Text 11399, 159 rader
Skriven 2014-03-26 21:54:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av NANCY BACKUS
Ärende: dodging bullets 378
===========================
 NB> I suppose so.  And the reportedly stolen passports might actually be
 NB> more of a red herring... 

One wonders how many passengers on other flights that
aren't scrutinized so heavily are traveling on stolen
or fake passports.

 ML> Muslim Malaysia should do what it's good at and not
 ML> try to use Chinese Singapore as a pattern.
 NB> It's a shame...  Being oneself is so much better... 

The rub is that Malaysia and Singapore used to be
part of one unit, but at some point Singapore wanted to
maintain a Chinese identity, and the rest of the states
wanted to be Malay, so they busted up, and Singapore
went off and prospered and Malaysia lagged behind and
has been struggling to catch up.

 NB> Hmmmm...  They're talking middle of the Indian Ocean now... and still
 NB> nothing but surmises and speculations as to what and why... 

That is so weird.

 ML> Lilli has postponed our Toronto trip; plan B was to go to
 ML> Hawaii on a 777, of all things, but she doesn't want that
 ML> either not because of safety concerns but rather the seats
 ML> are not as comfortable as she wants. 
 NB> Apparently she's starting to feel her age more...?  And the bucket
 NB> list is diminishing...?

I'm not quite sure, but she's getting more princessy, which
I may be partially to blame for, as I am her number one
enabler.

Close to Katz's pastrami
cat: Jewish, beef, deli
yield: 3 lb

4 lb good corned beef, preferably homemade
4 Tb fresh coarsely ground black pepper
2 Tb coriander powder
1 ts mustard powder
1 Tb brown sugar
1 Tb paprika
2 ts garlic powder
2 ts onion powder
4 to 8 oz smoke wood

About store bought corned beef. Corned beef comes in two
forms, ready to eat, and brined. Ready to eat corned beef
is cured, then cooked, and usually packaged in slices or
sliced at the deli counter. Do not use this! Brined corned
beef is usually a hunk of brisket that has been cured in a
salt solution and packaged in a hearty cryovac plastic bag
with some of the brine. It has not been cooked yet. That's
the stuff you want.

About the rub. The paprika mostly adds color. If you want
to veer from the conventional and amp it up a bit,
substitute ancho powder or American chili powder, but be
careful, the black pepper and mustard supply an ample
kick. You can leave anything out that you want except the
black pepper and the coriander.

Make your own corned beef. It is just plain better than
storebought. For pastrami, the flat section of the brisket
is favored by many because it makes nice even slices for
sandwiches, but I prefer the point section of the brisket
because it is fattier, richer, and more tender. Yes, it
sometimes breaks apart, but who notices on a sammy? If
you can get it, go for navel (a.k.a. plate). But it can
also be made from flank steak, or leaner cuts. If you are
using brisket, one side of the meat will probably have a
thick layer of fat on it called the cap. Remove all of
the fat cap except about 1/8" and if there is any filmy
membrane on the other side, remove it all. M's note:
ignore the previous sentence. That thin layer of fat is
important. The process takes about a week.

Desalinate. Put the corned beef in a pot slightly larger
than the meat and cover it with cold water in the fridge
for at least 8 hr. This removes excess salt. Trust me,
you need to do this or you will be gulping water all
night after your meal.

Rub. Make the rub by blending together all the spices.
Rinse the meat, pat it dry with paper towels, coat it
with a thin layer of cooking oil, apply the rub
liberally, about 4 Tb per squre foot of surface, and
press it into the surface to help it adhere. If there
is a thin part of meat, use less rub. Put in the fridge
for a minimum of 2 days, up to almost a week.

Smoke. Set up your smoker or your grill for smoking.
If you can, use a charcoal smoker. It produces a deeper
darker crust than gas, electric, or even pellets, but
it still comes out fabulous on a pellet burner or
gasser. Preheat to 225F. Pick your wood. I don't think
it makes a huge difference with all the other flavors
banging around in there. My best batch was with cherry
wood. Smoke it fat-side up over indirect heat at 225F
until it reaches 190F to 200F. Add wood when the smoke
dwindles. If you wish you can smoke it for 3 to 4 hr
and finish it indoors, but this stuff can take all the
smoke you throw at it, so outdoors is better. It could
take 12 hours or more depending on the thickness.

Chill. When it is done cooking, go ahead and cut a
taste. I know you want to. All the flavor is there,
but it may still be a bit chewy. Wrap in foil and
refrigerate for at least 12 hr. You can keep it for a
week if you wish.

Steaming pastrami.

Steam. When it is time to serve it is time to steam
heat and tenderize. If you have a bamboo or metal
steamer in which the meat will fit, you can use that.
If not, you can make a steamer by putting a wire rack
in a baking pan. If necessary you can sit the rack on
wads of foil to keep it out of the water. Unwrap the
meat and put it on the foil in which it was wrapped
or the steam will wash off much of the rub. Do not
slice the meat first.

If you made a steamer with a baking pan, cover it
with foil. If the pan is steel, but don't let the
foil touch the meat. The salt, the water, the steel,
and the aluminum can interact and create electrical
charges that can melt the foil! This is a phenomenon
called the "lasagna cell" because it happens to
lasagna often.

Put the pan on a burner, turn the heat to medium low,
and steam it an hour or two until heated through to
203F. The exact time will depend on the meat's
thickness and how hot the water is. Add hot water as
needed, making sure the pan never dries out. Don't
rush this. Take it all the way to 203F.

Slicing. Slicing is crucial to maximize tenderness.
Look at the meat and notice which way the grain is
running. Cut it by hand in slices about 1/8" thick,
perpendicular to the grain. If you cut parallel to
the grain it will be much chewier. [M's note: I've
tried this out of curiosity, and the texture is
different, but if you've done the 203F thing, this
admonition just plain isn't true.] Don't try to
slice it with a machine. It will just fall apart.

Leftovers freeze well and they can be reheated in
the microwave or steamed. They can also be made
into a killer hash. Ess, bench, sei a mensch!

Meathead Goldwyn, amazingribs.com

___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
 * Origin: Fidonet Since 1991 Join Us: www.DocsPlace.org (1:123/140)