Page 16 - March 2021 Barbecue News Magazine

bbq holiday
PASTRAMI FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAY? BLASPHEMY!
Meathead, AmazingRibs.com
When Irish Traditions Meet Jewish Barbecue Deliciousness Ensues
Corned beef and cab-
bage is the traditional
Irish meal on St.
Patrick's Day in Amer-
ica. Surprisingly, it is
not that way in Ireland.
Corned pork and cab-
bage is more common in
the Emerald Isles, where
beef is more scarce and
expensive. When Irish
immigrants came to the
US, they found beef
more plentiful and
many New York butch-
ers were kosher Jews, so
pork was less available. Corned pork became corned beef and so begat the Irish American tradition that continues to this day.
This anecdote shows how St. Patrick's Day in America is at least as much about celebrating immigrant stories as it is
about traditions from the homeland. Now, if you’re fulltime Irish or just for one day, and if you celebrate this holiday with corned beef and cabbage, there is no need to break with tradition. Go to AmazingRibs.com and try our recipe for the traditional meal made with homemade corned beef (there’s an impor- tant secret or two you need to know to amp it up to 11). But if you want to try something better this St. Pat’s Day, give pastrami a go. It’s
simply corned beef that’s rubbed with some special season- ings, and smoked low and slow. Some people argue that this is the ultimate expression of brisket.
HOMEMADE PASTRAMI THAT’S CLOSE TO KATZ’S
The nation’s most famous pastrami (and arguably the best) can be found at Katz's Delicatessen in New York City. And by the way, Katz’s has been smoking navel and brisket for pastrami non-stop at the same location since 1888, which make it the oldest continually operating BBQ joint in the nation.
Much like Katz’s venerable version, my homemade pas- trami recipe includes a generous amount of seasoning, but it is never domineering and the wood smoke is subtle. If you make the corned beef from scratch, which I highly en- courage because it can be better than anything you can buy, pastrami is the next natural step. But you can handle it.
Makes. About 3 pounds of pastrami after shrinkage, enough for 4 heaping sandwiches.
Prep time. Oy! It depends on whether you cure the beef MARCH 2021
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