Anonymous Modernist 16497

Thanks for all the insight guys. Mine came out really good as well. The smoke flavor did happen while Sous Vide'ing. I liked it but boy it tested my self control! I wanted to rip into those bags well before the 72-hour mark. Hickory seemed like a good choice, flavor-wise, but it also seems to be the popular choice. Anyway, thanks again! Happy cooking!

Hello. I'm making the pastrami for the first time and was wondering a couple of things that don't seem to be specified in the book. 1) What kind of wood is recommended for this recipe? I used Hickory, and it smells right to me, but I'm no expert at smoking things. So, I wanted to hear what's best. 2) I am using boneless short rib for this recipe and wasn't sure if my Jaccard(sp?) meat tenderizer was necessary. I know they discuss these in the beginning of the book, but almost seems redundant when you are cooking for 72-hours... then again, it could only help to get the brine/smoke/rub flavors into the meat, huh? Thanks in advance for the help!