After a comment about my homemade hand cream not being homemade because I used storebought ingredients, I always feel like I need to preface anything “homemade” with a bit of a disclaimer since I didn’t really raise the beef, didn’t grow the bay leaves, didn’t dig the salt out of the salt mines . . but I still feel like this is “homemade” pastrami since I didn’t buy the finished product at the grocery store.
A while back, Chad called and asked if I had ever made my own pastrami. No! I had not. I love that young man for so many reasons but I especially love how much he loves to cook and try new things. He sent me a link to this video and that’s the recipe he used. I watched that one but then I found Michael Ruhlman’s recipe. Because I love his Charcuterie book, and because I was using a whole brisket instead of a flat corned beef, I went with his recipe for the brining.
Then I kinda switched over to the recipe that’s in the video Chad used for the desalinating, seasoning, smoking and steaming.
Pastrami
We had reuben sandwiches last night.
Reuben Sandwich
The one place in town that we like to eat is McAlister’s and we always get the reuben. I think I may have just cooked myself out of ever getting to go out and eat again! 🙂
Donna says
Rueben is my favorite sandwich. Yours looks really good!
Sandie says
I’ve been waffling back and forth about getting a smoker, and I think this may have been the thing that pushes me over the edge! The husband loves Pasteami and I love to cook, so he just might be okay with the idea too. Thanks Judy!
Sue B says
I say the same as you. I don’t have to grow the wheat to make homemade bread. I love your blog, look forward to reading it every day.
Toni Macomb says
It is unfortunate that you have to preface the blog with the comments about “homemade”. People can be so petty. I am amazed by all the wonderful things that you do and I consider them “homemade” You have been a good sport about those negative comments. I might not be as kind. Cheers to you!
Rebecca in SoCal says
I agree with Toni. 🙂 It puts me in mind of a time at a quilt auction when a buyer was asking “and these are all hand-made?” and I started waffling and explaining that machines were used, when a fellow quilter pointed out that John Q. Public there really meant individually, personally made. This was at a time when hand-quilters sometimes looked down their noses at machine quilting. JQP probably couldn’t have told the difference.
DonnainKS says
We eat a lot of turkey pastrami; rueben sandwiches. I think I will stay with buying it! True story: we have the annual Mennonite Relief Sale…set of parents had decided to buy a quilt for each of their adult children…..Mom bid and got one….it turned out to be machine quilted. She was still of the opinion that was inferior. Next year she studied quilts better ahead of time for the auction and purchased a hand quilted one. The daughter was gifted the second quilt and offered the first “if you want it”. I had a long chat with the daughter about acceptance of machine quilting in today’s world. JQP, indeed!
Sharon Eshlaman says
I don’t care you didn’t raise the beef, etc…..ha ha…..looks delicious! Yum!