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Robert
 
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Default pastrami on the Traeger

1 picture on alt.binaries.food, same Subject

Decided to have a go at pastrami on my Dad's Traeger Lil Tex
(pellet smoker-grill). The recipe on the virtual weber site
was my guideline. Steps as follows:

1) trip to Penzeys for fresh peppercorns, coriander,
granulated garlic (Mpls uptown).
2) stopped at my local butcher in a search for curing
salts. He ended up just giving me a 1/2 cup from the back
room. Gotta love the butcher shop.
3) Drove to Duluth for the weekend (Dad & Sister live there)
4) pick up a 6# brisket flat at Mt Royal Fine Foods (Duluth
neighborhood). At least I think it was a flat, it was more
rectangular than triangular.
5) The brisket appeared to be in pretty good trim already,
so I put together the dry cure (curing salts, black pepper,
coriander, dark brown sugar, granulated garlic).
6) coated the brisket, double zip-locked it, and set it in
the lowest back corner of little Sisters spare refrigerator
in her basement.
7) extensive training of the sister and nephew on the
twice-daily turning of the brisket.
7a) post several 'TURN THE BRISKET' signs throughout the
house.
8) went home, came back a week later.
9) rinse, soak, rinse, soak, rinse, pat dry
10) rub the now-cured brisket. Cracked black pepper, ground
coriander, granulated garlic, thyme. Those blade type
coffee grinders that are only OK at grinding coffee are
GREAT for pepper and coriander. little Sister's kinda mad
at me, though.
11) Up the hill to Woodland (yet another Duluth
neighborhood) to Mom & Dad's. Load up the hopper with
Alder, fire it up on high. Once the dome temp gauge cruises
thru 220, flip it to smoke (the lowest setting).
12) outside temp today is mid 60's, not windy, the Traeger
is fairly stable swinging between 190 and 210 all day
(according to the dome thermometer). Every couple of hours
or so, you have to smooth over the pellets in the pellet
hopper, it is a gravity feed to an auger, and tends to
develop a caldera. We're only burning about 1/2 pound an
hour, but I usually top off the hopper anyways (hey, there
isn't much else to do with these things)
13) I have the Taylor temp probe gadget in the middle of the
flat and the alert temp set for 165. I'm moving about 10
degrees an hour until I hit 159. Big plateau. Took a full
two hours to start moving again.
14) It finally hit 165 at 5pm, seven hours pretty much to
the minute, took it off, double foiled it, stuck it in my
big styro cooler.
15) First slice at 7pm. Gorgeous. Succulent. Intensly
flavored. Everyone praises me. I am a genius.
16) Leave token amounts with little Sister and Mom & Dad and
abscond with the rest to the Twin Cities.
17) This barbecue stuff is easy.

robert