oz) point cut
3.8125lb (3lb-13oz) flat cut
9.625lbs total trimmed & seperated weight
5.625lb trimmings
63.11% trimmed/seperated meat yield
36.89% trimmings
I'll post pics of weights and write-up the ratios of the small fella which I set aside for the cherry rbp brine/cure, just for giglles to see how those ratios come out, as well. If you're wondering why I chose the larger packer for the hotter brine/cure, well, those of us here who eat much of my pastrami have grown to like the spicy heat...it's an experience which you don't soon forget...the more you chew a piece, the deeper and more intense the flavor becomes. It's not to the point of choking you up in the first bite or two, but will eventually put sweat on your brow.
The brisket has it's homework assignment...lets see how it comes through.
See ya later when the home-work is finished, and again when and they take their final exams!
Been a looooong day coming up to this point on this post (8 hrs off and on, I think)...hope it works...SUBMIT!!!
Eric
