The Mega-Pastrami Sandwich of DOOM!

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little. But it would just be a LITTLE bit, because dinner tonight was a whole new level of awesomeness. A ton of meat went onto the smoker at around 8AM, and we fed ourselves, the kids, and the neighbors, and still had plenty left. There was a plain brisket, some italian sausages, chicken leg quarters, but the crowning achievement was some amazing pastrami. The entire purpose of firing up the smoker was, in fact, to make pastrami. More specifically, to make my own twist on a pastrami reuben.

So, it isn't -technically- a reuben, but it's close enough.

This beauty was made with sourdough bread instead of rye because I simply adore sourdough. It's got a spread of deli mustard on either piece of bread and bunch of pastrami, which smoked for a full nine hours. Then a little sauerkraut, and some gouda cheese on one side and bread and butter pickles (homemade, of course) on the other. Slip it under a broiler and you will have amazingness.

Pastrami is a fancy way of saying 'smoked pepper-covered corned beef brisket', if you weren't in the know.

Sure, you can do it on rye bread. Sure, you can just use corned beef and not go to the trouble of coating it in black pepper and smoking it for nine hours. But if you have the access to do it, why wouldn't you? Even without access to a smoker, you could slow-cook a corned beef brisket in its juices, some water, and some liquid smoke for a while, then pat dry, roll it in pepper, and put it in the oven to finish off.

This is Alabama. The only way I was going to get a sammich this awesome was to smoke the pastrami myself.

Sometimes, you just can't help but dream of something awesome, and when you finally make it, it exceeds all expectations. This was one of those days.

A sampler of all the stuff we smoked today. The un-corned brisket has a serious smoke ring, and it got a foil wrap about two hours before the pastrami came off.

Pastrami Not-Quite-A-Reuben Sandwich

• 1 4-lb corned beef brisket
• 1/4 cup ground mustard
• 1 cup black pepper
• 1/2 oz liquid smoke (if you must cook it indoors)
• Sourdough bread
• Sauerkraut
• Deli-style mustard
• Sliced gouda cheese
• Bread and butter pickles

To smoke:

Coat uncooked corned beef brisket with mustard and pepper, cover and allow to rest at least two hours for a crust to form. Smoke for about nine hours with hickory wood, or until probe thermometer reads 165 degrees. Rest at least 15 minutes before slicing thinly.

To cook indoors:

Place brisket in a crock pot, add liquid smoke and a small amount of water. Cover and cook on low for two hours, then remove from liquid and pat dry. Coat with mustard and pepper, then finish in a 250-300 degree oven (as low as it will go) until an internal probe thermometer reads 165 degrees. Rest at least 15 minutes before slicing thinly.

For the sandwiches:

Spread deli mustard across two slices of sourdough. Add about 1/8 lb of pastrami to either piece of bread, and top each with a thin layer of sauerkraut. Place a slice of cheese over one side of the sandwich, and bread and butter pickles on the other. Slip under a broiler for 3-4 minutes or until cheese melts, then fold into sandwich.

Makes about 16 huge, food-coma-inducing sandwiches.

Total cook/prep time: 9 hours (plus overnight rest with pepper coat)

Happiness rating: 9/10

Paradise by the Oven Lights (aka Meatloaf)

When asked what we should have for dinner tonight, I did a quick mental inventory of what proteins we had in the freezer and what we'd been eating lately. I came to the realization that we had quite a bit of ground beef, but that we hadn't actually used ground beef in a few weeks. Since I really didn't want to eat any more chicken, I gave the family the option of hamburgers, hamburger steaks, or meatloaf. Meatloaf was the consensus, and I'm really glad that it was.

It was half gone before I could even take a picture.

When discussing how much to make, my mother mentioned that she didn't like leftover meatloaf. Of course, that meant that my brain clicked, and I recalled just how much my dad and I do like leftover meatloaf - the flavors meld together even better after a day or so, and a slice of meatloaf makes for a great sandwich filling. So, I decided to use two pounds of meat instead of the one. And for the first time, I finally documented how much I used of what when I made it, so I finally have a recipe.

The real secret is the use of oats, which is much more nutritious than solely using breadcrumbs. It also absorbs more moisture, so you don't need as much filler, and you don't end up with a large pool of grease in the bottom of your pan. Also, the sauce is ketchup-based, but it isn't just ketchup - there's mustard, brown sugar, and worchestershire in there, and that makes all the difference.

Beef and Oat Meatloaf

For the meatloaf:

• 2 lbs ground beef (around 85% fat - filler may need to be adjusted according to fat content)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (about 1/4 ounce)
• 1 bell pepper, chopped (about 3 ounces)
• 1/2 large onion, chopped (about 4 ounces)
• 5 ounces dry oats (about 2/3 cup)
• 4 ounces breadcrumbs (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 tsp fine ground sea salt
• 2 tsp black pepper (less if freshly ground)
• 1 large egg
• 4 shakes worchestershire sauce (around 1 tbsp)

For the sauce:

• 4.5 ounces ketchup
• 1.5 ounces brown sugar
• 6 shakes worchestershire (about 1.5 tbsp)
• 3/4 ounce spicy brown mustard

In a large bowl, mix together vegetables and dry ingredients. Add beef and egg, and mix together with clean hands until the mixture comes together and is slightly tacky. If mixture is too dry, a small amount of water or vegetable juice can be added. In a separate bowl, stir together sauce ingredients. Coat an 11x7" casserole dish with vegetable oil. Form the meat mixture into a long loaf and place in casserole dish. Bake in a 350 degree oven until a probe thermometer positioned in the center of the loaf reads 155 degrees, adding sauce to the top of the loaf after about 30 minutes, or when thermometer reads around 125 degrees. Serves 5-6.

Total cook/prep time: 1.5 hours
Happiness rating: 8

52 weeks of cooking, Week 6: Arroz Carreteiro, Cowboy Style

Nom.

I don't know whether I've mentioned it on the blog before, but folks who know me also know that my dad's been building a huge outdoor fireplace/smoker. It's really coming along nicely, as you can see.

That big recess above the fireplace? That's where the TV will go. It's a shame I'll be moving away in August!

Earlier today there was a bit of back and forth over whether to cook a stew on the fire out there (dad's idea) or to cook my Brazilian-themed dish for this week's challenge (which is why I thought they'd been thoughtful enough to thaw out the beef in the first place). So, we compromised and did both! The bigass cast iron pot needed some seasoning after having been repeatedly cooked and cleaned on the fire, anyway. I saw no reason that a cowboy's dish that translates to 'waggoner's rice' wouldn't be better cooked in such a manner, so two birds, one stone, right? I started off with some very simple ingredients - beef, onion, bell pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, tomatoes, corn, and rice.

10 minutes of prep indoors, and everything from there on was done outside.

With some oil heated in the pot, I added in the garlic, onion, and pepper. It sizzled enough right away that I just gave it a little stir before adding the meat.

Veggies. And MEAT!

The lid went on, and that would be the last time I touched that pot without some welder's gloves. After a few minutes, I gave the meat a stir, then let it cook a little longer. I probably stirred it 2 or 3 times before the tomatoes and corn were added in.

I had to post a picture of these, because I think it's awesome that the gloves are called 'Blue Beast'. Also, kevlar? Badassery.

Anyway, in went the tomatoes and corn, and I let everything cook over the fire for a bit before adding some additional water and stirring in the rice.

It was also a bit cold today, so the heat from the fire was nice.

We ended up keeping it on the fire for about two hours total, although it really could've come out after an hour. When we decided that it cooked long enough, we took it off the hook and set it in the fireplace near the coals to keep warm. Two hours later it's sitting on silicone trivets in the kitchen, and there's still a bit of steam coming up when the lid is opened.

Just after being taken off of the flame. We let it sit near the fire for another 45 minutes or so.

All in all, it was good stuff! I didn't add much salt and pepper at the beginning, so that was added at the individual level. I always like to be cautious with salt since you can't take it away once you've added it, so there's that. I also wish I'd added some latin american peppers into the mix, but we each added our own favorite blends of hot sauce to taste.

Okay, so it wasn't really roughing it, but the 'cowboy style' meal was a nice way to fake it. Not too bad for a February afternoon outdoors.


Arroz Carreteiro (Waggoner's Rice)

• 3 green onions
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 1 large green bell pepper
• 5 small cloves garlic
• 2 lbs beef shoulder, cut into cubes
• 1 quart jar tomatoes
• 1 can 'mexicorn' or whole kernel corn
• 3 cups long grain white rice

Chop onions and pepper into small pieces, mince garlic, and add salt and pepper to taste. In a large pot, heat cooking oil over a fire and add vegetables. When vegetables become fragrant, add beef and allow to brown, stirring as necessary. Add tomatoes and corn, and 2-3 cups of water as needed. Cover and bring to a boil. Add rice and replace cover, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pot. Serves 6-8.

Total prep/cook time: 2 hours
Family happiness rating: 7/10

Last night's supper: fire spiced beef, Copper Creek style!

I went to grad school at UGA, and Copper Creek Brewing is one of my favorite places in Athens. The last time I was in town, I HAD to stop and have the fire spiced beef appetizer I'd been dreaming of for ages, and I asked them how it was made. Sweet soy and sriracha, I was told. I finally found some sweet soy at an asian market this week, and so this evening it was destined to be my dinner.

This is what fire spiced beef looks like on Copper Creek's website, and it is divine.

Of course, I couldn't do just beef for a meal, and flank steak has gone through the roof, so I used what we had on hand to turn this into a meal. I started with about a cup or so of sweet soy, and added somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4 cup of sriracha (if you taste this before you use it, it will taste hotter than it will for the finish product). A tablespoon or two of worchestershire, some salt and pepper, and that's it! I cut up some beef (sirloin roast was all we had handy, so I cut it in a way that would yield short strands of meat for more tenderness), and poured the marinade over it in a bag for about 20 minutes, while I let the saffron rice cook.

The sour cream was just a few large spoonfuls of sour cream, plus a tablespoon or so of curry powder, a teaspoon or two of deli mustard to add a bit of bite to it, and a little turmeric to yellow it up a tiny bit more. I also prepped that while I was waiting on the rice.

It's cold out, so I cooked the meat in a skillet, then poured the remainder of the marinade over the top and let it thicken a little before serving. The extra sauce and the sour cream mixed together with the rice was a fantastic way to clean our plates!

The light betrays the yellowness of the sour cream, but let me tell you, it was delicious.

Total prep/cook time: 30 minutes

Family happiness rating: 7/10. I wouldn't feed this to the kids, and I had no good beer to drink with it. Otherwise, it'd be around an 8.5.