Pastrami & Corned Beef Sandwiches Via Meals On Wheels

[butterisbetter]

Butter is Better Restaurant is now offering Sandwiches made with our Homemade Pastrami and our Homemade Corned Beef via Meals on Wheels. This is the same stuff that used to be at Mighty Moe's.

Prices start at 110 Baht for a Leaner Corned Beef on Rye up to 210 Baht for a Reuben Sandwich made with traditional (rich) Corned Beef or Pastrami.

Still no luck making a palatable celery tonic. But Ginger Ale is a good second choice and that we have.

[tolstoy]

do you use sodium nitrite (prague powder) or potasium (salt petre)?

I love a good corned beef but really try to stay away from salt petre cures which a lot of old timers still use.

[butterisbetter]

do you use sodium nitrite (prague powder) or potasium (salt petre)?

I love a good corned beef but really try to stay away from salt petre cures which a lot of old timers still use.

I'm afraid I do use a combination of the sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate (instead of saltpetre aka potassium nitrate. the FDA in the USA outlaws the use of saltpetre because it's not as effective a bactericide as sodium nitrate). The reason I use these chemicals is that there is a small possibility of the botulism bacteria growing inside the meat. Although it is extremely unlikely given that the cure I use is slightly acidic. The botulism bacteria can't grow in an acidic environment. Furthermore, the botulism toxin can't survive high heat. Since the meat has to be steamed for at least 2 hours to tenderize it, the toxin wouldn't survive anyway.

Supposedly,the nitrite/nitrate compounds play an important role in the flavor of corned beef. I don't know since I've never eaten it without. It does keep the meat its characteristic red color. Without the nitrite and nitrate, it would turn brown.

As I write this, I seem to be talking myself into at least making a small experimental batch nitrate-and-nitrite-free corned beef and pastrami. I would also make myself the first guinea pig. If I do it with leaner beef, the cure would take about 10 days. I wonder if anyone is interested in this apart from you and me. I mean, no one is ever going to confuse corned beef and pastrami with health food. I don't think that even my ancestors suffered from that delusion. Still, I think it's worth trying.

Anyway, thanks for the comment. I'll let you know if I survive. So if you don't hear from me, feel free to suspect the worst.

[tolstoy]

I am a little surprised that you said both nitrite and nitrate. Nitrates as you probably know are for slow dry cures not for cooked end product. I have used prague powder 1 which is just sodium nitrite. Yes, that is what makes it red and without it will turn out to be more like roast beef. You could possible cure for less time if you pump it. It is kind of a pain if you don't use brisket but it really aids in the cure.

I will give yours a try. I warn you though I am quite picky, but will give you the bennefit of the doubt and leave an open mind and a clean pallate. I am surprised that the reuben is almost double that of corned beef is it really that much more time consuming to make?

[butterisbetter]

I am a little surprised that you said both nitrite and nitrate. Nitrates as you probably know are for slow dry cures not for cooked end product. I have used prague powder 1 which is just sodium nitrite. Yes, that is what makes it red and without it will turn out to be more like roast beef. You could possible cure for less time if you pump it. It is kind of a pain if you don't use brisket but it really aids in the cure.

I will give yours a try. I warn you though I am quite picky, but will give you the bennefit of the doubt and leave an open mind and a clean pallate. I am surprised that the reuben is almost double that of corned beef is it really that much more time consuming to make?

I make 2 kinds of corned beef: Traditional and leaner. For the traditional corned beef I use a traditional rich brisket.It packs a lot of flavor because it's full of brisket fat. Chefs often use brisket fat in meat dishes because it's so flavorful. But rich brisket costs more to start out with and loses a lot of the fat in the steaming. So it's going to cost more than leaner corned beef.

For the leaner corned beef I use a bottom round instead of a lean brisket. I tried lean brisket. It's very dry and because it has little fat, it also doesn't have a lot of flavor. Anyway, bottom round starts out cheaper and because it has less fat to lose in the steaming process, has a higher yield. It also has a surprisingly good flavor. Much moister than lean brisket. I do start out with good quality bottom round. Not local grass fed beef which I imagine would be super lean and not much fun to eat.

Still, I prefer the traditional corned beef (or pastrami) made with rich brisket. I imagine you would too.

As for nitrite vs. nitrate. Corned beef was traditionally made with potassium nitrate (saltpetre). Potassium nitrate (or sodium nitrate) are food for certain bacteria. They degrade it into potassium nitrite (or sodium nitrite). This is the stuff that does the actual preserving. But if the meat is kept at too cold a temperature, the bacteria are deactivated and no curing takes place. So I use the nitrates only as an insurance policy if the meat gets too warm in the refrigerator.

The other problem with nitrates is that if you fry food that is made with them, the nitrates turn into nitrosamines. Which are potent carcinogens. Occasionally I make corned beef hash. Which is fried. But I use corned beef that is cured with nitrites only. No nitrates.