shaggy, how long of a process is this supposed to be?

next time i will make pastrami ... this time it is corned beef and cabbage

took me a total of 11 days

10 days of curing -> 1 day of soaking in cold water


i stuck it in a crockpot last night and this morning it was done ... personally i am not a fan of corned beef ... but my wife loves it, so mostly, i made it for her

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i only did a 3 pound chunk of brisket ... might take a few more days if i did a full size 15-pound brisket

.... but now that i have done it, i know how i will alter it for pastrami

5-10 pounds of meat (brisket or shoulder roast)
non-iodized salt - 3 cups
salt peter - 1 tablespoon
paprika - 5 tablespoons
black pepper - 5 tablespoons
bay leaves - 3 crumbled leaves
crushed red pepper - 4 tablespoons
all-spice - 2 tablespoons
brown sugar - 1/4 cup
garlic powder - 1/8 cup
water - 2 quarts

boil spices in 1 quart of water until is dissolves (for the most part)

cool off the mixture with the other quart of water (works well if you use ice) --- got to get the temp down below 60 degree's before you put the meat in it

put the mixture/meat in a tupperware container --- put something on top to weigh it down so it is totally submersed --- IT HAS TO BE TOTALLY SUBMERSED

stick in the fridge and let is set for 2 days per pound (no need to exceed 3 weeks) .. flip the meat over once or twice a week

after brining, soak the meat in fresh water for a day - changing out the water once or twice

Corned Beef:
boil it for 3-4 hours to tenderize etc.... or crockpot it overnight


Pastrami:
make a pepper/spice rub
smoke it on a barbecue pit on very very low heat until it gets a nice bark on it

slice it super thin


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the reading i have done says that as long as you keep this meat free from bacterial contaminants, it should be good in the fridge for up to a year

 

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How did it taste? Was it worth the trouble vs the stuff you get in the grocery?

How did it taste? Was it worth the trouble vs the stuff you get in the grocery?

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i honestly don't know --- i've only had corned beef once and that was 15 years ago ... i'll get my wifes opinion on it ... she is the corned beef fan ... i think we are having it for supper tonight

 

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finally got the wife to try it

she liked it ... said it was good, then gave me a few flavor pointers

made creamed beef with it this morning and she loved it

 

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