My stepdaughter bought a "corned beef" brisket that is packed in
liquid, with a packet of spices- about 2-3 pounds, net weight. She is
bringing it over this evening (Friday) for me to cook on Saturday for
dinner for all of us. She wants to make reuben sandwiches with it. What
is the best way to prepare the brisket? Obviously, it's wouldn't be the
same as beef brisket, cooked low and slow for 14+ hours, or would it?
I'm thinking of grilling it on my CharGriller, using indirect heat. I'd
put the charcoal grate on it's lowest setting, put the lump to one far
side, and the corned beef brisket to the other far side, adding wood
chips occasionaly. I figure it'd take about 4-6 hours this way. What do
you think? Would this method work? What, if any, changes would you
recommend to the method I'm considering? I really don't want to cook it
inside, in a slow cooker. However, if that is the best way, I'll cook
it that way. Please give me your opinions and recommendations for
cooking a "corned beef" brisket that will be used to make reuben
sandwiches.

Thanks, I appreciate your help!

JimnGin

JimnGin wrote:

> My stepdaughter bought a "corned beef" brisket that is packed in
> liquid, with a packet of spices- about 2-3 pounds, net weight. She is
> bringing it over this evening (Friday) for me to cook on Saturday for
> dinner for all of us. She wants to make reuben sandwiches with it. What
> is the best way to prepare the brisket? Obviously, it's wouldn't be the
> same as beef brisket, cooked low and slow for 14+ hours, or would it?
> I'm thinking of grilling it on my CharGriller, using indirect heat. I'd
> put the charcoal grate on it's lowest setting, put the lump to one far
> side, and the corned beef brisket to the other far side, adding wood
> chips occasionaly. I figure it'd take about 4-6 hours this way. What do
> you think? Would this method work? What, if any, changes would you
> recommend to the method I'm considering? I really don't want to cook it
> inside, in a slow cooker. However, if that is the best way, I'll cook
> it that way. Please give me your opinions and recommendations for
> cooking a "corned beef" brisket that will be used to make reuben
> sandwiches.
>
> Thanks, I appreciate your help!


You can Q it for sure. You won't end up with corned
beef, you'll have something much better: pastrami. I
prefer to cure the meat myself but you can get by with
a store bought product like the one you describe.

The corned beef stuff you get at the supermarket is usually
very salty, so you should give it a soak to remove some
of it. A cold water bath for a few hours with at least
one change of water.

Dry it off and rub it with your mix of choice. Traditional
for pastrami is ground coriander and black pepper, but
use whatever rub you like for beef.

Smoke the same as for brisket, around 250 F until
185-190 F internal. As with brisket, cooking times
vary a lot. The best way to judge is by internal temp
and, better yet, the fork test.

--
Reg

"JimnGin" > wrote in message
> She wants to make reuben sandwiches with it. What
> is the best way to prepare the brisket? Obviously, it's wouldn't be the
> same as beef brisket, cooked low and slow for 14+ hours, or would it?

Why would it NOT be? It is a brisket, it is cured, it is going to be tough
as is.


> I'm thinking of grilling it on my CharGriller, using indirect heat. I'd
> put the charcoal grate on it's lowest setting, put the lump to one far
> side, and the corned beef brisket to the other far side, adding wood
> chips occasionaly. I figure it'd take about 4-6 hours this way. What do
> you think? Would this method work?

Could work. YOu have to get the internal temperature up to about 1809 or so
for it to be tener. Don't go too long since i tis trimmed and has less fat.

> I really don't want to cook it
> inside, in a slow cooker. However, if that is the best way, I'll cook
> it that way. Please give me your opinions and recommendations for
> cooking a "corned beef" brisket that will be used to make reuben
> sandwiches.

How authentic do you want to be? Corned beef for Ruebens is simmered for a
long time to make it tender. If you grill or smoke it, it becomes closer to
pastrami. Season it with coriander and black pepper for that. Both are
good but I tend to make pastrami rather than just corning the beef. Rinse
it well, even soak it in fresh water for a while to get rid of excess salt.

In ,
Reg > typed:
> JimnGin wrote:
>
>> My stepdaughter bought a "corned beef" brisket that is packed in
>> liquid, with a packet of spices- about 2-3 pounds, net weight. She
>> is
>> bringing it over this evening (Friday) for me to cook on Saturday
>> for
>> dinner for all of us. She wants to make reuben sandwiches with it.
>> What
>> is the best way to prepare the brisket? Obviously, it's wouldn't be
>> the
>> same as beef brisket, cooked low and slow for 14+ hours, or would
>> it?
>> I'm thinking of grilling it on my CharGriller, using indirect heat.
>> I'd
>> put the charcoal grate on it's lowest setting, put the lump to one
>> far
>> side, and the corned beef brisket to the other far side, adding
>> wood
>> chips occasionaly. I figure it'd take about 4-6 hours this way.
>> What do
>> you think? Would this method work? What, if any, changes would you
>> recommend to the method I'm considering? I really don't want to
>> cook it
>> inside, in a slow cooker. However, if that is the best way, I'll
>> cook
>> it that way. Please give me your opinions and recommendations for
>> cooking a "corned beef" brisket that will be used to make reuben
>> sandwiches.
>>
>> Thanks, I appreciate your help!
>
>
> You can Q it for sure. You won't end up with corned
> beef, you'll have something much better: pastrami. I
> prefer to cure the meat myself but you can get by with
> a store bought product like the one you describe.
>
> The corned beef stuff you get at the supermarket is usually
> very salty, so you should give it a soak to remove some
> of it. A cold water bath for a few hours with at least
> one change of water.

Right!
I'd use several water baths, changing the water every four to six
hours between. Do as many baths as you can in the time you have.

>
> Dry it off and rub it with your mix of choice. Traditional
> for pastrami is ground coriander and black pepper, but
> use whatever rub you like for beef.

I like to cake on the coriander and black pepper. If there's too
much, you can trim it off after it's cooked. If you don't have
enough, the flavor will be lacking. I really like to "corn" my own
brisket first, but smoking a store-bought corned beef brisket is what
got me started doing it myself. Well, that *and* Jack Curry
describing his do-it-all-at-home Pastrami.

>
> Smoke the same as for brisket, around 250 F until
> 185-190 F internal. As with brisket, cooking times
> vary a lot. The best way to judge is by internal temp
> and, better yet, the fork test.

I like to use oak and/or hickory.

BOB

JimnGin wrote:
> Please give me your opinions and recommendations for
> cooking a "corned beef" brisket that will be used to make reuben
> sandwiches.
This is somewhat similar to the recent discussion of a Philly
Cheesesteak sandwich. If you smoke the corned beef brisket, you don't
have the meat you need for a traditional Reuben.

The best bet for a traditional Reuben is to follow the instructions on
the package. Cook for a fairly long time, in a humid environment. A
slow cooker works well, as does a pot on the stove.

That isn't to say that pastrami isn't better... that's a value judgment
each of us to make on our own. I like corned beef a lot... especially
with cabbage!

Mike

--
....The irony is that Bill Gates claims to be making a stable operating
system and Linus Torvalds claims to be trying to take over the world...

Mike Avery mavery at mail dot otherwhen dot com
part time baker ICQ 16241692
networking guru AIM, yahoo and skype mavery81230
wordsmith

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

> Could work. YOu have to get the internal temperature up to about 1809 or so
^^^^
Is this Celsius or Fahrenheit?

> for it to be tener. Don't go too long since i tis trimmed and has less fat.

On Fri, 01 Sep 2006 10:04:06 -0700, "Dana H. Myers"
> wrote:

>Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
>
>> Could work. YOu have to get the internal temperature up to about 1809 or so
> ^^^^
>Is this Celsius or Fahrenheit?
>
>> for it to be tener.

That depends on whether you want the brisket to be tener.

--
"Danked," the past participle of "dank", is used to refer to someone
who replies to his own post on an online forum posing as another person
(see "Internet sock puppet") but forgetting to change his username . . . .
This was an act of stupidity meriting a name of its own, and because the hapless
contributor's username was Danks, the term "dank" or "danked" emerged.
-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danked

" BOB" > wrote in message
news
> In ,
>
> I like to cake on the coriander and black pepper. If there's too
> much, you can trim it off after it's cooked. If you don't have
> enough, the flavor will be lacking. I really like to "corn" my own
> brisket first, but smoking a store-bought corned beef brisket is what
> got me started doing it myself. Well, that *and* Jack Curry
> describing his do-it-all-at-home Pastrami.
>

BOB, I'm planning on another of Jack's pastrami cooks within the next week
or two.

I've got the meat. I've got the cure. I've got the fridge space. All I need
is some fair weather.

Graeme....BTW, have you seen the new garlic SPAM?

"Dana H. Myers" > wrote in message
. ..
> Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
>
>> Could work. YOu have to get the internal temperature up to about 1809 or
>> so
> ^^^^
> Is this Celsius or Fahrenheit?

It is only 1349 on the rankine scale

>
>> for it to be tener. Don't go too long since i tis trimmed and has less
>> fat.

Sheez, bad day for typing. Tener should have been tenor so you can sing
along as the meat cooks.

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

> Why would it NOT be? It is a brisket, it is cured, it is going to be tough
> as is.

> Could work. YOu have to get the internal temperature up to about 1809 or so
> for it to be tener. Don't go too long since i tis trimmed and has less fat.

> How authentic do you want to be? Corned beef for Ruebens is simmered for a
> long time to make it tender. If you grill or smoke it, it becomes closer to
> pastrami. Season it with coriander and black pepper for that. Both are
> good but I tend to make pastrami rather than just corning the beef. Rinse
> it well, even soak it in fresh water for a while to get rid of excess salt.

Thanks, Ed, and everyone else for your responses. My back has been
giving me fits tonight, so I'm going to forgo the grill tomorrow, and
let my step-daughter cook it in her slow cooker. However, I definetely
want to try it another time when the back is cooperating, on the grill,
and make pastrami!

Thanks again, everyone! I appreciate it!

JimnGin

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
>
>> How authentic do you want to be? Corned beef for Ruebens is simmered for a
>> long time to make it tender. If you grill or smoke it, it becomes closer to
>> pastrami. Season it with coriander and black pepper for that. Both are
>> good but I tend to make pastrami rather than just corning the beef. Rinse
>> it well, even soak it in fresh water for a while to get rid of excess salt.
I said just about the same thing in another post. But as soon as I
mentioned "Didja know what pastrami is? It's smoked corned beef!" to my
wife, she came home from the market with a corned beef, and some country
style pork ribs. With that and the lamb that is thawing in the fridge,
I believe that the smoker will be full on Monday.

Mike

--
....The irony is that Bill Gates claims to be making a stable operating
system and Linus Torvalds claims to be trying to take over the world...

Mike Avery mavery at mail dot otherwhen dot com
part time baker ICQ 16241692
networking guru AIM, yahoo and skype mavery81230
wordsmith

On 1-Sep-2006, "JimnGin" > wrote:

> My stepdaughter bought a "corned beef" brisket that is packed in
> liquid, with a packet of spices- about 2-3 pounds, net weight. She is
> bringing it over this evening (Friday) for me to cook on Saturday for
> dinner for all of us. She wants to make reuben sandwiches with it.

Key here is that she wants to make reuben sandwhiches with it.

>What
> is the best way to prepare the brisket? Obviously, it's wouldn't be the
> same as beef brisket, cooked low and slow for 14+ hours, or would it?

No, it wouldn't.

> I'm thinking of grilling it on my CharGriller, using indirect heat. I'd
> put the charcoal grate on it's lowest setting, put the lump to one far
> side, and the corned beef brisket to the other far side, adding wood
> chips occasionaly. I figure it'd take about 4-6 hours this way. What do
> you think? Would this method work? What, if any, changes would you
> recommend to the method I'm considering?

Given that you want to make reuben sandwiches with it and you want
it to actually taste like corned beef, there's only one way to do it and
acheive that effect.. It must be braised with the seasoning packet
(Pickling spice) in the liquid.

>I really don't want to cook it
> inside, in a slow cooker. However, if that is the best way, I'll cook
> it that way. Please give me your opinions and recommendations for
> cooking a "corned beef" brisket that will be used to make reuben
> sandwiches.
>
> Thanks, I appreciate your help!
>
> JimnGin

Sorry that I am too late to help you out. I've cooked a lot of such
corned beef's. We really like them at my hourse. It's one of those
products that warms over extremely well and there is zero waste.

--
Brick(Too soon old and too late smart)

wrote:
> On 1-Sep-2006, "JimnGin" > wrote:

> Key here is that she wants to make reuben sandwhiches with it.

> Given that you want to make reuben sandwiches with it and you want
> it to actually taste like corned beef, there's only one way to do it and
> acheive that effect.. It must be braised with the seasoning packet
> (Pickling spice) in the liquid.

> Sorry that I am too late to help you out. I've cooked a lot of such
> corned beef's. We really like them at my hourse. It's one of those
> products that warms over extremely well and there is zero waste.
-
> Brick(Too soon old and too late smart)

Actually, it's not too late- she forgot to cook it, and as I said
earlier, I decided not to grill/smoke it, as my back was hurting like
hell. I guess we're having it on Labor Day, and she's cooking it in her
slow cooker. Her husband wants a traditional reuben. She has the
brisket in the fridge, soaking in water. On Monday, she's going to cook
it all day in a slow cooker. How much water should she put on it-
enough to cover, or just enough to keep it from drying out? I'm
assuming that she should add the seasoning/pickling packet to the water
at soon as she starts cooking it- correct?

Thanks,

JimnGin

JimnGin wrote:
snip

Traditional corned beef is steamed is what I have deduced. I have a
recipe for corned beef / pastrami off the recipe site razzle dazzle.com
and they steamed it for about two hours I think then cover the brisket
like a tent, not touching , suspended over a roasting pan, and actually
used smoldering brown sugar for the smoke!

--
Regards,

Piedmont

The Practical Bar-B-Q'r at: http://web.infoave.net/~amwil/Index.htm

The Secret American Government: http://tinyurl.com/rbwbz

On 3-Sep-2006, "JimnGin" > wrote:

> wrote:
> > On 1-Sep-2006, "JimnGin" > wrote:
>
> > Key here is that she wants to make reuben sandwhiches with it.
>
> > Given that you want to make reuben sandwiches with it and you want
> > it to actually taste like corned beef, there's only one way to do it and
> > acheive that effect.. It must be braised with the seasoning packet
> > (Pickling spice) in the liquid.
>
> > Sorry that I am too late to help you out. I've cooked a lot of such
> > corned beef's. We really like them at my hourse. It's one of those
> > products that warms over extremely well and there is zero waste.
> -
> > Brick(Too soon old and too late smart)
>
> Actually, it's not too late- she forgot to cook it, and as I said
> earlier, I decided not to grill/smoke it, as my back was hurting like
> hell. I guess we're having it on Labor Day, and she's cooking it in her
> slow cooker. Her husband wants a traditional reuben. She has the
> brisket in the fridge, soaking in water.

Some have complained of corned beef being to salty, but I've never
had a problem with it. I just unwrap it, rinse it briefly under the
faucet and put it in a just large enough pot.

>On Monday, she's going to cook
> it all day in a slow cooker. How much water should she put on it-
> enough to cover, or just enough to keep it from drying out?

I add just enough water
to cover it and the spice pack.

> I'm
> assuming that she should add the seasoning/pickling packet to the water
> at soon as she starts cooking it- correct?

If there's no spice pack, add a tsp of pickling spice from the store
spicerack.

>
> Thanks,
>
> JimnGin

You're welcome. I usually serve it with sourkraut and boiled potatos even
though SWMABO won't touch the kraut.
--
Brick(It isn't rocket science)

wrote:

> Some have complained of corned beef being to salty, but I've never
> had a problem with it. I just unwrap it, rinse it briefly under the
> faucet and put it in a just large enough pot.

Too salty for smoking. I haven't heard that complaint with regard to
braising or poaching. Cooking in water does a fine job of removing
the excess salt.

--
Reg

On 3-Sep-2006, Reg > wrote:

> wrote:
>
> > Some have complained of corned beef being to salty, but I've never
> > had a problem with it. I just unwrap it, rinse it briefly under the
> > faucet and put it in a just large enough pot.
>
> Too salty for smoking. I haven't heard that complaint with regard to
> braising or poaching. Cooking in water does a fine job of removing
> the excess salt.
>
> --
> Reg

Learn something everyday. I've never smoked one, so I don't know
about that.
--
Brick

Graeme...in London typed:

> BOB, I'm planning on another of Jack's pastrami cooks within the
> next week
> or two.
Great idea. I need to look back and print out Jack's "recipe" and
keep it close by. It may or not be "authentic", but it sure does make
great eats and is the simplist that I've read.
>
> I've got the meat. I've got the cure. I've got the fridge space. All
> I need
> is some fair weather.
It's finally beginning to cool a little. Not enough to smoke cheese
(my Stump's Smoker and three of the Kamados were up to over 180°F,
just sitting in the Florida sunshine) but it is cooling
>
> Graeme....BTW, have you seen the new garlic SPAM?
Not yet. I might even buy some of that and try it, grilled, or maybe
even smoked.

BOB