Kosher Doshers Koshcuterie {kosh-koo-tur-ee}: Prime Tri-Tip Pastrami

You can say I have an obsession with cured meats, and when I saw this prime Tri-Tip, and yes, I mean USDA PRIME meat staring at me in the meat section, I just had to buy it!!!! First, I just love Tri-Tip, and it's prime, so how can any rational person who claims to love food resist purchasing this gorgeous piece of meat. I have made Pastrami many times before, and it's my hope that with every tweak to the recipe, I get closer to the Pastrami Nirvana. Don't get me wrong, all the other Pastrami's I made came out great but not perfect. I have made them from Duck, Lamb, Beef, and Veal. Now it's time to include different cuts too.

Instructions for Cure use

In a skillet, I toasted Grains of Paradise, Coriander, Juniper berries, All Spice, Whole Cloves, Mustard seeds, and Bay-leaf, then ran through a spice mill. Be careful not to burn!! All you want is a little heat to release some of the wonderful oils and perfumes that are trapped inside.

Next, combine with everything else except salt and cure. I personally like to add salt and cure together and apply first, then add the rest of the ingredients. Make sure you get it into every nook and cranny. All Vacuumed Sealed up and will be flipped every day for 12 days. After curing, I will rinse the now "corned beef" and apply the rub. The Pastrami will be cold smoked for 5 hours.

The Pastrami will be SV for 10 hours at a 133-degree water temp. This Tri-Tip is more tender than a brisket, so it needs less time in SV. After the Sous-Vide, I will refrigerate overnight (optional) and apply a light rub and Hot smoke to form a better bark. When I say hot smoke, I am talking about 180 degrees or below.

After 12 days, this is what it looks like.

Rinse off and ready for the next step.

The meat is all done curing and is ready for the next step. Rinse the meat off very well and apply the Rub. The Rub should stick to the Tri-Tip because the meat is cold and wet.

Remember only to apply about 60% or so of the rub and reserve a little for the additional smoke after the Sous-Vide.

Rub Applied

The pastrami will be cold smoked at the current ambient temp outside (47 degrees), which is not a factor during the winter. If it was summer, I would use ice to cool off the smoker. I will be using Apple pellets for the wood and will smoke for about 5 hours. I use a cold smoking device called A-MAZE-N-PELLET-SMOKER.

A-MAZE-N-PELLET-SMOKER.

After the cold smoking process, the Tri-Tip will be SV at 133 degrees for 10 hours. After the thermal bath, I will either refrigerate overnight or proceed to the hot smoke. The goal is to HOT smoke between 175-180. Smoking low and slow produces the best smoke. I will probably smoke them for several hours until meat hits 133-135 degrees.

It's all done. Let's recap and list specifics. Tri-Tip cured for 12 days. Cold Smoked for 5 hours. SV at 133 for 10 hours. Refrigerated overnight. Hot smoked at 180f degrees for 4 hours until the internal temp hit 133f. Steamed till perfection, sliced, and I made a sandwich. Overall it came out great. I need to cut back on the Rub a bit.