Another first pastrami (with q-view)

[camper4lyfe]

I too am attempting my first pastrami today. It's a cool, dreary, drizzly day, so why not do some smoking?

I'm using this rub
http://bbq.about.com/od/rubrecipes/r/bl20223b.htm

Right now, I'm floating between 220 and 250 with an occasional shot of hickory chips.

I'm also trying to resurrect a few ribs that my brother-in-law made yesterday that just weren't cooked hot enough, or long enough and were just tough.

I'll be updating the pictures as I go.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4897704...7623929621602/

 

[mballi3011]

So far your pastrami looks good but you still have a ways to go. I'll check back in later.

 

[rbranstner]

I finally made my first one yesterday and they are awesome. Make some great sandwiches thats for sure!

 

[camper4lyfe]

We're up to 145 and counting...so much for 1 hour per pound.

 

[camper4lyfe]

Sorry for the delay. I ended up not feeling well last night, so the next installment of the post didn't work out so well.

It turned out pretty well. The rub had too much salt for my taste, and I really need to get a spice grinder to get a finer grind on the pepper corns.

All in all, I would say it was a successful first attempt.

 

[herkysprings]

A $20-35 hand coffee bean grinder becomes a great investment for strami and other things. I find now I buy whole seed spices and grind most everything.

One thing I like to do is always grind the pepper last. it seems to help normalize the flavor in the grinder for next use.

Oh and I dont use it for coffee ever ;)

 

[camper4lyfe]

Yeah, my wife's friend who is currently living with us works for a coffee supplier. I'll be acquiring a coffee grinder in the not too distant future.

We have a Keurig coffee maker, so no need to grind my own coffee at this point in time.

 

[macbillybob]

I use no salt in the rub. The brisket is brined and has enough salt. I even soak and rinse for an hour after the brining.

I use only BP and Coriander, ground fairly coursely.

 

[camper4lyfe]

I soaked my brisket for 2 days with a couple water changes a day to pull out some of the salt in the meat.

 

[macbillybob]

Camper,

Do you buy pre-corned briskets? I brine my own so I can keep some consistancy. It seems that an hour or two of soaking after the brine is sufficent for mine. Again, I do not use any salt in the rub.

I tried a few other spices in the rub on one of the two briskets I just completed and can't really tell any difference. I think the coriander is so powerful that nothing else comes through. I did reduce the coriander to only 2 parts vs 3 parts CBP, as opposed to Ruhlman's directions to use equal parts.

 

[camper4lyfe]

Yeah, I used the pre-corned brisket. I picked up 1 round and one brisket just before St. Patty's day. I don't have the time to do my own yet, though eventually I probably will.