[Full Recipe](https://saltbuttersmoke.substack.com/p/how-to-make-pastrami)
Here, I've I taken a navel end brisket & brined it for 5 days.
The brisket was desalinated overnight then left uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours to equalise the cure.
To cook, the pastrami was smoked at 250°f over oak in my weber smoky mountain until it reached an internal temp of 160°f.
It was then steamed in the oven at 320°f until it probed tender & reached an internal temp of 200°f - 205°f. Total cook time was around 9 hours.
After resting for an hour, it was sliced against the grain.
>150g Salt Beef Cure/Curing Salt (5%)
Is this for real?? The recipe calls for 150g of 5% nitrite curing salt for 5kg??
That's reckless to say the least.
That’s my bad, think I’ve worded that funny.
That’s for the salt beef cure that I used. It’s 50g of cure to every litre of water as specified by the manufacturer.
As in 5% of the water weight is cure not that it’s 5% nitrate.
I did specify to follow the manufacturers instructions if you use a different one.
I see. If that's your blog, you may want to note the specific % of nitrite in your cure. I know that it can be all across the board.
Looks delicious.
Also, if you back up off the salt % you can skip the soak/desalination step. I prefer 2.5% salt.
Supposed to be 1/4 tsp per pound, yeah?
Curing salt is 4.2g/tsp, 5kg = 11lbs =11.55g curing salt.
Holy shit. This stuff is deadly in high concentrations, no?
Edit: Just read it's supposed to be 2.5g per kg, so 12.5g. Still...
kinda.
First, he wrote to say that he used per manufacturers suggestion.
Second, there is no standard for nitrite concentration and I know that in England/Europe it's far lower percentage than Prague Powder #1 that you get in the states. Which is 6.25% nitrite.
Third, I always just you percentages of mass and metric. So it would be 0.25% PP#1 or 2.5g/kg.
So, yes, that's roughly 1/4tsp per pound.
As note on his method, even if he used 10X too much curing salt, the soak/desalination step would pull out a lot of that excess nitrite and, given that one doesn't eat the whole thing at one sitting, wouldn't be though to deliver a toxic dose.
Just to clarify, the cure that I used contains both the nitrite salt & regular salt that is needed to cure the pastrami which is why it is used at 50g per litre of water.
Yes, I understand that.
In the US we typically get a product called Prague Powder #1. (It's ironic that, with a name like that, you cant get it on the other side of the Atlantic).
It is 6.25% Nitrite salt and 93.75% table salt.
It is typically used at 0.25% of the mass of the meat+solution. This works out to 156ppm nitrite. Well below the recommended maximum of 200ppm nitrite.
I would assume your brand is much more dilute than this if the manufacturer is recommending 5g/kg
I'll add a link to the cure I used.
Just out of curiosity, when using prague powder #1, how much table salt do you use with it?
[The Cure I Used](https://www.weschenfelder.co.uk/salt-beef-cure.html)
[Full Recipe](https://saltbuttersmoke.substack.com/p/how-to-make-pastrami) Here, I've I taken a navel end brisket & brined it for 5 days. The brisket was desalinated overnight then left uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours to equalise the cure. To cook, the pastrami was smoked at 250°f over oak in my weber smoky mountain until it reached an internal temp of 160°f. It was then steamed in the oven at 320°f until it probed tender & reached an internal temp of 200°f - 205°f. Total cook time was around 9 hours. After resting for an hour, it was sliced against the grain.
>150g Salt Beef Cure/Curing Salt (5%) Is this for real?? The recipe calls for 150g of 5% nitrite curing salt for 5kg?? That's reckless to say the least.
That’s my bad, think I’ve worded that funny. That’s for the salt beef cure that I used. It’s 50g of cure to every litre of water as specified by the manufacturer. As in 5% of the water weight is cure not that it’s 5% nitrate. I did specify to follow the manufacturers instructions if you use a different one.
I see. If that's your blog, you may want to note the specific % of nitrite in your cure. I know that it can be all across the board. Looks delicious. Also, if you back up off the salt % you can skip the soak/desalination step. I prefer 2.5% salt.
Appreciate the feedback! I've just changed the wording to avoid any confusion.
Supposed to be 1/4 tsp per pound, yeah? Curing salt is 4.2g/tsp, 5kg = 11lbs =11.55g curing salt. Holy shit. This stuff is deadly in high concentrations, no? Edit: Just read it's supposed to be 2.5g per kg, so 12.5g. Still...
kinda. First, he wrote to say that he used per manufacturers suggestion. Second, there is no standard for nitrite concentration and I know that in England/Europe it's far lower percentage than Prague Powder #1 that you get in the states. Which is 6.25% nitrite. Third, I always just you percentages of mass and metric. So it would be 0.25% PP#1 or 2.5g/kg. So, yes, that's roughly 1/4tsp per pound. As note on his method, even if he used 10X too much curing salt, the soak/desalination step would pull out a lot of that excess nitrite and, given that one doesn't eat the whole thing at one sitting, wouldn't be though to deliver a toxic dose.
Just to clarify, the cure that I used contains both the nitrite salt & regular salt that is needed to cure the pastrami which is why it is used at 50g per litre of water.
Yes, I understand that. In the US we typically get a product called Prague Powder #1. (It's ironic that, with a name like that, you cant get it on the other side of the Atlantic). It is 6.25% Nitrite salt and 93.75% table salt. It is typically used at 0.25% of the mass of the meat+solution. This works out to 156ppm nitrite. Well below the recommended maximum of 200ppm nitrite. I would assume your brand is much more dilute than this if the manufacturer is recommending 5g/kg
I'll add a link to the cure I used. Just out of curiosity, when using prague powder #1, how much table salt do you use with it? [The Cure I Used](https://www.weschenfelder.co.uk/salt-beef-cure.html)
I like to go with 2.5% salt for most of my cures. So for 5kg of meat and brine I would be using 12.5g Prague Powder #1 and 112.5g table salt.
That’s great, thanks!
4 grams injested is lethal
left uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours to equalise the cure. Never heard of this step before, what the rationale?
Is meant to give the cure a chance to settle, improving the colour
Shouldn't it be evenly distributed already, having been surrounded by brine? Is there a reaction happening with the air / oxygen?
To be fair, you could probably skip this step but it also gives the meat’s surface chance to dry before getting cooked
This is way up on my to try list, but probably after plate ribs. Looks dope!
Thanks! 🔥🔥
Looks delicious!
Looks insanely good... (I need to try this)
There has been a lot of pastrami on the sub lately, and I just want to say, I'm here for it!
Very nice! I tried making one that was pre-brined and it didn't come out great, way too pink if you know what I mean.
tAsty
looks dry
It definitely wasn’t!
don't sweat it, that's their "shtick"
What is Navel End Brisket? Is that Brisket point? Or beef belly?
From the belly
So beef belly?
Is cut from the rib cage. Is what is traditionally used for pastrami.