Posted on 01/22/2014 11:31:04 AM PST by nickcarraway
In the kingdom of cured meats, bacon and ham tend to hog the glory but think beyond pork and ponder pastrami. The brined, spiced and smoked beef variety can lend big flavor to many dishes, in a starring role or as an accent.
The variety of pastrami choices in Dallas has never been greater. Besides the old-school, New York deli pastrami that’s sold nationwide, there’s the really old-school pastrami that’s devoid of chemical preservatives and made in small batches. The latter is enjoying a renaissance among locavores from Brooklyn to Dallas. Just as small-batch cheeses stand a world apart from processed cheese, handmade pastrami is a big upgrade from the preservative-laden cold cut sold in packages. You don’t have to make your own to enjoy the good stuff; you can buy it — a blessing, since it takes days to cure and lots of fridge space.
Pastrami’s roots go back to the Ottoman Empire, when meats were salt-cured, spiced and air-dried. It was first called pastirma, which many say morphed into the Romanian pastrama (prepared with duck or veal), and later, the beef pastrami that Jewish immigrants made an American deli sensation. Peppercorns and coriander seeds are the traditional seasonings that encrust pastrami, lending a spicy kick to the salty, smoked meat. Brisket and beef navel are common cuts for making pastrami, and turkey is the most common non-beef variation.
At LUCK (Local Urban Craft Kitchen), chef Daniel Pittman calls his version “a Texas-style pastrami.” The brisket is brined for three days in a garlic- and pickling-spice-infused liquid, coated in spices and mesquite-smoked for 12 to 15 hours.
At Bolsa Mercado, chef Justo Blanco gives brisket a five-day cure in a seasoned brine before rubbing it with spices and cooking. “We smoke it in small chunks for a more aggressive
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
I like pastrami, but you’d have to be on drugs to think it could replace bacon.
No, nay, never.
True. I like Pastrami, but I do not see it going well with bisquits and gravy, eggs, or even enjoying a PLT instead of a BLT.
Pastrami & Swiss on rye with BA-TAMPTE deli mustard..... YUM!
A replacement for bacon?
Not bloody likely.
Almost.
It's Pastrami and Provolone on [Pumpernickel] Rye that's YUM!
BACON IS SUPREME!
Where is the blasphemer! Bring the infidel forth!
I find pastrami to be the most sensuous of all the salted, cured meats.
A hot pastrami sandwich on an old fashioned bulkie roll is to die for.
.
I like pastrami a lot more than bacon. Bacon’s never excited me very much, it’s OK as a garnish but just was never really a meat in its own right for me. Pastrami, especially kosher, is a pillar of life for me.
An order of Pastrami on top of a Cheesburger. Is memorable give it a try.
“True. I like Pastrami, but I do not see it going well with bisquits and gravy, eggs, or even enjoying a PLT instead of a BLT.”
Used to eat pastrami and eggs for Sunday breakfast.
I use pastrami as a substitute for bacon in my scrambled eggs and faux egg mcmuffin.just for a little variety. The hot pastrami, provolone, mustard on an onion roll is to die for.
Two thick, seasoned burger patties—each weighing in at 1/3 pound—form the core of this heavyweight that further tips the scales with a heap of warm, salty grilled pastrami (a treat in itself), cheese, bacon, a fried egg and thick-cut onion rings. Miraculously, the flavors all work together
Secondly, what can replace the sound and smell of frying bacon in the morning? Even gets the dogs up early.
Bacon is the new pastrami. Show pastrami a bit more respect.
Yea, but you forgot the mustard. Can’t have a good pastrami/corned beef & whatever, on anything, w/out a proper mustard.
I’m not sure. Send samples and I’ll decide.
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