# Pastrami Loaf with QView!!!



## tallbm (Jun 7, 2017)

I did a Pastrami Loaf today and WOW!!!!  Don't let the word "Loaf" fool you.  It's more like a Sausage and not really like a Meatloaf. 

Pics first and write up after.

**************************************************

[EDIT: added link to recipe I used]

Hi guys I figured I would make it easier for people to find the post with the recipe to this thing so click the following link to jump directly to the post that contains the recipe/ingredients/steps for making the Pastrami Loaf.  Thanks!

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/pastrami-loaf-with-qview.263815/page-2#post-1716471

**************************************************

Loaves before and after.













DSC_0338[1].JPG



__ tallbm
__ Jun 7, 2017


















DSC_0340[1].JPG



__ tallbm
__ Jun 7, 2017






Sliced an end up.













DSC_0342[1].JPG



__ tallbm
__ Jun 7, 2017






Close up of slices













DSC_0341[1].JPG



__ tallbm
__ Jun 7, 2017






Slices on Rye bread with Thousand Island, the meat was so good I forgot to add cheese!  (I'm not a sauerkraut guy)













DSC_0343[1].JPG



__ tallbm
__ Jun 7, 2017






So I had this large gallon bag with 9 pounds of pure ground venison in it (no fat added) and it was taking up WAY too much freezer space.  I had this meat saved for doing ground formed Venison Bacon but after doing a 5 pound loaf earlier this year I learned that the GFB was really more of a sandwich meat and it hit me that I would like to do a pastrami type loaf instead.  Well I was googling and thanks to @dirtsailor2003  I ran across him mentioning Adam Gertler's Pastrami Dog recipe.  Well all links were broken or not working but I found the recipe under "Reuben Dog" and it was posted on the food network here (for citation reference -  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/adam-gertler/reuben-dog-recipe-2125772)

I converted the recipe to both 1 pound and 5 pound batches and then proceeded to make Pastrami Loaves with some tweaks to the recipe.  Mostly the tweaks to leave out the binders, use a precise amount of cure, and omit stuff like liquid smoke.  If anyone is interested I can post my 5 pound conversion or even my 1 pound conversion and altered version of the recipe.

*The Meat:*

5 pounds total weight
4 pounds 100% pure Venison grind (whitetail, no fat added in the grind)
1 pound ground Beef Fat (bought at local grocery store butcher market), fat came from briskets
This is a 80/20 ratio of meat to fat.  I went this route because the original recipe is for a Pastrami Dog (sausage) and 80/20 meat to fat for sausage has always been a magic number for sausage making and has ONLY produced excellent results with my sausage.  This is basically just a sausage loaf I'm making
Seasoned with a converted and modified version of Adam Gertler's Pastrami Dog recipe (again I can post what I did if people would like it)  
*The Cook and Smoke:*













ploaves.png



__ tallbm
__ Jun 7, 2017






Started at 1:26pm at 100F and went for 1 hour without smoke to dry loaves
After 1 hour bumped up to 120F applied 100% Maple smoke (I read somewhere that's the smoke commonly used with Pastrami) 
I was playing with my PID tunings over the next few hours and I think I really dialed in it about half way through the smoke, look at the almost straight Orange line starting about halfway through the cook which is my smoker probe temp :)

I bumped up the temp to 140F, 160F, 170F, anywhere between an hour to a half hour.  See the Graph for the time table and history of the cook.  At the end I bumped to 200F out of curiosity about how my PID settings would do and to get the last 4 degrees done on one straggeling loaf
I was shooting for 160F IT but one loaf took longer so I hit 168-169F on the hot loaf while the other loaf got to 161F (recorded with my ThermoPro Tp20
Everything was placed on the bottom rack of the smoker
My smoker HeaterMeter (HM) smoker probe (orange line and top most number) was placed bottom center of the rack via alligator clip.  The backup smoker probe (green line and first number in row) was placed on top of the rack, to the back, just left of center.  My TP20 smoker probe was placed under the rack, to the front of the wrack, right of center with an alligator clip.
The HM Smoker Probe and the TP20 smoker probe were within 3 degrees the entire cook.  The back up smoker probe listed above was usually about 10-12 degrees high.
The Maple Smoke went for about 5.5-6 hours.
I everything was done at 8:08pm so I shut down and pulled the loaves to rest.  Total cook time was around 6 hours 45 minutes for 2 loaves at total of 5 pounds of meat
*The Taste:*

I am by no means a Pastrami connoisseur but I can tell you that the flavor was great.  I wish I had some real pastrami to compare to but I think the flavor is right on the money and not some sort of off "imitation" flavor. 

While eating the sandwich I could honestly not tell that this was sliced Pastrami Loaf.  It tasted as good or better than Reuben sandwiches I get in sandwich shops and lunch restaurants around North Dallas.  
I CAN say that it is not the same as a true blue brisket flat pastrami cut.  The texture is simply different, BUT the flavors all seemed to be there.  My brain only knew I was eating a great Pastrami sandwich!
The use of Beef Fat for the fat component is a MUST to get that beef and pastrami flavor.  I clean my venison up immaculately before grinding so my venison grind taste like super lean beef when it is cooked.  Only sometimes when it is reheated can it be noticed that it is a slightly (not gamey) different taste than beef.  That cannot be said for a lot of people's venison.
My converted and simplified version of the recipe is a WINNER and I will holding on to it for sure!
The Maple wood flavor does not hijack the flavor in any way.  I think it helps elevate the sweet and tangy tones of the pastrami seasoning and flavor.  I'm becoming a BIG fan of Maple as a wood that seems to add a great almost hidden flavor while propping up the meat and seasoning flavors like a sneaky flavor ninja lol
*Lessons Learned:*

Maple smoke is good and not overpowering at all.  I think I prefer it to Oak for a general wood smoke with good flavor that is not overpowering.  I think it may have more flavor character than Oak but not in a strong way.  I would not fear to smoke anything with maple smoke for 8 hours or maybe more.  I think the smoke flavor will continue to develop nicely while the meat rests in the fridge until I slice it tomorrow 
It seems to be a common theme that any probe I put at the back of the smoker will run hotter by about 8-15 degrees more than in the middle or front of the rack.  This is kind of common sense as grills are always hotter to the back rather than the front, so it seems the same applies for the MES40 smoker.
I think I have really fine tuned my HM PID settings.  My temp spread is -1F of set point to +1.7F of set point.  This is nice!  It took a lot of reading, some use of monitoring features for the HM dashboard that I just discovered, accepting that no PID tuning info really exists out there for the HM and electric smokers, and some mental gymnastics to correlate what other systems do and what the HM and an electric smoker can do hahaha.  I feel I finally got there :)
Beef fat was the total way to go for the Pastrami flavor I was looking for.
The taste has been great and I believe it will will only get better as things sit and flavors meld together!!!!
So far (Before slicing with a slicer) I think it was a good idea to omit the binders called for in the recipe.  Things have held together well so far with out the binders.  Less calories, ingredients, and cost are always a win in my book.  I'll update tomorrow if slicing goes to hell and causes me to rethink the binders hahaha
In all I am very very very happy with how this turned out.  I am quite sure I will not be changing a thing with the meat selection, recipe, and smoke for this Pastrami Loaf.

I hope you guys find this info helpful and feel free to ask any questions you may have.  Thanks!


----------



## dirtsailor2003 (Jun 7, 2017)

Excellent!

Point!


----------



## indaswamp (Jun 7, 2017)

Did you forgo the classic coriander and black pepper layer on the outside?


----------



## tallbm (Jun 7, 2017)

Indaswamp said:


> Did you forgo the classic coriander and black pepper layer on the outside?


Yeah I did.

The recipe has both seasonings in it but because this is all ground meat and the seasoning is all mixed in per the recipe I didn't want to introduce the variable of trying to get that coating.

Having done the recipe now I'm not sure how to do the coating without overly skewing the flavor profile.  Also I don't know that the flavor will get all the way into the ground meat if the pepper and coriander are only added to the outside.

The flavor was so spot on that I think I will let some other brave soul attempt to figure out how to make that all work on one of these loaves hahahaha


----------



## tallbm (Jun 7, 2017)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Excellent!
> 
> Point!


Thanks DS!  Your old posts on this topic were a major driver for me to make this happen :)


----------



## indaswamp (Jun 7, 2017)

TallBM said:


> Indaswamp said:
> 
> 
> > Did you forgo the classic coriander and black pepper layer on the outside?
> ...


Gotcha..I did not realize you mixed the seasoning into the loaf. I like the idea of using brisket fat. I want to make some duck/pork hot links using brisket fat so this is encouraging. I'm leaning towards 40%duck / 40% boston butt / 20% brisket fat.


----------



## tallbm (Jun 7, 2017)

Indaswamp said:


> Gotcha..I did not realize you mixed the seasoning into the loaf. I like the idea of using brisket fat. I want to make some duck/pork hot links using brisket fat so this is encouraging. I'm leaning towards 40%duck / 40% boston butt / 20% brisket fat.


I think your sausage will turn out great!  

I'm not sure how much fat the duck and butt contribute to the overall fat content and ratio of meat to fat but I think you know what you are doing and I'm sure you will crank out something awesome!

As a matter of fact once I finally get my smoker and such tuned in properly I'm going for the TX holy grail of brisket!  I plan to keep and vac seal all the beef fat for when I process meat after I finish hunting in October.  I usually bring back 5-7 animals and process them all.  I buy pork back fat for making my brats and franks but having some beef fat would be great to do this pastrami mixture.  I have a ton of the seasoning left over that I will likely never use on anything else hahaha.  Stuff like Pickling spice, Juniper Berry, and all this extra ground coriander :)


----------



## crazymoon (Jun 8, 2017)

TBM, Nice looking loaves of goodness!


----------



## SmokinAl (Jun 8, 2017)

That looks absolutely fantastic!

Point to you Sir!

Congrats on making the carousel too!

Al


----------



## worktogthr (Jun 8, 2017)

Wow man, this is a brilliant idea!!  I get venison every year from my wife's uncle and I will definitely try this!  Points for sure!


----------



## browneyesvictim (Jun 8, 2017)

Bear got me hooked on his beef loaf! So much so, I've made 3 batches now. = Its all his fault. Now this... I will only have you to blame!

Point!


----------



## tallbm (Jun 8, 2017)

SmokinAl said:


> That looks absolutely fantastic!
> 
> Point to you Sir!
> 
> ...


Thanks, I didn't think any of the pics were carousel worthy but I'm glad people are getting to see it :)


worktogthr said:


> Wow man, this is a brilliant idea!!  I get venison every year from my wife's uncle and I will definitely try this!  Points for sure!


I usually produce about 30-40 pounds of pure venison grind (no added fat) a year.  I usually don't need to buy ground beef all year because of this.  I also take very very very good care in cleaning/processing my venison meat so the flavor is always like a lean beef and never any gamey flavor.  The key is that if a piece of the meat or tissue on the meat is not good enough for you to throw into a skillet and immediately eat, then it is not going to be good in grind, sausages, or steak cuts.  You can get away with that stuff on roasts and stew meat but that's only because low and slow cooking breaks all that stuff down but it is still a good idea to clean up any excess or nasty tissue on those cuts as well.

I look forward to seeing what you make with your venison :)


Browneyesvictim said:


> Bear got me hooked on his beef loaf! So much so, I've made 3 batches now. = Its all his fault. Now this... I will only have you to blame!
> 
> Point!


Hahahaha this stuff is really really good.  Feel free to blame me when ever you make it and people ask how you came up with it :P

I can't wait to see when you try it :)


----------



## tallbm (Jun 8, 2017)

So today as of 10am CST I am doing a 6.25 pound batch (2 loaves) of Pastrami Loaves to round out the rest of that venison meat I had for loaf making.  I seasoned for 5 pounds (because I forgot to measure for 6.25) BUT I made sure to add the accurate amount of cure for 6.25 pounds, I also added the extra salt.  The fry test was good so I know I will be fine.

Additionally after Indaswamp mentioned the coating that is often seen on the outside of pasatrami I couldn't just let it go hahaha.  So I took a middle ground approach today.

I know I did not add the additional amount of Coarse Black Pepper for the extra 1.25 pounds of meat so today I just sprinkled a coating of coarse black pepper on top of the loaves when I put them on the rack to give the "feel" of a pastrami coating.  

I did not add any extra ground coriander to the top of the loaf because I didn't want to mess with the core flavor that the existing coriander was already imparting during my fry test.

Black pepper is pretty safe to add on top and I didn't go overboard.  I might have added about 1 tablespoon total of Black Pepper on to of the two loaves to make a nice visual without overdoing the pepper flavor :)

If it looks good I'll take a pick when these loaves come out.

I hope this will all be done and yesterdays plus todays loaves will be sliced and vac sealed by 10-11pm.

Tomorrow I smoke an 8 pound pork butt to have ready for a Sangria, guitar, and swimming pool get together scheduled for Saturday.  I'll just reheat the pork butt in the oven and pull while everyone is hanging out at the pool on Sat.  I refuse to be in a rush and I have too much other stuff to get ready before Saturday to then eyeballing an 8 pound butt smoke  :)


----------



## tallbm (Jun 8, 2017)

Boy I thought Cherry was tough... these 100% Maple pellets sure take some babying to get going and keep going.  They are so worth it though on this Pastrami :)


----------



## tallbm (Jun 8, 2017)

Indaswamp said:


> Did you forgo the classic coriander and black pepper layer on the outside?


So I decided to add a little black pepper to the outside of the loaves I did today.  I didn't do any coriander because I didn't want to skew the flavor since all the coriander was already mixed in.

This batch was 6.25 pounds and I seasoned for 5 pounds.  I added salt and cure for 6.25 pounds but nothing else so I had some room for a little black pepper on the top of the loaf.

Here is what it looked liked finished, which was a little closer to what pastrami looks like without going overboard on extra pepper :)













DSC_0344[1].JPG



__ tallbm
__ Jun 8, 2017






All loaves have now been sliced, vac sealed and are now in the fridge or freezer.  This stuff is amazing!


----------



## fwismoker (Jun 8, 2017)

Oh heck yes!


----------



## tropics (Jun 9, 2017)

That looks great I make a pastrami Sausage (brats)

Richie


----------



## mneeley490 (Jun 9, 2017)

That looks fantastic! Could you post your recipe? I'd like to give it a go.


----------



## ab canuck (Jun 9, 2017)

That looks great, What a good idea in using that. Very impressive, Way to go. Point for sure....


----------



## actech (Jun 9, 2017)

Looks really good. Even the ruben dog link looks good.


----------



## tallbm (Jun 9, 2017)

FWIsmoker said:


> Oh heck yes!





tropics said:


> That looks great I make a pastrami Sausage (brats)
> 
> Richie





AB Canuck said:


> That looks great, What a good idea in using that. Very impressive, Way to go. Point for sure....





actech said:


> Looks really good. Even the ruben dog link looks good.


Thanks guys, recipe post is inbound :)


----------



## tallbm (Jun 10, 2017)

mneeley490 said:


> That looks fantastic! Could you post your recipe? I'd like to give it a go.


Ok here is the Recipe :)
[h2]  [/h2][h2]Ground Meat Pastrami Loaf [/h2]
Makes* 5 pounds of loaf *(or can be stuffed into sausage links)

Meat to fat ratio is 80% meat and 20% fat.  This is 4 pounds straight meat and 1 pound of beef fat.

*Ingredients:*

4 pounds pure venison ground, plus
1 pound of beef fat  

OR

5 pounds of 80/20 Ground Beef (this is cheapest beef at grocery store so it is ready to go from the package!)


2        cups water (16 floz)
2.75    Tablespoon table salt (52g)  (convert this for kosher salt or other type, table salt is what I had on hand)
1.66    Tablespoon White Sugar (19g fine)
1.66    Tablespoon ground pickling spice (13g) (you can go a little heavier here so don't worry about level measurements)
1.66    Tablespoon brown sugar (21g)
2.5      Tablespoons granulated garlic (27g) (you can go a little heavier here so don't worry about level measurements)
1.66    Tablespoon ground coriander (9g) (you can go a little heavier here so don't worry about level measurements)
1.66    Tablespoon coarse ground black pepper (17g) (you can go a little heavier here so don't worry about level measurements)
0.41    teaspoon ground juniper berries (was too light to register on my scale just measure and roll with it)
1        teaspoon Cure #1 (5.66g)
Feel free to add an appropriate amount of binder.  I did 2% Soy Protein Isolate recently and it helped keep the slices from breaking easily after they are frozen and defrosted.  I may up to 2.3%.  NDFM should work fine as a binder as well but I'm lactose intolerant and don't even wanna go that route :)
*Instructions:*

Mix all of the seasoning and water in a blender for about 45 seconds to a minute or until salt is dissolved in the water
Mix seasoning into meat well until meat gets tacky (tacky = not runny or very wet looking)
Do a fry test to confirm that the salt content was not added in incorrect amounts (not too salty)
Form into loaves in a pan and cover with plastic wrap or lid (TIP: if you line your pan with plastic wrap it makes it easy to flip the pan and get the loaf/loaves out later)
LET LOAF SET into shape in fridge wrapped/covered *overnight* to form a good solid loaf/loaves (TIP: there is no need to form a pellicle for this loaf, it will have a good rind to it after smoking and cooking)
*Cooking and Smoking:*


Unwrap/Uncover and Put in smoker at 100F and dry for 1 hour, DO NOT apply smoke
After 1st hour of drying apply smoke
I did 100% Maple because I read it was commonly used for pastrami
If not using Maple I would recommend a fruit wood and no more of a 35% blend of Hickory and some fruit wood.  I feel Hickory will give too much of a bacon flavor, not a Pastrami flavor
Maple or fruit wood smoke should be applied for at LEAST 4 hours and can be applied for the whole cook time which is roughly 6-7 hours

After 1st hour Bump up temp to 120F, 140F, 160F, 170F in that order every 30 minutes until you get to 170F (TIP: to get the last 5 degrees or so of IT feel free to bump to 200F)
Cook to an IT of 160F (USDA recommended IT to kill E.Coli in ground beef as well as USDA recommendation to cook Wild Game meat that is not poultry, poultry is 165F)
Let rest 20 minutes and pat off any fat/juice with paper towel, before knife slicing and eating
Rest in the fridge 6-8 hours or over night to be able to slice very thin on a slicer (TIP: Flavor gets even better the next 36 hours in the fridge)
Vac seal slices and freeze for best storage
Eat and enjoy how amazing this is!

Also for reference I am posting the 1 pound seasoning numbers below.  Sometimes you end up making a batch of 4 pounds of 7 pounds or whatever you have so seasoning increments of 1 pound and 5 pound are helpful in such cases.

Let me know if you have any questions!

*1 Pound Seasoning Measurements*

0.41    cups water
0.75    Tablespoon table salt
0.333    Tablespoon White Sugar (fine)
0.333    Tablespoon ground pickling spice
0.333    Tablespoon brown sugar
0.5        Tablespoons granulated garlic
0.333    Tablespoon ground coriander
0.333   Tablespoon coarse ground black pepper
0.083    teaspoon ground juniper berries
0.2        teaspoon Cure #1

(Recipe I referenced and altered - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/adam-gertler/reuben-dog-recipe-2125772)

Enjoy everyone!!!


----------



## ab canuck (Jun 10, 2017)

Thx for posting, I may have to try this while out here working this summer.


----------



## tallbm (Jun 10, 2017)

AB Canuck said:


> Thx for posting, I may have to try this while out here working this summer.


I say go for it!  This stuff is absolutely amazing!

Just an FYI, I had to buy the Pickling Spice on ebay and grind it myself using my Magic Bullet blender and the Grinding blade.  Same thing goes for the ground Juniper Berry.  I bought "ground" but it came more of a cracked form so I ground it as well.  Ground Coriander is much easier to come by in ground form.

I bought the ground Juniper on ebay from a vendor called "spicejungle" and the
Pickling Spice from a vendor called "homemademyway".

I mention these vendors so you can get the same flavor I got as there may be some liberty taken with Pickling Spice blends and I don't know if all Juniper Berry is the same.

Best of luck!


----------



## GaryHibbert (Jun 10, 2017)

WOW THAT LOOKS GREAT!!!

If i have time to go deer hunting this fall, I'll definitely be trying this.

Thanks for posting the recipe.

POINTS

Gary


----------



## uncle eddie (Jun 12, 2017)

Looks awesome and sounds even better!

Points!


----------



## actech (Jun 12, 2017)

So... If you had the seasoning blend i'm thinking gyro loaf????  The ideas this could spring.


----------



## tallbm (Jun 12, 2017)

GaryHibbert said:


> WOW THAT LOOKS GREAT!!!
> 
> If i have time to go deer hunting this fall, I'll definitely be trying this.
> 
> ...


No problem.  You wouldn't be disappointed :)


Uncle Eddie said:


> Looks awesome and sounds even better!
> 
> Points!


Thanks it is great!


actech said:


> So... If you had the seasoning blend i'm thinking gyro loaf????  The ideas this could spring.


Ooooh that would be good as well.  Do you have anywhere to start with that seasoning blend?


----------



## mosparky (Jun 12, 2017)

This looks awesome. Point for the 1 lb increments. I'm trying to break several recipes down for smaller batches to test, tweek and get reactions before I make 5 pounds of mistake I have to eat by myself. This is going in my recipe file.


----------



## tallbm (Jun 12, 2017)

mosparky said:


> This looks awesome. Point for the 1 lb increments. I'm trying to break several recipes down for smaller batches to test, tweek and get reactions before I make 5 pounds of mistake I have to eat by myself. This is going in my recipe file.


I understand.  If you buy a single pound of 80/20 ground beef you just need to mix the spices in and go :)

Word to the wise the ground Juniper Berry was more liked crushed so I ground it in my Magic Bullet blender with the grinder blade.  I couldn't even find Ground Pickling Spice so I just had to straight up grind the Pickling Spice into powder just the way I did with the Juniper Berry.  Best of luck! :)


----------



## actech (Jun 12, 2017)

TallBM said:


> No problem.  You wouldn't be disappointed :)
> 
> Thanks it is great!
> 
> Ooooh that would be good as well.  Do you have anywhere to start with that seasoning blend?


No idea, but it sure sounds good. Maybe someone will chime in with a gyro blend.


----------



## shyzabrau (Jun 13, 2017)

TallBM said:


> Ground Coriander is much easier to come by in ground form.


When I made my pastrami sausage, I used a lot of whole coriander. I loved the "pop" of flavor when I bit into one. You might mix them up next time (some whole, some ground)...


----------



## tallbm (Jun 13, 2017)

Shyzabrau said:


> When I made my pastrami sausage, I used a lot of whole coriander. I loved the "pop" of flavor when I bit into one. You might mix them up next time (some whole, some ground)...


That would be good to try as well.  I only had ground coriander on hand :(  A whole or cracked coriander and black pepper crust/layer on top of the loaf would be awesome.  I did a small attempt with the black pepper and it was cool.  The closer to real pastrami this can get the better :)


----------



## Bearcarver (Jun 28, 2017)

Looks Great, TailMan!! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





---
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





That's gotta be Mighty Tasty!!
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Looks a lot like my "Bear Loaf", but I love your ingredients list !!
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Nice Job!
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Bear


----------



## ironhorse07 (Jun 28, 2017)

This looks good!


----------



## tallbm (Jun 28, 2017)

Bearcarver said:


> Looks Great, TailMan!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks Bear!  I didn't know what to think of the seasoning since I have never used pickling spice, juniper berry, and never that much coriander power with anything.  I was 100% legitimately shocked/amazed at how this turned out.  I'm also glad my hunch about omitting the binders worked out.  I like the idea of having the minimal necessary ingredients only.

I now have enough ground pickling spice and juniper berries to make this for years to come hahahaha :P


Ironhorse07 said:


> This looks good!


Thanks!  It was a very rewarding experiment for me.  I think the Pastrami Loaf is now going to be part of my yearly meat processing regiment after my big hunting vacation.  

I will now try to have Venison Brats (with pork fat), Feral Hog Franks (with pork fat), and now Venison Pastrami loaf (with beef fat) to rock and roll with all year long :)


----------



## dwaytkus (Aug 10, 2017)

This looks fantastic!  I'm gonna have to try this for sure.

Points!


----------



## tallbm (Aug 10, 2017)

dwaytkus said:


> This looks fantastic!  I'm gonna have to try this for sure.
> 
> Points!


If you follow what I did I can bet you have a great experience and product :)


----------



## tallbm (Sep 18, 2017)

Just an FYI.  I have beef fat defrosting to grind and I plan to mix and form loaves for 10 pounds worth of Venison Pastrami.  I hope to have it smoked by the end of day tomorrow or at least over night tomorrow night.  I plan on using my 65% Maple and 35% Mesquite blend of pellets because I am out of just 100% maple pellets.   I hope the flavor comes out just as good as the batches I've done with just maple!!!!

I'll post when it is all done :)


----------



## tallbm (Sep 20, 2017)

TallBM said:


> Just an FYI.  I have beef fat defrosting to grind and I plan to mix and form loaves for 10 pounds worth of Venison Pastrami.  I hope to have it smoked by the end of day tomorrow or at least over night tomorrow night.  I plan on using my 65% Maple and 35% Mesquite blend of pellets because I am out of just 100% maple pellets.   I hope the flavor comes out just as good as the batches I've done with just maple!!!!
> 
> I'll post when it is all done :)


Well the Pastrami is made and vac sealed.  I didn't bother taking any pics because it doesn't really look any different.

This time around I smoked with my 65% Maple - 35% Mesquite Louisiana Grills pellet blend and I did not like it as much as going with the Lumberjack 100% Maple pellets I used with my previous smokes.  The bit of Mesquite made things taste beefier than I wanted.  The 100% Maple gives a sweeter softer smoke flavor that allows the seasoning to shine more.

Also I did not weigh my meat and I just took my eight 1 pound bags of pure ground venison and started working with it.  I bet I had close to 9.5 pounds of venison so my seasoning was a little off.  I could have used more pickling spice and juniper berry in this batch but I was kind of in a rush to make all of this and it didn't dawn on me to weigh the meat to make sure I was precisely using 8 pounds and/or to adjust if over.

The last thing is that I think next time I may try a little soy protein for a binder.  The slices want to break on me a little too easily when folding them and handling them at times.  I really don't mind but I am curious to see if adding a little non-dairy based binder (soy) can give me some more flexible slices and help me expand on my ground sandwich meat skills.  I'm hoping a little binder will go a long way  :)

In any case I learned a few things and still produced a great pastrami that definitely beats the crap out of anything you can buy on the sandwich meat wall of a grocery store :)

I hope this info is helpful for any of you out there that are interested :)

Anyhow, the product is still way better then stuff you buy off the shelf at the store and I learned a few things without


----------



## tallbm (Jan 18, 2018)

Ok so I have 15 pounds of ground Venison Pastrami seasoned up, formed in big loaves, wrapped in saran wrap and resting in the fridge for smoking overnight tomorrow night (fri 1/19/2018).

This batch has 2% Soy Protein Isolate added to it so I am hopeful that it fixes the issue where the pastrami wants to break more easily than I like after freezing and defrosting.

I think that when I go to make the pastrami I will cut the giant loaves into much smaller ones.  Much of this meat will be used in salads so I would vac seal little 1 pound loaves and then cube up for salads for the week.  I'l also slice a good amount as well so I know if I solved my problem where it wants to break up some after freezing and defrosting :)

I hope it all works out!


----------



## tallbm (Jan 25, 2018)

tallbm said:


> Ok so I have 15 pounds of ground Venison Pastrami seasoned up, formed in big loaves, wrapped in saran wrap and resting in the fridge for smoking overnight tomorrow night (fri 1/19/2018).
> 
> This batch has 2% Soy Protein Isolate added to it so I am hopeful that it fixes the issue where the pastrami wants to break more easily than I like after freezing and defrosting.
> 
> ...



So my loaves came out tasting amazing again.
The 2% Soy Protein Isolate helped with the issue of the slices breaking up more easily than I like.  They still want to break up some but not nearly as much as before.
I think next time I will try about 2.3% of SPI or so and see if I can get it perfect :)

7.5 pounds were done as thin slices.  The other 7.5 pounds were cubed up for salads.  All 15 pounds will be devoured!!! :)


----------



## muddydogs (Jan 25, 2018)

Mixed up a batch of your pastrami tonight, used antelope, pork fat and nonfat dry milk as a binder. Tomorrow I'm going to stuff it in 4 7/8 (124mm) fibrous cases (well one case as I only did 5 1/2 pounds). Will smoke it on Saturday and see what I get.


----------



## tallbm (Jan 25, 2018)

muddydogs said:


> Mixed up a batch of your pastrami tonight, used antelope, pork fat and nonfat dry milk as a binder. Tomorrow I'm going to stuff it in 4 7/8 (124mm) fibrous cases (well one case as I only did 5 1/2 pounds). Will smoke it on Saturday and see what I get.


Oh man, you are in for a treat!  I hope you have some good pickling spice and didn't skip out on the ground juniper berry.

You will love the stuff!


----------



## muddydogs (Jan 25, 2018)

Nope, I had to order the juniper berries and at the same time I found the fibrous cases so I just had to get a 20 count of them. Hope it turns out great because I have a lot of cases to fill eventually not to mention the 12 oz of juniper berries. Pick up some pickling spice out of the bulk bins at Winco. Used my smoked sea salt in it as well.

Going to smoke it with Lumberjack Mexican spice blended pellets.


----------



## crazymoon (Jan 26, 2018)

tallbm said:


> So my loaves came out tasting amazing again.
> The 2% Soy Protein Isolate helped with the issue of the slices breaking up more easily than I like. They still want to break up some but not nearly as much as before.
> I think next time I will try about 2.3% of SPI or so and see if I can get it perfect :)
> 
> 7.5 pounds were done as thin slices. The other 7.5 pounds were cubed up for salads. All 15 pounds will be devoured!!! :)


TBM, Sounds like you are getting it to perfection! :)


----------



## tallbm (Jan 26, 2018)

muddydogs said:


> Nope, I had to order the juniper berries and at the same time I found the fibrous cases so I just had to get a 20 count of them. Hope it turns out great because I have a lot of cases to fill eventually not to mention the 12 oz of juniper berries. Pick up some pickling spice out of the bulk bins at Winco. Used my smoked sea salt in it as well.
> 
> Going to smoke it with Lumberjack Mexican spice blended pellets.



Ooooooh!  I am so curious about the Mexican spice blend!  I expect a report back on it :)
I think you will be fine and yeah I have a lot of ground juniper berry left over as well hahahaha.  I bought the pickling spice online the same time I ordered ground caraway and the juniper berry.  I had to grind the pickling spice and juniper berry myself with my Magic Bullet flag grinder blade.



crazymoon said:


> TBM, Sounds like you are getting it to perfection! :)


I'm trying.  I'm almost there. I'm guessing 2.3 - 2.5 percent SPI may be the ticket to the perfect slice strength/break level without affecting flavor.
Another thing I have found is that it doesn't hurt to go with overfilled measurements.  So no need to do "level" teaspoons and such.  I prefer it to "mound" over a good amount.  No flavors come out to powerful :)


----------



## muddydogs (Jan 26, 2018)

I have a coffee grind that I use to grind spices, chewed the juniper berry's right up.


----------



## checkdude (Mar 10, 2018)

Hi all. After reading this article I just knew I had to try. And finally did. Got so excited making it I fergot to take photos but for the last one. Now into the fridge to rest till tomorrow. 
	

		
			
		

		
	







	

		
			
		

		
	
can't wait to taste it!


----------



## DanMcG (Mar 11, 2018)

That looks good Checkdude, great color! Cherry smoke?


----------



## checkdude (Mar 11, 2018)

Wasn't sure about cherry so I used apple. It sure smells good! Am going to slice it up later today.


----------



## tallbm (Mar 11, 2018)

Nice work!  I don't how you managed to wait this long without tasting it lol :)


----------



## checkdude (Mar 11, 2018)

Willpower of iron! Not lol. Am just too full from lunch and not able to appreciate the taste. Will have to wait couple of hours. A glass of wine should help the digestion.


----------



## idahopz (Mar 11, 2018)

That looks great!


----------



## checkdude (Mar 12, 2018)

Finely gorgeous around to slice it up.
	

		
			
		

		
	






	

		
			
		

		
	
got a nice pile. Made some before using recipe from Bear but prefer this. Sorry Bear just my taste buds are different. Will see how the taste developed over time. Try it with mayo,mustard, sour kraut, pickles. ..so 
	

		
			
		

		
	






	

		
			
		

		
	
many choices lol.
	

		
			
		

		
	






	

		
			
		

		
	
Got over 100 slices out of the loaf so I'm set. Some to kids and friends to try out and get feedback from.  Thanks again for your recipe and great step by step.


----------



## tallbm (Mar 12, 2018)

checkdude said:


> Finely gorgeous around to slice it up.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I'm glad you enjoy it!  Did you use ground beef or venison and ground beef fat?
I'm still working on getting the slices to hold together a bit better after freezing and defrosting.  Without any binder they wanted to break up a little too easily after freezing and being defrosted.  I added 2% Soy Protein Isolate (SPI) on my last batch and it helped out quite a bit.  I think I'm going to increase my SPI to 2.3% in my next branch and see if that gives the slices perfect strength :)

I love to eat mine as a hot pastrami sandwich with melted swiss cheese and some thousand island dressing.  Basically a Reuben with no sauerkraut :)


----------



## ab canuck (Mar 12, 2018)

Looks great, On to the list of more to try and do....


----------



## checkdude (Mar 12, 2018)

Used ground beef, no fat and 1/2 cup of dry milk  as binder. Sat in the fridge day and a half and the slices held together solid. Could bend completely around without breaking. Am definitely try your way as I have swiss cheese in my fridge.


----------



## checkdude (Mar 12, 2018)

ab canuck said:


> Looks great, On to the list of more to try and do....


You can say that again!  There seems no end to all the different types to try. Hard to say which is my favorite. The hard soppressata or latest boudin are the latest but not the last I'm sure.


----------



## Bearcarver (Mar 12, 2018)

checkdude said:


> You can say that again!  There seems no end to all the different types to try. Hard to say which is my favorite. The hard soppressata or latest boudin are the latest but not the last I'm sure.




Looks Great, Dude!!  Like.
I don't know what of mine you're comparing this to. I never made pastrami.
Only thing I got that looks similar to this is my "Bear Loaf".

Bear


----------



## checkdude (Mar 12, 2018)

bearcarver said:


> Looks Great, Dude!!  Like.
> I don't know what of mine you're comparing this to. I never made pastrami.
> Only thing I got that looks similar to this is my "Bear Loaf".
> 
> Bear


Sorry for not being more clear. I meant the bear loafs


bearcarver said:


> Looks Great, Dude!!  Like.
> I don't know what of mine you're comparing this to. I never made pastrami.
> Only thing I got that looks similar to this is my "Bear Loaf".
> 
> Bear


I'm sorry bearcarver I did not mean to sound negative of anyone. Just an observation of taste.and yes it was your loaf I had in mind. It was perfectly fine just not to my taste. Witch I have been told is sometimes lacking. I'm sure I will attempt it again but change the spice ratio somewhat.


----------



## Bearcarver (Mar 13, 2018)

checkdude said:


> Sorry for not being more clear. I meant the bear loafs
> 
> I'm sorry bearcarver I did not mean to sound negative of anyone. Just an observation of taste.and yes it was your loaf I had in mind. It was perfectly fine just not to my taste. Witch I have been told is sometimes lacking. I'm sure I will attempt it again but change the spice ratio somewhat.




No problem Dude!!
I don't expect everyone's taste to be the same as mine.
I didn't take anything negative out of that.
Yours looks Awesome too!! I "Liked" it.

Bear


----------



## archeryrob (Mar 16, 2018)

Damn, I'm not making the loaf, but I am damn sure going to try those Rueben dogs!! :D

One question though. My thought is to try some raw, frozen and cook in water. To smoke some and re-heat, but I assume im going to have to heat them on the grill and not water to preserve the smoke flavor?

What casings would you use, Collagen or natural? I normally buy from Sausgemaker.com


----------



## tallbm (Mar 16, 2018)

archeryrob said:


> Damn, I'm not making the loaf, but I am damn sure going to try those Rueben dogs!! :D
> 
> One question though. My thought is to try some raw, frozen and cook in water. To smoke some and re-heat, but I assume im going to have to heat them on the grill and not water to preserve the smoke flavor?
> 
> What casings would you use, Collagen or natural? I normally buy from Sausgemaker.com



I'm not real clear on your process but here is what I think would work without issue.

Make some dogs raw and freeze and then cook in water, but you will have no smoke flavor.

Make some dogs and smoke them then freeze them, you will have smoke flavor either way if you grill them or boil them.  Probably a little more smoke flavor if you grill but you should be ok either way.

Make dogs and cold smoke so they are still raw, you should still have smoke flavor if you grill or boil them but probably a little more smoke flavor when grilled.  Again you should be ok either way :)

If you vac seal your raw dogs (cold smoked or full cooked & smoked) you should be able to heat them up in the in hot water in a pot.  This is basically the same thing that Sous Vide people do and you can eliminate the worry about washing away any flavor at all :)

I've only ever used natural castings.  I've used both hog (larger) and sheep (hot dog sized) casings so I can't speak to collagen casings.  I can say that the sheep casings make something more hot dog sized and the hog castings make something much larger size.  It's all your preference but also know that hog casings are easier to work with than sheep casings :)


----------



## Gwanger (Jun 2, 2018)

tallbm said:


> I think your sausage will turn out great!
> 
> I'm not sure how much fat the duck and butt contribute to the overall fat content and ratio of meat to fat but I think you know what you are doing and I'm sure you will crank out something awesome!
> 
> As a matter of fact once I finally get my smoker and such tuned in properly I'm going for the TX holy grail of brisket!  I plan to keep and vac seal all the beef fat for when I process meat after I finish hunting in October.  I usually bring back 5-7 animals and process them all.  I buy pork back fat for making my brats and franks but having some beef fat would be great to do this pastrami mixture.  I have a ton of the seasoning left over that I will likely never use on anything else hahaha.  Stuff like Pickling spice, Juniper Berry, and all this extra ground coriander :)


juniper berries, coriander and pickling spices are all used in German recipes for sausage and meat recipes


----------



## tallbm (Jun 2, 2018)

Gwanger said:


> juniper berries, coriander and pickling spices are all used in German recipes for sausage and meat recipes



That's nice to know.  In 2008 we would hit up a German restaurant about once a week when I was overseas.  I may have to look into making some of those dishes since I might have the seasonings on hand anyhow! :D


----------



## Gwanger (Jun 3, 2018)

tallbm said:


> That's nice to know.  In 2008 we would hit up a German restaurant about once a week when I was overseas.  I may have to look into making some of those dishes since I might have the seasonings on hand anyhow! :D


Talibum, 2 mos back I posted recipe for Kassler ripchen it is in pork posts, this recipe uses all those spices and is a smoked bone in pork loin


----------



## tallbm (Jun 4, 2018)

Gwanger said:


> Talibum, 2 mos back I posted recipe for Kassler ripchen it is in pork posts, this recipe uses all those spices and is a smoked bone in pork loin


I'll be sure to check it out.  My smoker is on vacation until I can figure out how to keep it out of the rain in my new setup.  Well that and when I can finally get some time to actually smoke some food.  I've been so busy I just grab what I can, that isn't fast food, scarf it down and get back to grinding away the day :)


----------



## tallbm (Feb 6, 2019)

Well I updated the recipe to include the seasoning measurements by weight here: https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/pastrami-loaf-with-qview.263815/page-2#post-1716471

I am planning to mix up 30 pounds of my Venison Pastrami this weekend and figured I would weight everything out to get more accurate info for the recipe.  I don't know that I will smoke it all or any of it but I at least will have the meat mixed and everything ready to roll for when I can/want to smoke and make sandwich meat from it! :D 

I am also trying 2.3% Soy Protein Isolate for the binder this time to see if the slices hold up even better after freezing and defrosting.  I think last time I went with 2 or 2.1%.  I read a study where they didn't want to go over 2.3% to avoid affecting taste of the meat so I am giving that a shot and hoping for the best.

I will report back on the binder effectiveness at 2.3% after I cross that bridge.  Enjoy everyone!


----------



## BrianGSDTexoma (Jan 6, 2022)

Would love to try this but have 2 bags labeled roast but they probably only about a pound each if that.  I guess I need to start hunting.  Wish you could just give someone a tag and let them get a deer for you!


----------



## indaswamp (Jan 6, 2022)

BrianGSDTexoma said:


> Would love to try this but have 2 bags labeled roast but they probably only about a pound each if that.  I guess I need to start hunting.  Wish you could just give someone a tag and let them get a deer for you!


You can....it's called crop deprivation tags. But you have to know the farmer to get them...


----------



## TNJAKE (Jan 6, 2022)

Wow I didn't even know this was a thing. Looks absolutely delicious and on my short list! Outstanding


----------



## tallbm (Jan 6, 2022)

BrianGSDTexoma said:


> Would love to try this but have 2 bags labeled roast but they probably only about a pound each if that.  I guess I need to start hunting.  Wish you could just give someone a tag and let them get a deer for you!


I need to get back to hunting as well!
Since 2011, excluding 2020 and 2021, I've been doing paid hunts at MLD properties (Trophy Ranches).  The MLD property lets you use THEIR tags!  They collect info and supply data about their animal populations to the state and the state issues them hundreds of tags that they allow to be utilized by ANY hunters.  These tags do NOT count against your personal tags.  I take 5-7 deer a year this way :)

I don't trophy hunt, I just meat hunt and they charge like $100-$150 per meat deer (does and spikes) and you use their tags.  They are often eager to do this because they manage the land and amount of animals and each year have remove tons of deer to keep their herd healthy and ensure the animal to land ratio makes sense for supporting all of their animals.  Since trophy hunters only want trophy animals, these properties have to remove the other deer themselves... and they love letting meat hunters like me buy hunts early in the season or late in the season.

The cost after trip cost, animal cost, and tip comes out less then may paying for a lease AND I can knock all of my hunting out over 3-5 days and fill my freezer :D

I've really enjoyed these hunts so much more since I don't have time to fool with a lease and then miss time from work to keep it up for hunting.  I get in/out and can do so when I take 2 weeks vacation each year.... when I would take 2 weeks vacation pre-pandemic lol.

Oh, many times a place will force you to shoot pigs or coyotes on sight if you see them.  It helps them manage the land and if they do, they often give you the pigs at no cost.  Gotta love free wild pork :D



indaswamp said:


> You can....it's called crop deprivation tags. But you have to know the farmer to get them...


Man if I knew one I'd be all over it.  People in TX hardly want you on your land for anything and even when you lease it from them to hunt they are often still a pain in the ass.  This is another reason I love doing my meat hunts on MLD properties. 
People won't even let others on their land to shoot the freaking feral hogs that are destroying everything.  Not sure I can blame the land owners in many cases.  Lots of idiots, nut jobs, and plain ignorant folks are out there that don't have proper understanding or respect for firearms.  I'd hate for them to be on my land firing high powered rifles without regard for what they are doing.




TNJAKE said:


> Wow I didn't even know this was a thing. Looks absolutely delicious and on my short list! Outstanding



Yeah it's awesome sandwich meat!  I took a recipe I found making "pastrami brats" and turned it into this sandwich meat concoction :D

Next time I try it, I will use NFDM as my binder in the correct amounts and see if I can solve the freeze and defrost quirk were the meat wants to tear up more easily than I want.

Make it and I bet you will not be disappointed :D


----------



## BrianGSDTexoma (Jan 7, 2022)

tallbm said:


> People in TX hardly want you on your land for anything and even when you lease it from them to hunt they are often still a pain in the ass.


I so miss fishing stock tanks.  Most have to much fish and need to be fished but can't blame them.  The last one owner that let me fish someone left gate open and horse got out.  He said I'm done.  I seen a really nice soil conservation pond west of McKinney with no signs posted.  I thinking of chancing it and fish.  I really not a hunter.  My brothers and Dad were I just never got into it, other than bird hunting, but ate a lot of wild game growing up.


----------



## tallbm (Jan 7, 2022)

BrianGSDTexoma said:


> I so miss fishing stock tanks.  Most have to much fish and need to be fished but can't blame them.  The last one owner that let me fish someone left gate open and horse got out.  He said I'm done.  I seen a really nice soil conservation pond west of McKinney with no signs posted.  I thinking of chancing it and fish.  I really not a hunter.  My brothers and Dad were I just never got into it, other than bird hunting, but ate a lot of wild game growing up.


Yeah it's a shame, people just can't respect things properly.  It ruins it for the few of us that actually can.

If that pond is on public land hell yeah!  If on private land... you are braver than I to walk out there and fish it my friend lol.


----------



## BrianGSDTexoma (Jan 8, 2022)

tallbm said:


> Yeah it's a shame, people just can't respect things properly.  It ruins it for the few of us that actually can.
> 
> If that pond is on public land hell yeah!  If on private land... you are braver than I to walk out there and fish it my friend lol.


Here a pic of it. No house around to ask.  There are several of these.  Wonder how you find out owner?  Its a shame out Tax dollars built these but can't use them. 

FishBrain says 3 Bass been caught here.  I did find this:   Long story... I have read that some of these reservoirs might be public access if the land owner worked with the state to have them stocked. This would require the land owner to allow public access.

But how to find out pretty hard.  I been looking for boat for 6 months now.  Really need to find one!


----------



## BrianGSDTexoma (Jan 8, 2022)

I have 2 lbs venison I can use.  Pulling from freezer.  This sounds just to good not to do.


----------



## tallbm (Jan 8, 2022)

BrianGSDTexoma said:


> Here a pic of it. No house around to ask.  There are several of these.  Wonder how you find out owner?  Its a shame out Tax dollars built these but can't use them.
> 
> FishBrain says 3 Bass been caught here.  I did find this:   Long story... I have read that some of these reservoirs might be public access if the land owner worked with the state to have them stocked. This would require the land owner to allow public access.
> 
> ...




Doing a little googling I came across this info for TX about how to find out who owns a property.  Most counties and offices like this have public websites where you can do your searching.  You can try one of the following methods:


*Visit the Tax Assessors Office* – If there is a property that someone is paying taxes on the county and state will know about it.
*Visit the County Recorders Office* – They are required to maintain public records of all land transfers and ownership. Here you can pull up the deed to the property and find out who currently owns it as well as any previous owners.


----------



## BrianGSDTexoma (Jan 9, 2022)

tallbm said:


> Doing a little googling I came across this info for TX about how to find out who owns a property.  Most counties and offices like this have public websites where you can do your searching.  You can try one of the following methods:
> 
> 
> *Visit the Tax Assessors Office* – If there is a property that someone is paying taxes on the county and state will know about it.
> *Visit the County Recorders Office* – They are required to maintain public records of all land transfers and ownership. Here you can pull up the deed to the property and find out who currently owns it as well as any previous owners.


I going to have to more research on this.  All I have to go by is longitude and latitude.  There are so many of these in the area I would sure like to figure out a way to fish.  I know must owners are going to say no but worth a try.


----------



## BrianGSDTexoma (Jan 9, 2022)

tallbm said:


> Doing a little googling I came across this info for TX about how to find out who owns a property.  Most counties and offices like this have public websites where you can do your searching.  You can try one of the following methods:
> 
> 
> *Visit the Tax Assessors Office* – If there is a property that someone is paying taxes on the county and state will know about it.
> *Visit the County Recorders Office* – They are required to maintain public records of all land transfers and ownership. Here you can pull up the deed to the property and find out who currently owns it as well as any previous owners.


I finally found a map.  Owned by a big Land Company.  They own all that property around there.


----------



## tallbm (Jan 9, 2022)

BrianGSDTexoma said:


> I finally found a map.  Owned by a big Land Company.  They own all that property around there.
> 
> View attachment 521576



Nice!!!
Looks like news is getting better for ya to fish it.

If there is no dedicated land manager on the property or continuously checking the property (highly doubtful) then your chances of being shot by an overzealous idiot are greatly decreased hahaha.

You know how our state laws are written and how people are in our state about finding someone on their property so I'll let you weigh the risk and what possibilities can happen and leave it at that.  
If anyone outside of the state of TX finds this comment or things said here to be odd... just read up on what TX state law allows us to legally do on and with our property.  It's definitely not like some other states :)

When it comes to fishing, I bet there are some good fish in there. If you are respecting the land and the property while on it, then I bet it's like you were never there.  Especially if no one can see you from the road ;)


----------



## BrianGSDTexoma (Jan 9, 2022)

tallbm said:


> Nice!!!
> Looks like news is getting better for ya to fish it.
> 
> If there is no dedicated land manager on the property or continuously checking the property (highly doubtful) then your chances of being shot by an overzealous idiot are greatly decreased hahaha.
> ...


I gonna spend some time this week looking at these.  There is some closer to home.  I will find which house is the owner and ask polity and offer to give them any if they want.  That what I use to do.

Here is couple by me been wanting to fish.  A lot of hats in the pool.  All I want to do is fish dang it!


----------



## tallbm (Jan 9, 2022)

BrianGSDTexoma said:


> I gonna spend some time this week looking at these.  There is some closer to home.  I will find which house is the owner and ask polity and offer to give them any if they want.  That what I use to do.
> 
> Here is couple by me been wanting to fish.  A lot of hats in the pool.  All I want to do is fish dang it!
> 
> View attachment 521614



Well it looks like you have a few options, I hope at least one lands.  Would be nice to have multiple options :D


----------



## BrianGSDTexoma (Jan 17, 2022)

I took out about 2.5 lbs of venison and some beef fat.  Getting ready to knock this one off the list.


----------



## tallbm (Jan 17, 2022)

BrianGSDTexoma said:


> I took out about 2.5 lbs of venison and some beef fat.  Getting ready to knock this one off the list.


Nice!  Grind, season, form, and smoke!
Should be good :)


----------



## BrianGSDTexoma (Jan 18, 2022)

tallbm said:


> Nice!  Grind, season, form, and smoke!
> Should be good :)


Do you do one grind?  Never ground venison.  I normally do a coarse grind than a fine grind.  I will be using  NDFM for a binder.


----------



## tallbm (Jan 18, 2022)

BrianGSDTexoma said:


> Do you do one grind?  Never ground venison.  I normally do a coarse grind than a fine grind.  I will be using  NDFM for a binder.


I only do 1 grind, somewhere between fine and coarse but closer to fine than coarse.  Can't remember my plate size.  NDFM will be fine just put the appropriate amount as it is a different amount than Soy protein isolate amounts.

You should be good to go :)


----------



## BrianGSDTexoma (Jan 19, 2022)

So far so good.  Good thing venison was heavy as there was a lot of blood. I did account for water weight in cure.  Probably not needed just the way I roll  Fry test was amazing taste. Wow just like  Pastrami and not even sat yet.


----------



## tallbm (Jan 19, 2022)

BrianGSDTexoma said:


> So far so good.  Good thing venison was heavy as there was a lot of blood. I did account for water weight in cure.  Probably not needed just the way I roll  Fry test was amazing taste. Wow just like  Pastrami and not even sat yet.
> 
> View attachment 522741
> View attachment 522740
> View attachment 522739


Oooooh the suspense is building!  I'm glad you are liking the fry test.  I have a feeling it will come out good for ya :)
Soon you will be looking for ways to score some more venison and beef fat :P
Pro tip.  Give your hunting buddies a little of this when done and they will likely be gifting you meat to make some for them lol


----------



## BrianGSDTexoma (Jan 19, 2022)

tallbm said:


> Oooooh the suspense is building!  I'm glad you are liking the fry test.  I have a feeling it will come out good for ya :)
> Soon you will be looking for ways to score some more venison and beef fat :P
> Pro tip.  Give your hunting buddies a little of this when done and they will likely be gifting you meat to make some for them lol


I am a little concern about the MES40.  Everytime I press power on I get an err.  I press it again and it works. I have it heating to 100 right now to test my tray wih some old LJ competition dust to make sure going to burn OK.  I tempted to just let it go at 100 all night but than again I had that time heater did not shutoff.  I know time for a PID.


----------



## tallbm (Jan 19, 2022)

BrianGSDTexoma said:


> I am a little concern about the MES40.  Everytime I press power on I get an err.  I press it again and it works. I have it heating to 100 right now to test my tray wih some old LJ competition dust to make sure going to burn OK.  I tempted to just let it go at 100 all night but than again I had that time heater did not shutoff.  I know time for a PID.


Oh man I hope it holds out for this smoke after all the work youve put in hahaha.

Yeah sounding like PID time is coming :)

Fingers crossed!


----------



## BrianGSDTexoma (Jan 20, 2022)

Well this sucks.  Knew I should of left on.  ERR1 and wont go away.  I may have to just do in the pellet.

After watching a youtube took a hair dryer to it and go it up!  I will be looking at the PID mod!!!


----------



## mattkm (Feb 15, 2022)

Glad I came across this thread! I love pastrami, and have lots of venison (lucky 2 years in a row now, after a good slump)!
I have a couple questions though. The stepping up of the smoker temps, is it totally necessary? Can it be cut down some steps?
I have a UDS, a stick burner offset, and a stick burner smoke house, it would be pretty tough in any of the 3 to get that accurate in steps and times like that.  Might be a fun challenge for the offset though if is necessary.


----------



## tallbm (Feb 15, 2022)

mattkm said:


> Glad I came across this thread! I love pastrami, and have lots of venison (lucky 2 years in a row now, after a good slump)!
> I have a couple questions though. The stepping up of the smoker temps, is it totally necessary? Can it be cut down some steps?
> I have a UDS, a stick burner offset, and a stick burner smoke house, it would be pretty tough in any of the 3 to get that accurate in steps and times like that.  Might be a fun challenge for the offset though if is necessary.


You could probably fudge on the stepping up a little bit.  Like maybe start at like 130F and then bump up to like 150F and then to final temp... maybe.

The process is the sausage smoke process.
The process is meant to avoid melting the fat out by not shocking the fat to hard with heat temps raising.

You definitely must mind the max temps though.

This will be hard for you to do in your UDS and stick burners. You know your setups so you can try and figure out which one would work best.

In all this is not some magical process I came up with, it's simply the sausage process and is done for very specific reasons :)


----------



## mattkm (Feb 16, 2022)

I should be able to get close, just maybe not exact temps, and exact times, but should be able to slowly step it up with my offset, especially in the cold of winter. It would be hard to keep it low in the summer. 
The challenge will be fun! I'll make sure I have lots of beer ready!


----------

