Pastrami

[beefmeister]

Revisiting Pastrami from scratch. got to wondering about internal temp. Per my two books on Charcuterie, both say smoke to 150. But how would treating it like BBQ and going to 190 work. Smoking to 150 then further braising or steaming to fall apart stage seems to be the preferred method aka Katz deli. Any thoughts?
FYI, I've done ~6-7 pastrami's over the last 5 years or so. Use a Smokin' Tex 1500.

 

[cooker613]

The smoking / steaming method for pastrami is traditional. Although I did smoke one like a bbq brisket, it was good but the pastrami favor was overwhelmed by the smoke. Verdict, good but not really pastrami. So, back to tradition, smoke and steam, although I have plans to try sous vide rather than steaming.
And FYI, Katz ‘s pastrami is absolutely terrible. I could find a 100 jewish delis with better. It’s really only one step up from “Meal Mart” prepackaged pastrami.

 

[chopsaw]

I've only done 2 , and both were eye round . Smoked to 145 , no steam . Both came out great . I know I would not take the eye to 190 , and don't think I would do it with the brisket either .

 

[mneeley490]

I've only done 2 , and both were eye round . Smoked to 145 , no steam . Both came out great . I know I would not take the eye to 190 , and don't think I would do it with the brisket either .

Not if you plan to thin slice, no.

 

[Braz]

I have settled on:
Smoke @ 225F to an internal of 145-150F,
Sous vide @ 155F for 24 hours.

Wife, who has eaten pastrami at many NY delis, approves of this method.

 

[cooker613]

I have settled on:
Smoke @ 225F to an internal of 145-150F,
Sous vide @ 155F for 24 hours.

Wife, who has eaten pastrami at many NY delis, approves of this method.

I like it. That was pretty much where I was going to go. But I had been thinking of SV for 30 to 36 hrs.

 

[beefmeister]

thanks for the feedback, never had Katz pastrami. Hell, never been to New York. My baseline is Carnegie brand from Central Market in Plano TX. Guess traditional is tried and true!!

 

[Nole4L]

I have one sitting in the fridge right now. I cured it for 7 days, desalinated it for about 10 hours and now it's in the fridge with pastrami spices waiting for the smoker. Smoking it to 150 then steaming it is the only way I've ever done it. They come out great so I'm hesitant to change anything.

 

[beefmeister]

Here's the pics. This was my best one yet. Tried a couple of variations. Technique was from one book, spice rub from another. Instead of 3 day brine went 5 1/2 days, big brisket and instead of rinsing, I submerged it in fresh water for 24 hours. then 36 hours in fridge for pellicle formation.

 

[B-THRASH]

The secret to matching Katz is to smoke AFTER sous-vide, if you smoke before sous-vide the flavor becomes mushy & diluted, I've tried it both ways, as have the guys at Sous-Vide Everything on YouTube.

 

[cooker613]

The secret to matching Katz is to smoke AFTER sous-vide, if you smoke before sous-vide the flavor becomes mushy & diluted, I've tried it both ways, as have the guys at Sous-Vide Everything on YouTube.

As pastrami is generally not heavily smoked, like a Texas brisket, I find either works just fine.
And,
Why would ANYONE want to match Katz’s pastrami? That like saying your goal is to be the best ice hockey player in Equator. True, you’re the best, but the bar is sooooo low.

 

[orthodoc]

NY'er here, eating pastrami my whole life.
I love doing it from scratch. Whole brisket. Brine for a week. Soak in water 8 hours to desalinate. Pastrami rub. Smoke like a brisket to 165. Then foil wrap (regular brisket I use paper). Cook to 205. The foil makes a steam/braise.
It is delicious.

 

[B-THRASH]

As pastrami is generally not heavily smoked, like a Texas brisket, I find either works just fine.
And,
Why would ANYONE want to match Katz’s pastrami? That like saying your goal is to be the best ice hockey player in Equator. True, you’re the best, but the bar is sooooo low.

Obviously you never had Katz?