First try at Pastrami...

[markspacer]

This is only the second time I've used my new smoker, the first was a chicken that came out awesome... wife and daughter thought it was "the best chicken I've ever had". Needless to say the new smoker is a hit.

Today I just dropped on a corned beef brisket to take a shot at pastrami. I used my normal rub instead of black pepper, since no one in our house is all that fond of black pepper in the amounts normally used on pastrami.

Here's a picture (if I can figure out how to post it) I'll try to remember to take one of the finished product...

 

[cowgirl]

Looks good so far!

 

[markspacer]

Now I need to remember for next time to shrink the picture a little before posting....

 

[fire it up]

Looks like you're off to a good start Mark.
Good luck on your pastrami, finished the last of mine off last night so I'll just live vicariously through your post until I can smoke some more.

 

[cowgirl]

I like the big pictures of the finished cook... makes me want to eat the screen!

 

[scubadoo97]

Actually you picture fit fine on my screen. Looking good so far.

 

[markspacer]

OK, so I cooked until 170, wrapped and now waiting for it to climb up to 190 or so. My only questions (only?? haha) are about heat management, or maybe lack of fire management... I have a CGSP, and I can get to 250 at the grill top pretty easily. But it seems like after 3.5 or 4 hours, it drops, and even adding more charcoal doesn't help. I re-fired the chimney starter and added that to the firebox but it doesn't seem to have the same effect as the original load of coals does.

How do you people keep the heat at 250 or so long enough to do a big brisket? Is it just me, or is this CGSP a real fuel hog?

 

[wutang]

Looks good so far.

As far as you heat/fire management question-what kind of fuel are you using. If you are using charcoal briquettes then about 3 or 4 hours is about how long you have before ash buildup starts to block air flow and choke the fire. In my offset when I used briquettes I had to clean ash out the side door every few hours. Since I have switched to lump (which produces much less ash) then I can go much longer before cleaning out ash.

 

[slanted88]

Stay after it....lookin good!

 

[mballi3011]

Your off to a good start now bring her on home. You have the past of pastrami going.

 

[billbo]

Nervously waiting.........

 

[the dude abides]

C'mon man. I'm dyin' over here. Let's see some finished product. LOL

 

[markspacer]

Well, I forgot the finished pictures... I was being hounded by the family... and then... it was pretty awful. I had soaked the corned beef brisket in water for probably 6 hours or so to try to get out some of the salt. It tasted like maybe 12 more would have been about right. Wow was it salty... too much so to eat...

Not sure we'll be trying that again...

 

[ronp]

Sorry about your problem. I always reccomend doing the fry pan test first. You may be able to save it by steaming it for a couple of hours.

 

[ellymae]

I usually soak it for a couple of days, changing the water at least twice per day - that will really help. Don't give up, try it again - it is worth it.

 

[bigwayne]

Does your "normal rub" have much salt in it? Pastrami spice rubs usually do not include salt since the meat is salted during the curing process.

 

[scubadoo97]

Mark what was the sodium content of the corned beef? Some are so high that a few days might be needed to leach out that amount of salt. Did you do a fry pan test before you proceeded? I've seen corned beefs vary with sodium content from 1400 mg of sodium to 220 mg of sodium. Big difference. Don't give up. Homemade pastrami using prepared corned beefs can be amazing. Just recognize your mistakes and don't repeat them. Mistakes are great teachers. I urge you to give it another try.