11 lb "Choice beef round tip whole cap off"

[ChefCrash]

It was $1.59/lb. If all else fails I can make roast beef for sandwiches, but I'd really like to try making Pastrami and/or corned beef.

All the recipes I've found on line use Brisket. This piece of meat is pointed on one end and is about 8" in diameter on the other.

If any of you have tried doing this, please let me know.

[Keith Orr]

It was $1.59/lb. If all else fails I can make roast beef for sandwiches, but I'd really like to try making Pastrami and/or corned beef.

All the recipes I've found on line use Brisket. This piece of meat is pointed on one end and is about 8" in diameter on the other.

If any of you have tried doing this, please let me know.

←

There's a place here in Portland OR that makes pretty good corned beef from round. I prefer brisket, but well made, seasoned and cooked it should be better than most corned beef you can buy, but it will be very lean compared to brisket.

[qrn]

It was $1.59/lb. If all else fails I can make roast beef for sandwiches, but I'd really like to try making Pastrami and/or corned beef.

All the recipes I've found on line use Brisket. This piece of meat is pointed on one end and is about 8" in diameter on the other.

If any of you have tried doing this, please let me know.

←

I agree w/Keith, no fat, and the "grain" is going to be finer. (hope that makes sense)

If you decide to corn it,slice it thinner lengthwise so it won't take till next spring to cure... might post this on the Charcutrie thread for a more informed opinion than mine, however....

Bud

[melkor]

Hamburger. There's nowhere near enough fat in round for it to handle the extended smoke & steam for pastrami.

[ChefCrash]

Thanks fellas, so corning it is.

Found a recipe online, goes like this:

4 lb beef roast

4 T curing salt

6 cloves garlic

3 bay leaves

3 Cloves

2 T coriander seeds

2 T pepper corns

1 T mustard seeds

1/4 c brown sugar

Since my roast is 11 lbs I multiplied everything by 3 except for coriander. All I had was 2 T. Also, I thought 18 cloves of garlic is ridicules so I only used 9.

This is the roast

The recipe called for 5 days of corning for every inch of thickness. For this roast it would take 45 days. Yikes. So I took qrn's advise and started to cut the thing in half.

Turns out the hunk is made of at least two muscles.

The one on the far right is full of gristle, the two on the left are actually one muscle. I decided to corn those only. Weight is 8.2 lbs.

I had already ground all of the ingredients in a food processor, and decided to use all of it anyway.

I removed all the silver skin and applied the curing mixture to both pieces.

Placed each piece in a freezer bag and placed them on a tray in the bottom of the fridge.

The large piece is about 4" at its thickest and the other about 3.5". According to the instructions, they should be cured and ready for cooking in 20 days.

If anyone sees anything wrong with my procedure please let me know so I can correct in the early stage. Otherwise I see you you in 20.

[qrn]

Thanks fellas, so corning it is.

Found a recipe online, goes like this:

4 lb beef roast

4 T curing salt

6 cloves garlic

3 bay leaves

3 Cloves

2 T coriander seeds

2 T pepper corns

1 T mustard seeds

1/4 c brown sugar

Since my roast is 11 lbs I multiplied everything by 3 except for coriander. All I had was 2 T. Also, I thought 18 cloves of garlic is ridicules so I only used 9.

This is the roast

The recipe called for 5 days of corning for every inch of thickness. For this roast it would take 45 days. Yikes. So I took qrn's advise and started to cut the thing in half.

Turns out the hunk is made of at least two muscles.

The one on the far right is full of gristle, the two on the left are actually one muscle. I decided to corn those only. Weight is 8.2 lbs.

I had already ground all of the ingredients in a food processor, and decided to use all of it anyway.

I removed all the silver skin and applied the curing mixture to both pieces.

Placed each piece in a freezer bag and placed them on a tray in the bottom of the fridge.

The large piece is about 4" at its thickest and the other about 3.5". According to the instructions, they should be cured and ready for cooking in 20 days.

If anyone sees anything wrong with my procedure please let me know so I can correct in the early stage. Otherwise I see you you in 20.

←

If you used 12T of tender quick (12x16g=192g) on a 3.7kilo(8.2lb) chunk of meat its gonna be way to salty.

probably shouldnt be much more than 2.5%(93g)

For that weight of meat it would take 10g of pink salt at 6.25%nitrate, or .62g.The tender quick is 1% total nitrate/nitrite or .93g. so you might want to sub 1/3 of the tender quick for reg salt...

Hopefully Melkor or one of the "charcutrie thread folks will weigh in on my numbers...

Bud

[ChefCrash]

Thanks for getting back to me qrn.

After reading your assessment, I thought maybe I could remove some of th curing mixture off the meat to mitigate the problem. I got home real late tonight and opened one bag and got a whiff of some really great smelling corned beef. There is about one cup of liquid in each bag. Should I get rid of this brine now to correct the problem?

Thanks.

[melkor]

Now that you've got it going just leave it. If you're worried it'll be too salty (qrn is right, you've got a lot of salt in there) then just rinse it before you cook it. I wouldn't worry about it - it's not like you've got 10x as much salt as you should.

[Carrot Top]

I'm curious as to whether anyone has made corned beef in both this one-process way (with the quick-cure salt) and in the other two-part process way (brining/pickling the meat in a salt/sugar solution for a good long time before removing from the brine then seasoning with the spice mixture for several days) and what (if any) differences in taste or texture exist . . .

[qrn]

Thanks for getting back to me qrn.

After reading your assessment, I thought maybe I could remove some of th curing mixture off the meat to mitigate the problem. I got home real late tonight and opened one bag and got a whiff of some really great smelling corned beef. There is about one cup of liquid in each bag. Should I get rid of this brine now to correct the problem?

Thanks.

←

I will defer to Melkors judgement on what you should do.

I just try to keep my salt levels to 2.5-3% or so in most everything.

Good luck!

Bud

[melkor]

Thanks for getting back to me qrn.

After reading your assessment, I thought maybe I could remove some of th curing mixture off the meat to mitigate the problem. I got home real late tonight and opened one bag and got a whiff of some really great smelling corned beef. There is about one cup of liquid in each bag. Should I get rid of this brine now to correct the problem?

Thanks.

←

I will defer to Melkors judgement on what you should do.

I just try to keep my salt levels to 2.5-3% or so in most everything.

Good luck!

Bud

←

I don't think you're making a mistake by doing so, but at 5% there's no reason to panic - I believe commercial brines are much saltier.

[ChefCrash]

In two days the beef would have been er.. corning for 20 days. The recipe I'm using calls for rinsing, sealing the beef in foil and baking at 300 for 2 or 3 hours.

Is there a test to find out if the beef is cured all the way through?

Since this is cured beef, is there a specific internal temperature I need to reach when baking?

I'll be leaving on vacation (Florida) in three days for two weeks. If I choose not to deal with the whole thing until I get back, should I:

Freeze as is?

Rinse and freeze?

Bake first then freeze?

Thanks

[qrn]

In two days the beef would have been er.. corning for 20 days. The recipe I'm using calls for rinsing, sealing the beef in foil and baking at 300 for 2 or 3 hours.

Is there a test to find out if the beef is cured all the way through?

Since this is cured beef, is there a specific internal temperature I need to reach when baking?

I'll be leaving on vacation (Florida) in three days for two weeks. If I choose not to deal with the whole thing until I get back, should I:

Freeze as is?

Rinse and freeze?

Bake first then freeze?

Thanks

←

I have had cryovaced commericial c/b' s in the frig for3 months and they were great and much more tender than ususal.

I would think you could just leave it in the cooler till you cook it.That was the original reason for corning, to last longer.

I would cook it like a normal c/b. not for such a short time.

I have been pressure steaming them for an hour and a half for the thin ones. I asume yours is mega thick ,so longer times...

Probably Best to wait till one of the experts weigh in , however.

Bud

[ChefCrash]

The corned beef went in the freezer before I went on vacation.

Here they are thawed, thoroughly rinsed and ready for the oven. I expected the meat to be red in color. It was brownish gray.

They were covered and baked at 300*F until the internal temperature of the big piece read 160*. That took 2 hours.

Left them to cool in their juices a few hours at room temp. They turned a darker color. The liquid in the pans was mostly gelatin.

Here is the small piece cut in half. Beautiful color, even had the characteristic rainbow colors.

A few slices by hand to taste.

We had just had dinner and I was full so couldn't judge how it tastes yet. The flavors are pronounced. The meat is juicy and very tender, the saltiness is just right. I will chill it and will try a sandwich with mayo on pumpernickel tomorrow.

The two roasts I started with weighed 5 and 3.2 pounds. After baking they weighed 3.6 and 1.15 pounds (57% of original weight). The large roast lost 28% of its weight while the small one shed 65%. Shouldn't have cooked it as long as the larger roast.

I ended up with 4.75 lbs of corned beef @ $1.59/lb. Not bad.

The presence of all the gelatin in the cooking liquid, indicates that this cut of beef would lend itself nicely to smoking.

Next time? I'll be trying Pastrami.

[rlibkind]

I will chill it and will try a sandwich with mayo on pumpernickel tomorrow.

←

Argggghhh! MAYO!!! Please, mustard only!

That said, while I am in Melkor's corner and also would have recommended it be turned into hamburger, it does look beautiful.

[chefpelon]

you must remember that you started off with 11 lbs, right

so in fact your yield prices have changed

all this being said looks like you came out well in your endeavour

good luck in your future culinary quests

bruce