http://www.savethedeli.com/2007/07/25/the-great-pastramismoked-meat-experiment-on-egullet/ Dedicated to the preservation of all salted and cured Judaic meats Thu, 09 Sep 2010 10:51:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1 http://www.savethedeli.com/2007/07/25/the-great-pastramismoked-meat-experiment-on-egullet/#comment-1225 extramsg Thu, 26 Jul 2007 23:16:11 +0000 http://www.savethedeli.com/2007/07/25/the-great-pastramismoked-meat-experiment-on-egullet/#comment-1225 btw, I actually changed our recipe based on their feedback. Those LTH folks are hardcore Chicago foodies. btw, I actually changed our recipe based on their feedback. Those LTH folks are hardcore Chicago foodies.

]]> http://www.savethedeli.com/2007/07/25/the-great-pastramismoked-meat-experiment-on-egullet/#comment-1226 extramsg Thu, 26 Jul 2007 23:19:40 +0000 http://www.savethedeli.com/2007/07/25/the-great-pastramismoked-meat-experiment-on-egullet/#comment-1226 I should add one more thing. It's not hard to make pastrami at home if you have a smoker of any kind. You can start with grocery store uncooked corned beef. You have to rinse it well. A couple submerged in cold water a couple times will do it. (Boiling corned beef reduces the saltiness, but smoking it increases the saltiness.) Then you just have to smoke it. I'd suggest smoking it to about 180 degrees, then steaming it to just tender. You want it tender enough that it can be sliced about a quarter inch thick, but not so tender that it just falls apart. I'll give you a hint for telling good pastrami from mediocre: the mediocre places slice super thin, like Carnegie, because they haven't taken the care to make theirs tender enough that they don't have to. They're cheating! I should add one more thing. It’s not hard to make pastrami at home if you have a smoker of any kind. You can start with grocery store uncooked corned beef. You have to rinse it well. A couple submerged in cold water a couple times will do it. (Boiling corned beef reduces the saltiness, but smoking it increases the saltiness.) Then you just have to smoke it. I’d suggest smoking it to about 180 degrees, then steaming it to just tender. You want it tender enough that it can be sliced about a quarter inch thick, but not so tender that it just falls apart. I’ll give you a hint for telling good pastrami from mediocre: the mediocre places slice super thin, like Carnegie, because they haven’t taken the care to make theirs tender enough that they don’t have to. They’re cheating!

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