The Great Triangle (NC) Pastrami-off

[brokegradstudent]

So, my lunch today was the house-cured, house-smoked pastrami that Jeff (Saxapahaw General Store) and Damon (ex-BBQ Joint) collaborated on. Ate it at home, heated up with Lusty Monk mustard (Asheville) on La Farm miche.

It blew my mind. I'm going to say I liked it more than Neal's (which I LOVE).

In another thread, some time ago, I suggested the Triangle had a critical mass of good pastrami, but now the field is even more crowded. Can someone talk to the organizers of one of the big foodie events like TerraVita or Farm to Fork and convince them to incorporate some sort of smoked meat competition into their festivities?

[cervisiam]

better than andy magowan's (piedmont, now geer street)?

[Tom from Raleigh]

Well...I'm also interested in the pastrami served at that new deli in Raleigh. I have easy access to both Neal's Deli and The Pig.

Perhaps this calls for a more formal investigation. Several of us could meet someplace central that would support that sort of thing - Fullsteam comes to mind immediately. We could have a meat meeting or a pastrami tasting

If this sounds interesting, let's continue the discussion on the google group. [e-mail]

[bbqme]

I'm game! I ran into Sam Suchoff, the owner of The Pig, at Cliff's the Saturday before last and lamented that his pastrami was missing the last two times I was there. He said it's back on the menu now. As for Andy's pastrami, I liked it better at Piedmont. The version I've had at Geer St. was a bit too fatty. Certainly is moist though-- much more moist than at Neal's or The Pig's. I guess fat and moisture is a tricky tradeoff. Lastly, it was said in the new North Raleigh deli thread that pastrami from Neal's or The Pig's wasn't NY Jewish deli style pastrami, but making your own versus just slicing something somebody else made scores points with me. I haven't had pastrami in NYC but I have had the pastrami sandwich at Zingerman's in Ann Arbor, which has a strong reputation of its own as a Jewish deli, and I thought Neal's and The Pig's pastrami comes pretty darn close.

[Rory]

Having grown up on pastrami, I'll say Neals is close but lacks...I think the cure isn't spicy enough & good pastrami has to be fatty. And you need fragrant rye bread & deli mustard. It's all very hard; hmm I need to try The Pig, Making your own, I agree is definitely superior.

[chazzer]

Was thinking of making my own, any suggestions on recipes

[porker]

NY Pastrami's cousin; Montreal Smoked Meat (MSM).
To me MSM is a tastier, bolder version of pastrami. Some (pastrami die-hards)may argue Montreal smoked meat's "old fashioned spice blend" is too strong, but I disagree (of course I grew up on it, just like NYers on pastrami...).
FWIW, I posted a pretty good recipe here.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/794033

[Rory]

chazzer; more power to you, I'll see if I can find anything in my cookbooks

[Tom from Raleigh]

Chacuterie by Michael Ruhlman has a recipe. Looks like a good one. It's wet brined and smoked. Ruhlman says the cut to start with is the plate, a cut below the breast or shoulder, b/c it's fattier.

[Rory]

Sorry my go to is Mimi Sheraton, she has a recipe for corned beef but not pastrami, which makes sense as her recipes come from Poland. And jewish pastrami comes from Romanian Jews. This might interest you
http://www.exploringromania.com/pastr... One more try might be Claudia Roden. sorry I only have one Jewish cookbook:(

[chazzer]

Thanks, I requested Ruhlman's book and will try his recipe, will keep everyone up to date on how it works out.

[burgeoningfoodie]

I just saw this board and it peaked my interested. Pastrami doesn't have to be fatty or they wouldn't give you the option at most delis (though to be fair it is probably to appeal to health nuts). The rye around here sucks at any of the places that serves sandwiches and to be fair if this is going to be a showdown sorta thing. You would want to eat it by itself since the other things are just compliments.

[porker]

You're right, pastrami doesn't have to be fatty. Matter of fact, plenty of pastrami is made from the very lean round or eye of round, something like this
http://www.rcprovision.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/rcp-pastrami-flat.jpg

Nothing tecnically wrong with this, but many (myself included) feel that a quintessential pastrami (or Montreal Smoked Meat) sandwich SHOULD have some fat to it for flavor. It'll come from the fat cap and/or the intra-muscular fat from the whole brisket.
A sandwich made from this
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_p5PsAaN5d0Y/Sb7...
would be much tastier than the one made from the lean round pastrami.
Just my 2c

I like telling the story of sitting at the counter of Schwartz's Deli in Montreal. This old timer wearing a fedora and a long, London Fog overcoat. He must be pushing 80. He sits next to me and orders a plate of speck. The guy behind the counter serves him a plate of fat.
Thats it, just fat from the smoked meat brisket, sliced, and served hot. It must have been tasty as hell, but I just couldn't bring myself to order one!
The old guy digs in with a flourish, smacks his lips, pays and leaves.
I'm in awe.

[The Chowhound Team]

Hi folks,

Sorry about this, but we've removed some posts about delis in cities outside the Southeast region, as well as posts on travel tips for getting to them, as they were off topic for this board.

[bbqme]

Is that being sold at Sax Gen store?

[brokegradstudent]

I bought it there yesterday. A sandwich of it was a brunch special but I bought a pound sliced. You'll probably want to call ahead. I don't know how much they made in this batch or the timetable for future offerings