I gave up smoking meat a few years ago because it was getting to be too much trouble. First I had to locate the wood, which meant calling firewood lots and asking if they had any pecan or fruit woods around. And then, during the smoking process, was the constant adding of the wood to the firebox, which interrupted anything else I was trying to do. The best time to smoke was during a football game when I could add wood during the timeouts for commercial breaks. But football isn’t on during the summer, which is the traditional time for smoking. Finally, I gave it up and just went to the Pork and Brew Cookoff and bought a year’s supply of pulled pork and brisket from my friends, the Texas Rib Rangers.
The Great Pastrami Experiment
Basically, pastrami is what you get when you smoke a side of corned beef, instead of boiling it. After doing some research online and talking to German friends who had attempted it, we decided to give pastrami-making a try.
Southwestern St. Paddy’s Day Jalapeño Corned Beef
Normally I spend my Saint Patrick’s Day hunting leprechauns so I can waterboard the location of their gold out of them, but this year I changed it up by making corned beef with a twist: I brought the fire. Much like celebrities and rehab, mustard and corned beef have a long tradition together. Seeing as how people love themselves some …
