Chuck Roast Pastrami

[RustyJake]

This showed up on my news feeds today and I thought I would post it here as it seems like a simple way to do a pastrami without using a brisket

Chuck Roast Pastrami - Easy Pastrami Recipe:

I haven't tried this yet. I currently have a brisket and a half brining in a corned beef brine to smoke into some pastrami next week. I was going to use Meathead's recipe and then got this recipe from Thermoworks in an email

How to Make Pastrami (Start to Finish) For Homemade Pastrami Sandwiches

Pastrami is cured, spiced, and smoked brisket that isn't just for sandwiches! Get the recipe, key temps & tips you need for perfect pastrami.

blog.thermoworks.com

Hoping this is good because I'm committed now lol

 

[Slimpicker]

I don't understand how the same amount of pink salt can do a 5-12lb flat...
pink curing salt is supposed to be very specific measured for the amount of meat.

I've never used it before for that reason, I've never gotten straight answers for amounts.

Jake, you use it, that's great. I need to take the leap.

 

[RustyJake]

I don't understand how the same amount of pink salt can do a 5-12lb flat...
pink curing salt is supposed to be very specific measured for the amount of meat.

I've never used it before for that reason, I've never gotten straight answers for amounts.

Jake, you use it, that's great. I need to take the leap.

I wouldn't use an aluminum pan like he did in that recipe. Most recipes I see call for a non-reactive container. I would use a bag, ceramic, or plastic for containing the brining process.
I would never use 2 tablespoons of the pink salt cure on 3 lbs of meat. I know Mortons make a quick cure, so those amounts may differ.
The brisket recipe I am using called for 2 teaspoons for 4-5 lbs meat. There is a calculator for getting the exact amount for your cure at the meathead site

The Science Of Curing Meats Safely

Curing meat is not like any other recipe. You must be pretty precise about some ingredients.

amazingribs.com

But I have found if you keep to his weight to cure ratio in his posted recipes it has been pretty consistent.
I used a calculator for doing my bacon last time and it was perfect for salt and cure.

 

[Slimpicker]

I have Instacure pink #1, and I have Morton's Tender Quik also.

BTW, according to that page, how do you know how much liquid you are using?? Just enough to cover the brisket??

 

[RustyJake]

Because there are dry brines, I guess that wasn't included in that calculator. I know there is one that calculates liquid too. I'll look for that one and post a link later. That part I have relied on whatever recipe I am using. Meathead's seem to use a gallon of water for 4-5 lbs of meat. The recipe from Thermoworks was more liberal with the weight.
I used 2 gallons for my 13 lbs of brisket I have brining now

 

[RustyJake]

At the bottom of the page, but it does require the liquid volume from the original recipe. If you didn't have that I would believe it would be safe to assume that there needs to be enough to cover the meat sufficiently.

"The Science Of Curing Meats Safely" https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/salting-brining-curing-and-injecting/curing-meats-safely/
This calculator you don't need to know a specific amount of water, just a % of volume you want to achieve. A lot of times the calculators will have a standard % already entered. This calculator allows you to adjust the ppm for salt within the government guidelines for safety
"nitrite curing calculator" https://genuineideas.com/ArticlesIndex/nitritecuringcalculator.html

And another
"Meat Curing Calculator Tool – Equilibrium Curing & Brining | Eat Cured Meat" https://eatcuredmeat.com/meat-curing-calculator-tool-equilibrium-curing-brining/

Water looks to be a variable similar to the meat weight. The calculators allow you to adjust water volume. Their calcs keep you within the desired ppm saturation/pink salt ratio.

 

[Slimpicker]

I got my homework to do. THNX Jake

 

[RustyJake]

I got my homework to do. THNX Jake

My last 3 attempts at brining stuff like this have gone quite well.
First couple of times I just grabbed recipes off of the web and used them. Didn't pay a lot of attention to the amount of salt vs. meat being done. Those were okay for the most part. My first attempt at bacon last spring had me rinsing and soaking for hours to get the salt down. My last attempt using the calculator for bacon just required a rinse and it was perfect.
Aside from the extra work involved in this type of meats, it is pretty easy to do. I find the end results very rewarding

 

[Slimpicker]

So have you done a dry cure yet??? There is a way to dry cure a venison roast, but the whole rub uses only 1/3 Tsp of #1... how the **** do you spread 1/3 Tsp of powder over a large roast!!??? I guess the rub becomes larger in amount when you mix in the salt and sugar, then it's easier?

Well, like I said, I got homework to do. I got frozen Deer meat still, but I do wanna make the perfect pastrami from a brisket flat so hope i get the balls to do it.

 

[RustyJake]

So have you done a dry cure yet??? There is a way to dry cure a venison roast, but the whole rub uses only 1/3 Tsp of #1... how the **** do you spread 1/3 Tsp of powder over a large roast!!??? I guess the rub becomes larger in amount when you mix in the salt and sugar, then it's easier?

Well, like I said, I got homework to do. I got frozen Deer meat still, but I do wanna make the perfect pastrami from a brisket flat so hope i get the balls to do it.

The bacon I have done is a dry rub as well as the MontrealSmoked Meat. You are correct, by the time you get the other ingredients mixed in, you have a lot more. The magic happens when you seal it up. The salt draws out moisture from the meat as the brine works its way in. It quickly turns into a wet brine. For bacon, you turn it daily. Same with the Montreal Smoked Meat recipe, the whole brisket is dry brined. By the end of the brine you have about 1/4 cup of liquid brine from the process.
Although the dry brine starts out dry, it doesn't end that way

 

[Slimpicker]

https://meatwave.com/recipes/montreal-smoked-meat-recipe ????

 

[RustyJake]

This is the one I have used 3 times now

montreal smoked meat - glebe kitchen

Montreal smoked meat on rye is the king of sandwiches. If you have a smoker and want to taste something truly wonderful you can make this at home.

glebekitchen.com

I haven't been let down by following the amounts of spice and salts in it. My briskets were relatively close to the recipe every time.
It is also a dry brine

 

[Slimpicker]

This is the one I have used 3 times now

montreal smoked meat - glebe kitchen

Montreal smoked meat on rye is the king of sandwiches. If you have a smoker and want to taste something truly wonderful you can make this at home.

glebekitchen.com

I haven't been let down by following the amounts of spice and salts in it. My briskets were relatively close to the recipe every time.
It is also a dry brine

That one looks more correctly prepared from what I've seen... I can do this!!

 

[RustyJake]

That one looks more correctly prepared from what I've seen... I can do this!!

And when it comes to steaming at the end......may I suggest splitting the point and flat and using the sous vide at 165°F for 20-24 hours.....
I found the end results on the sous vide much better than steaming. I didn't split mine last time and used a big ziploc storage bag and it leaked at about 15 hours in. I am going to sous vide my pastrami after the initial smoking to 165.

 

[Slimpicker]

And when it comes to steaming at the end......may I suggest splitting the point and flat and using the sous vide at 165°F for 20-24 hours.....
I found the end results on the sous vide much better than steaming. I didn't split mine last time and used a big ziploc storage bag and it leaked at about 15 hours in. I am going to sous vide my pastrami after the initial smoking to 165.

So it's smoke till 165°, frig over night?? and then sous vide at 165??? not 190 or 200??? The meat never gets to 200?