quote:

Originally posted by Ashphalt

Traditional New England method is to simmer on the stovetop, approximately 1 hour per pound. For sandwiches you may want to press the meat (maybe overnight), refrigerated, with a plate on top and something to weigh it down. Pressing squeezes out some of the water and permits thinner slicing.

Depends on your supplier, but the commercially prepared corned beef we get in this area tends be be on the salty side for dry cooking.

Good tip – never heard of the pressing before. Corned beef brisket is on my shopping list for my next trip to the groc.

quote:

Originally posted by V960

I simply cook one in about four to six quarts of water. I do add extra bay leaves and pickling spice to the pot. SIMMER for three to foour hours.

I think that’s the way to go too, otherwise I would think it would be way too salty. Use the water then to boil potatoes and onions and cut up meat for homemade hash, or throw in carrots and cabbage and make a boiled dinner. Fred

I simply cook one in about four to six quarts of water. I do add extra bay leaves and pickling spice to the pot. SIMMER for three to foour hours.

IMO the slow cooker isn’t the way to go with a commercial corned beef. These things are full of salt and the only way I’ve ever had them come out good is simmered in 8 – 12 qts of water.

I’d really like to hear how it comes out whenever she does cook it. Especially if done in the crockpot.

Hoping it comes out good.

MikeS.

quote:

Originally posted by bbqjimbob

quote:

Originally posted by MikeS.

bbqjimbob, so how was it? How did she cook it?

MikeS.

Unfortunately, she forgot to put the corned beef brisket in the slow cooker before going out of town for most of the day, so we ended up ordering pizza instead. I guess we’re going to her place on Monday for the reubens. Thanks for asking, anyways!

I hate it when that happens. Fred

bbqjimbob, so how was it? How did she cook it?

MikeS.

I think we’re all on the right track. I’ve always heard that pastrami is not as fully-brined as corned beef, and then packed in a spice mixture (think rub) before being lightly smoked. Good pastrami always has that thin layer of spice on the outside.

I like the suggestions that you soak a corned beef before smoking. I was going to suggest earlier that a corned beef has some similarities to a full-salt country ham and eating a thick wad of it straight from the smoker might be a little rough. Like ham, also, modern processing (and chemicals) have created lower-salt commercial products than we had 30-40 years ago.

As an aside, here in the Boston area we can sometimes get "gray" or "barrel gray" corned beef. Typically only around St. Paddy’s Day. It’s a no-nitrate product and so cooks up to a gray shade. Shelf-life isn’t really much more than fresh meat. But it’s a real treat, more like an internally-seasoned pot roast than what we’re used to as corned beef.

Anyway, it’s cold and gray here, remnants of Ernesto. You’ve all got me thinking of corned beef.

quote:

Originally posted by smokinokie

pb, how is it not Pastrami? Pastrami is a corned brisket that’s been smoked. Maybe it’s splitting hairs, but grilled corned beef wouldn’t be Pastrami,so maybe that’s what you meant. Just throw some wood chips in and you’ll have Pastrami.

Take a corned beef, do like PB said and soak it to get the salt out, that’s the key, the slow smoke it, long enough for the smoke to do it’s thing, but not long enough to dry/toughen it up.

Here’s an exerpt from bbq.about.com:
http://bbq.about.com/cs/barbecuetips/a/aa022302a.htm

quote:

The basic method for making pastrami from scratch is to start with a mostly trimmed beef brisket. If you buy a trimmed brisket at the store or butcher it will have no layer of fat on it. For the best results, it is best to have a very thin layer of fat on your brisket to make pastrami, about 1/4 inch. This means separating the flat and the point. For those of you who don’t have a lot of experience with brisket, a whole brisket is actually two pieces of meat separated by a thick layer of fat that are referred to as the flat and the point. From this point you need to corn the beef. This is done in several different ways. The easiest and safest in my opinion is to use a brine. The salt-water brine preserves the meat and gives it the texture that we would call corned beef. The basic brine consists of water, enough salt to float an egg and seasonings like black pepper, coriander, juniper berries, garlic, etc. People who make their own pastrami usually end up with a recipe unique to them. The beef brisket should remain in the brine stored in a cold, dark place for anywhere from seven days to three weeks. You do need to regularly check on the meat and turn it to prevent spoilage.

Once you have corned beef you need to rinse the meat off. If you have brined it for a long period of time, like three weeks you might want to soak it overnight in fresh water to lift some of the salt out. Now, apply a rub and place it in a smoker. The old fashioned way of preparing pastrami is to cold smoke it. This will give it a more pastrami like texture, but not that many people have the smokehouse to do this. A modern, "hot" smoker will do the trick. Smoke your brisket for about 45 minutes to an hour per pound. Keep this part in mind when selecting a brisket. A ten-pound brisket can take 10 hours to smoke. Once the meat has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees it is done. You do not need to smoke pastrami as long as you would a regular brisket. The long brining time will make the meat tender.

Smokin’

I was under the impression that pastrami has more spices (black peppercorns, coriander) than corned beef but, if it’s nothing more than smoked cb, then I guess I’ve been making pastrami. pb

me too Michael-my friend gave me a fresh head of cabbage from her garden, and i am heading to the store for a corned beef-one big pot and we have dinner!!!

Damn all this talk about corned beef. I just got back from the store with a corned beef brisket and a head of cabbage. Tomorrow night: corned beef and cabbage for dinner. Monday: corned beef hash.

We are talking about sandwich meat, folks, not fancy smoked brisket.If the outcome is to be reubans, of the very simple kind, simmer, simmer, simmer!!!!!!!!!If you want pastrami, or anything else, go for the q!![:(!]

pb, how is it not Pastrami? Pastrami is a corned brisket that’s been smoked. Maybe it’s splitting hairs, but grilled corned beef wouldn’t be Pastrami,so maybe that’s what you meant. Just throw some wood chips in and you’ll have Pastrami.

Take a corned beef, do like PB said and soak it to get the salt out, that’s the key, the slow smoke it, long enough for the smoke to do it’s thing, but not long enough to dry/toughen it up.

Here’s an exerpt from bbq.about.com:
http://bbq.about.com/cs/barbecuetips/a/aa022302a.htm

quote:

The basic method for making pastrami from scratch is to start with a mostly trimmed beef brisket. If you buy a trimmed brisket at the store or butcher it will have no layer of fat on it. For the best results, it is best to have a very thin layer of fat on your brisket to make pastrami, about 1/4 inch. This means separating the flat and the point. For those of you who don’t have a lot of experience with brisket, a whole brisket is actually two pieces of meat separated by a thick layer of fat that are referred to as the flat and the point. From this point you need to corn the beef. This is done in several different ways. The easiest and safest in my opinion is to use a brine. The salt-water brine preserves the meat and gives it the texture that we would call corned beef. The basic brine consists of water, enough salt to float an egg and seasonings like black pepper, coriander, juniper berries, garlic, etc. People who make their own pastrami usually end up with a recipe unique to them. The beef brisket should remain in the brine stored in a cold, dark place for anywhere from seven days to three weeks. You do need to regularly check on the meat and turn it to prevent spoilage.

Once you have corned beef you need to rinse the meat off. If you have brined it for a long period of time, like three weeks you might want to soak it overnight in fresh water to lift some of the salt out. Now, apply a rub and place it in a smoker. The old fashioned way of preparing pastrami is to cold smoke it. This will give it a more pastrami like texture, but not that many people have the smokehouse to do this. A modern, "hot" smoker will do the trick. Smoke your brisket for about 45 minutes to an hour per pound. Keep this part in mind when selecting a brisket. A ten-pound brisket can take 10 hours to smoke. Once the meat has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees it is done. You do not need to smoke pastrami as long as you would a regular brisket. The long brining time will make the meat tender.

Smokin’

I’ve cooked corned beef in my smoker a number of times and it has always turned out great. It is essential though to soak it for a couple of days with 4 or 5 changes of water. It’s not pastrami, but it’s better (imo) than plain corned beef and it makes fantastic Reubens. pb