Pastrami newbie.. Cold or hot smoke.

[martin_b]

Hi all, I'm an absolute newbie to low and slow meat cooking, but i've been cold smoking for years..

I'm going to make pastrami to be sliced and eaten cold.. so my question is would it be a crime against the bbq gods if i cured it, cold smoked it, and the finished it off bain marie in the oven. ( which Im pretty confident I can do ) or should I set up by Napoleon charcoal kettle for low and slow and be a man and smoke and try to cook it the "proper" way for the very first time ?

 

[TexasMuskrat]

So honestly I have never cold smoked one. I personally hot smoke, 225-275 f, until an IT of 190-195 or probe tender. I also like to steam it the next day after it cools and I find it gives me a better pastrami texture. I bet you could cold smoke it and then finish in oven though. Let us know how it works out for you if you go that route.

 

[mike243]

I would do at least a 12-24 hr rinse with a couple water changes before you smoke, son did 1 without a soak, so salty it was trashed. Good luck lot of different ways to go and other than salt I would be good on any method.

 

[sandyut]

I would do at least a 12-24 hr rinse with a couple water changes before you smoke, son did 1 without a soak, so salty it was trashed. Good luck lot of different ways to go and other than salt I would be good on any method.

this, if you are using a store bought corned beef, rinse it overnight or it will be too salty to eat.

Cooking it: 275 all the way through the cook. Less temp just takes longer.

 

[martin_b]

Im using a normal point cut of Brisket and dry curing using the equilibrium method (well thats what you tube told me i was doing)

 

[martin_b]

Right... first an announcement, I have been slected to shoot clays for my county ( surrey) on Saturday :-) now before you all bow down to my clay shooting expertise, I need to point out its also the FA cup (soccer) final on saturday, and 99% of the UK male population will be watching on TV. ( Im a cricket and rugby guy though). This, I think has a LOT, to do with my selection. However this and wife deep into rehearsals for an upcoming oprea, means we had the brisket/pastrami this evening.. perhaps a couple of days earlier than I would have liked..
So timetable was cure for 7 days..
Cold smoked for 4 hours. Pic 1
Cooked over a water bath for 5 hours in a slow cooker. pic2
Eaten in 10mins. pic3

Now although the cure seems a bit uneven it tasted pretty good.. and I love to live lif on the edge!

I think the next stop will be back to bacon and my attempt to create the perfect "heart attack on plate". Pic 4 Well we all have to go sometime..

 

[fxsales1959]

I'm too old and impatient to try and cure my own but have had spectacular results (IMHO) with the packaged corn beef brisket from the store. I give it an overnight bath. make up a special pastrami rub, then on the kettle indirect with temps around 260. I take it to 200 IT, but some on the internet say you n pull at 180 then slice and stem for tenderness.

 

[sandyut]

I'm too old and impatient to try and cure my own but have had spectacular results (IMHO) with the packaged corn beef brisket from the store. I give it an overnight bath. make up a special pastrami rub, then on the kettle indirect with temps around 260. I take it to 200 IT, but some on the internet say you n pull at 180 then slice and stem for tenderness.View attachment 718310

that what I have done a few times. Good results. Yours looks great!