I have searched many sources for authentic corned beef/pastrami and gave
up! Too many conflicting ingredients and procedures. So I finally got
off my butt and opened the good ole stand by - Joy of Cooking, cookbook.

Corned Beef

This salted beef actually has nothing to do with corn but got its name
in Anglo-Saxon times when a granular salt the size of a kernel of
wheatcorn of course to a Briton was used to process it. To corn,
combine:

4 quarts hot water
2 cups coarse salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons pickling spice
1-1/2 teaspoons saltpeter or sodium nitrate,

When cool, pour over;

A 5-lb. piece of beef: brisket or tongue
which has been placed in a deep enameled pot or stoneware jar. Add:

3 cloves garlic
Weigh meat to keep it submerged, and cover pot.

Cure in refrigerator 3 weeks, turning meat every 5 days.

To cook for corned beef, wash under running water to remove surface
brine; Cover with boiling water and simmer, allowing about 1 hour per
pound, or until a fork can penetrate to center. Always slice corned beef
thin.

For Pastrami

To convert the corned beef to pastrami, do not boil, the meat must be
smoked. After brining wash under running water to remove surface brine,
commercial pastrami is cooked entirely by hot smoking. At 320 degrees
for 6 top 7 hours, using plenty of oak and or hickory chips.

I bought a jar of McCormick Pickling Spice and the ingredients were as
follows, cinnamon, allspice, mustard seed, bay leaves, ginger, chillies,
cloves, black pepper, mace, cardamom and sulfiting agents.
--
Regards, Mike (Piedmont)

http://groups.msn.com/ThePracticalBa...ewwelcome.msnw



--
Rec.food.recipes is moderated by Patricia Hill at .
Only recipes and recipe requests are accepted for posting.
Please allow several days for your submission to appear.
Archives: http://www.cdkitchen.com/rfr/ http://recipes.alastra.com/