I titled this thread "First Pastrami" because there will be many more for sure, it was awesome.
Started on Monday 2/1 with a ~7 lb choice packer from Wegmans. Sloppily trimmed most of the fat, weighed and made enough curing brine to cover in a bucket.
Target was 200ppm nitrite using cure #1 and 2.25% w/w salt and sugar each.
2820g brisket
3760g water
148g light brown sugar
127g kosher salt
22g cure #1
Injected the brisket with about 10% by meat weight of the curing brine since it was only going to spend 5 days in the bucket. Once injected, I added the pickling spices to the bucket brine (didn't want the spices clogging the needle). Modified Chef J's pastrami rub for the pickling spices. I didn't have allspice berries or dry thyme leaves so used the ground version of both...no juniper at all unfortunately. The spices in red were toasted. All spices went into a food processor before going into the brine.
2 tbsp black peppercorn
1 tbsp coriander seed
1 tbsp dill seed
1 tbsp mustard seed
1 tbsp dry minced garlic
1 tbsp dry minced onion
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground thyme
3 bay leaves crumbled
The brisket/brine was overhauled once half way through.
On Saturday 2/6, the brisket was removed and rinsed. Made a rub from 1/4 cup black peppercorns, 1/4 cup coriander and 2 tbsp turbinado sugar. The black pepper and coriander were toasted and coarse ground in my Baratza coffee grinder which worked great except the coffee I'm drinking right now tastes like black pepper and coriander. I slathered the brisket with yellow mustard and then applied the rub.
Out of the brine
Rubbed
Put on the offset cooker at 275F using a combo of 6 and 18 month seasoned red oak for fuel until 160F IT. Then it went into a steamer in the oven @ 275F until probe tender.
On the cooker with some eggs.
Out of the cooker before going into the steamer.
After it was probe tender in the steamer, it was wrapped in foil, rested for an hour and chilled overnight. Yesterday it was sliced cold and the slices (even combo of lean and fatty) were reheated in a steamer. Made some thousand island dressing and marble rye bread using CB's recipes (thanks!). I always have home made sauerkraut available so that was the easiest part. Had some family and friends over last night and spoiled them.
Nate
Started on Monday 2/1 with a ~7 lb choice packer from Wegmans. Sloppily trimmed most of the fat, weighed and made enough curing brine to cover in a bucket.
Target was 200ppm nitrite using cure #1 and 2.25% w/w salt and sugar each.
2820g brisket
3760g water
148g light brown sugar
127g kosher salt
22g cure #1
Injected the brisket with about 10% by meat weight of the curing brine since it was only going to spend 5 days in the bucket. Once injected, I added the pickling spices to the bucket brine (didn't want the spices clogging the needle). Modified Chef J's pastrami rub for the pickling spices. I didn't have allspice berries or dry thyme leaves so used the ground version of both...no juniper at all unfortunately. The spices in red were toasted. All spices went into a food processor before going into the brine.
2 tbsp black peppercorn
1 tbsp coriander seed
1 tbsp dill seed
1 tbsp mustard seed
1 tbsp dry minced garlic
1 tbsp dry minced onion
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground thyme
3 bay leaves crumbled
The brisket/brine was overhauled once half way through.
On Saturday 2/6, the brisket was removed and rinsed. Made a rub from 1/4 cup black peppercorns, 1/4 cup coriander and 2 tbsp turbinado sugar. The black pepper and coriander were toasted and coarse ground in my Baratza coffee grinder which worked great except the coffee I'm drinking right now tastes like black pepper and coriander. I slathered the brisket with yellow mustard and then applied the rub.
Out of the brine
Rubbed
Put on the offset cooker at 275F using a combo of 6 and 18 month seasoned red oak for fuel until 160F IT. Then it went into a steamer in the oven @ 275F until probe tender.
On the cooker with some eggs.
Out of the cooker before going into the steamer.
After it was probe tender in the steamer, it was wrapped in foil, rested for an hour and chilled overnight. Yesterday it was sliced cold and the slices (even combo of lean and fatty) were reheated in a steamer. Made some thousand island dressing and marble rye bread using CB's recipes (thanks!). I always have home made sauerkraut available so that was the easiest part. Had some family and friends over last night and spoiled them.
Nate
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