Up Next: Pastrami

With the curing box is temporarily shut down I needed a new project. As my grandfather always used to say, "When all else fails, consult the manual". Dry curing is out, but what about brining or smoking? Pastrami it is!

I have been reading The River Cottage Meat Book. Initially, I was a little put off by the long section exploring the morality of eating meat and the social contract between man and animals. I never have had any angst over meat before. My hunting experience is limited, but I learned to hunt believing that you never shoot anything you aren't planning to eat. Also, I spent some time with my college roommate at his uncle's farm when it was time to slaughter the family pig. They thought I'd be squeamish (His uncle's nickname for me was "City"), and were genuinely surprised when I jumped right in with the meat saw. When I finally trudged through the morality play in River Cottage, I came away more concerned about the quality of meat I am buying than about whether it was OK to eat meat. Maybe that was the point all along. After some introspection, I decided that cheap grocery store meat might be to blame for the failure of my Saucisson Sec.

I live near the Uptown Whole Foods in New Orleans. The patron's are very much the eco-conscious crowd. The store even offered a Vegan King Cake during Mardi Gras if that tells you anything. I am not so eco-conscious. However, I do like good food. I maybe the only customer in that store that goes there specifically to buy AA Grade eggs and Black Forest Bacon. (They also have one of the better cheese counters in town, but not as good as Dorignac's.) So I decided that if I was going to make pastrami, I was going to do it right. I had the butcher at WF trim out a grass-fed brisket for me. I prepared the brine according to Mr. Ruhlman's instructions and am waiting to crust and smoke this weekend. Pictures and a taste test to follow as soon as I find a decent Rye or Pumpernickel.

Now back to reading River Cottage.

David