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ChinaVoodoo

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Bob, Corned Beef is brined then boiled. Then served warm or chilled.
Pastrami is brined, then a peppery spice rub is applied and it marinates for a day or two, then "smoked" for hours. After smoking, pastrami is steamed to help tenderize the meat further, or to serve it warm.
Both can be served either chilled or warm. No matter how you serve them chilled or warm they both are delicious.

So what distinguishes Montreal smoked beef from the other two cured beefs?
 

kullas

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I searched the web and first thing up was Wikipedia it said simply meet that was smoked in Montreal :) I'm guessing there is more to it than that
 

charlie G.

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I have seen Montreal Smoked Beef compared to Pastrami a few times. It might have a few different spices added or smokiness might be different but I think it is just a northern form of Pastrami.
 

mrthing2000

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Sorry for jumping in late... I have the Masterbuilt 30" electric. I was disappointed in its temperature handling. The digital computer would jump around as much as 25deg at times and it was difficult to get an even cook. I learned never to trust that thermometer and just use a digital one in the meat instead. But that didn't keep the temps inside consistent. I couldn't maintain 205 except on 'average' between 180 and 225 as the temp drifted all over the place.

Then as fate would have it, that 'weak link' got a bunch of water in it and died. I was stuck with a dead smoker. Or so I thought. I bought a PID controller of fee-Bay and wired it up with a solid state relay to control the element. Amazing. It holds within 1deg the whole time. I wish this had been my original setup. Its ugly as hell now but it works great.

My only other gripe is the chip tray and vent. I don't much care for the vent, and I leave it 2/3rds open all the time. The chip tray is flimsy but seems adequate. Overload it thought and the thing will start puffing white smoke hard. It does require a bit of babysitting.

Not that I would say 'go whack your $200+ smoker' and convert it to PID control, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.
 

charlie G.

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I've had mine since July and haven't had any problems. I hope it stays that way. I just did some ribs last weekend and they turned out good.
I might try some turkey legs this weekend.
 

mrthing2000

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I wonder if it is possible (or even easy) to do a Latakia batch in a smoker--if it wasn't used for anything else. Low and slow--right woods, herbs, spices? Or maybe do a flue or fire-cure??

I'm not meaning if it is dripping with grease and hickory smoke, but maybe using an electric smoker to do it. Hmm, whatdaya think?
 

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mrthing2000

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I wonder after reading the latakia topics--how does it not taste like absolute crap if smoking it for that long? My smoked meats are about inedible if I go way the heck beyond the norm (like going 20 hours on ribs).

I would think the amount of resin and smoke would be so overpowering, but I'll have to try some to figure it out. Maybe its not a 'heavy' amount of smoke but jeez--for days or weeks on end, it sounds like I'd be smoking a apple chip and not a leaf.
 

bonehead

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I wonder after reading the latakia topics--how does it not taste like absolute crap if smoking it for that long? My smoked meats are about inedible if I go way the heck beyond the norm (like going 20 hours on ribs).

I would think the amount of resin and smoke would be so overpowering, but I'll have to try some to figure it out. Maybe its not a 'heavy' amount of smoke but jeez--for days or weeks on end, it sounds like I'd be smoking a apple chip and not a leaf.
there are two kinds of smoke, clean almost invisible and lite in color and heavy dirty smoke that coats everything with creasote. i try to smoke with the clean smoke that is tinted almost blue and it is hard to over smoke something.
 

deluxestogie

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When making my Latakia, I aim for the "heavy, dirty" smoke. The good news is that you don't eat the leaf afterwards. You burn it.

Bob
 

mrthing2000

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Do you guys smoke it for days/weeks? Some of the 'recipes' seem to suggest that it goes for weeks. I can't imagine running my smoker that long. Even a few days seems pretty long, but I've never had latakia.
 
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