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My second attempt at a pork steak; first on the Traeger. I kinda liked the charcoal flavor that the Weber/Slow 'n Sear provided bit better. I wanted to go less sweet, so I just rubbed it with the Traeger Pork and Poultry and then mopped it with Braswells Moppin' Sauce. It went on the Traeger @ 250° and I mopped it at 45 mins, and then after another 45 (IT was only ~150) I wrapped it in foil with more sauce. After another 30 minutes it came off (total cook 2 hrs.). It had an Okay smoke ring, but honestly it was a bit dry. These pork steaks I got from the grocery are under an inch thick; Probably closer to 3/4", so that could have something to do with it. Flavor was, in fact, different then the sweet BBQ sauces I usually use (Meat Mitch, Sweet Baby Ray's, etc.), I'll continue to experiment. Pictures below.
-PH
 

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My second attempt at a pork steak; first on the Traeger. I kinda liked the charcoal flavor that the Weber/Slow 'n Sear provided bit better. I wanted to go less sweet, so I just rubbed it with the Traeger Pork and Poultry and then mopped it with Braswells Moppin' Sauce. It went on the Traeger @ 250° and I mopped it at 45 mins, and then after another 45 (IT was only ~150) I wrapped it in foil with more sauce. After another 30 minutes it came off (total cook 2 hrs.). It had an Okay smoke ring, but honestly it was a bit dry. These pork steaks I got from the grocery are under an inch thick; Probably closer to 3/4", so that could have something to do with it. Flavor was, in fact, different then the sweet BBQ sauces I usually use (Meat Mitch, Sweet Baby Ray's, etc.), I'll continue to experiment. Pictures below.
-PH

Thin pieces of meat (steaks) are often better when cooked hot and fast to prevent then from drying out. For low and slow, I like using pork loin that is 1 1/2" thick. You still have to be careful not to overcook them.

When trichinosis was a concern with pork, the guidelines called for cooking pork to well done (160-165F)). Today, that is no longer a significant concern with commercially produced pork in the States. The USDA now recommends that pork be cooked to an minimum internal temperature of 145F followed by a 3 minute resting period. That makes pork significantly more juicy. As with ground beef, ground pork should always be cooked to 160F. Pork butts are a different cut of meat as they are usually cooked to 203F +/- to render the fat and connective tissue.

Another thing you might try is marinating the pork before cooking. The time can range from 1 hour to overnight. My favorite marinade is Stubb's Citrus and Onion Chicken Marinade. They also make a marinade for pork, but it was not to my liking. You might want to try both. Some cuts of pork are quite lean and benefit from the marinade.
 
Another 2lb Turkey Meatloaf... we eat on this for days

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Another 2lb Turkey Meatloaf... we eat on this for days
Meatloaf freezes quite well. When we make one, we slice it up into single serving portions and freeze it in containers with enough for a meal. I reheat the meatloaf in a frying pan, allowing each side to sear. Frying meatloaf adds an extra layer of flavor goodness.
 
Meatloaf freezes quite well. When we make one, we slice it up into single serving portions and freeze it in containers with enough for a meal. I reheat the meatloaf in a frying pan, allowing each side to sear. Frying meatloaf adds an extra layer of flavor goodness.
I reheated a smoked meatloaf that we cooked earlier this summer and froze. We just thawed it on the counter for a couple of hours and popped it in a 300° oven while preparing everything else (mashed spuds, veggie, etc.) Came out great.
-PH
 

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Finished the Montréal Smoked Meat today. Smoked it yesterday while I was at work. On in the morning before I left, and done to 165 when I got home. Wrapped and refrigerated overnight and in the oven to steam to 200°F
The equilibrium brine I converted to use grams/kilograms for spices and salt worked perfectly. Now this can be replicated over and over regardless of the size of the beed being used.
This was by far my best MSM I have done. Used a couple of brisket points I got during the summer when they were on for $3.99/lb.. Between the two of them it was just over 9 lbs total weight before cooking
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Finished the Montréal Smoked Meat today. Smoked it yesterday while I was at work. On in the morning before I left, and done to 165 when I got home. Wrapped and refrigerated overnight and in the oven to steam to 200°F
Rusty, please describe how you steam in the oven. Thanks.
 
Rusty, please describe how you steam in the oven. Thanks.
Similar to braising, only I keep the meat elevated above the liquid. In the one picture above, you can see the rack. I just added water to just ender the rack level (which, in this case, i kept the smoked water that was left in the water pans that were in the to use). Put the meat on the racks, making sure it's not sitting in the water, covered with tin foil, and sealed the edges to keep in the moisture/steam. Set the oven to 275°F convection and let it cook. This gets the water hot enough to create a steam bath environment under the foil.
 
Thanks. My first effort a few years back was totally forgettable - I know I used a wet brine (wrong!) and unsure about the smoked component, Didn't steam it.
Now I have seen The Light and will give it another shot when I find a suitable brisket to sacrifice.
I used to get to Montreal quite often in my younger years and really miss a good MSM sandwich. The missing link is Mrs. White's kosher dills - nothing like them available on the market.
 
Thanks. My first effort a few years back was totally forgettable - I know I used a wet brine (wrong!) and unsure about the smoked component, Didn't steam it.
Now I have seen The Light and will give it another shot when I find a suitable brisket to sacrifice.
I used to get to Montreal quite often in my younger years and really miss a good MSM sandwich. The missing link is Mrs. White's kosher dills - nothing like them available on the market.
If you have a .005 grams scale (Amazon for around $15 CDN), this dry brine would be what you would want to use.
Trim the meat and then weigh it in KGS, then multiply by the gms/kg listed below. Vacuum seal it or wrap it tightly and put in a bag in the fridge, turn and massage daily. For a dry brine time-line, measure the thickest part of your meat/protein multiply that x 4 and then add 2. That will give you a good reference to total time to dry brine. So if your brisket was 3" at its thickest point, you'd brine for 14 days. After brining, rinse off everything and soak in cold water. You can do this a couple of times, but if you followed the equilibrium brine ratios properly you won't have any issues with salt. You can always slice.some, fry it and test it at the rinse stage. If it is too salty, keep repeating the rinse and soak cycles.
This is just the brine recipe, the dry rub after is pretty basic, and I can pass that along if anyone wants it. I also have a pastrami and corned beef equilibrium brine recipe in the same format if anyone wants those.
Here's the dry brine.
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For the pepper and coriander, you can toast those if you want to intensity the flavor. Just don't burn them or they turn harsh. I use an old coffee grinder to break them down to a 'cracked' stage
 
Sliced up the MSM.
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Yesterday I also made a batch of Cotto Salami. Cold smoked for 4 hours and then in the SousVide for 4 hours
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