Pork tenderloin a la Pastrami

[trof]

I like Pastrami.
A lot.
So I googled Pastrami and how it's made.
It's a relatively complicated process involving a 5 to 7 pound beef brisket.
And so I thought "Why not try it on my favorite 'make-it-taste-like-whatever-you-want' pork tenderloin?"

So here's what I did.

Corned beef/pastrami brine

* 4 quarts water
* 1 cup kosher salt
* 12 cloves garlic, crushed
* 3 tablespoons pickling spices
* 8 bay leaves
For a couple of small pork tenderloins I cut the recipe down to 1 quarter. 1 quart of water, 1/4 cup of salt, etc. Brined them in a 1 gallon ziplock for about 6 hours in the fridge. Turned it every 2 hours.

Preparation:
Bring the water to a boil. Remove from heat and add the salt and saltpeter (optional). Stir until the salt is completely dissolved. Allow to cool. Stir in the garlic, pickling spices and bay leaves. The brine is now ready for use. For brining, always use a non-reactive, air tight container like plastic or stainless steel.

RUB
4 tablespoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons paprika
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
1 tablespoon white peppercorns
8 cloves garlic, minced
Preparation:
Combine coriander seeds, peppercorns and mustard seeds in a spice grinder. Grind coarsely. Add in remaining ingredients and mix well. Rub is now ready to use. It may be stored, refrigerated in an airtight container.

I grilled it over low flame and it's 'holding' now, wrapped in foil. I'll let you know how it comes out.

[UndertheOcean]

1. PIG MURDERER !!!!!!

[trof]

3. Mea culpa. Mea MAXIMA culpa.

:-(

[Ptah]

2. Sounds wonderful

:drool: :thumbsup:

[Kali]

4. sounds...interesting?

so far all the recipes you've posted (that I have seen) sounded yummy. This one sounds...interesting.:P (I think its the pickling spices that are hanging me up)

curious what your review will be, for sure

[trof]

5. The critique: (and pickling spice recipe)

Actually, it was damned good.
Not pastrami, but kinda pastrami-like.
Nice flavor.
I took some to a friend's to watch Alabama-LSU (whew, squeaker till the last quarter) and it quickly disappeared.
I'd make it again.

Miz t. couldn't find pickling spice at the gro, so made this from an online recipe. I skipped the cheesecloth part because it was a brine that I dumped anyway.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 tablespoon mustard seeds

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon cloves

3 or 4 dried red chilies

1" (2.5 cm) piece dried ginger root

1" (2.5 cm) piece cinnamon stick

3 dried bay leaves

Preparation:

Mix all the spices. Tie them in a piece of cheesecloth and use as directed in recipe.

Alternatively, place the spices in a stainless steel or enamelled saucepan and pour in vinegar. Heat gently until boiling, allow to cool, then strain the vinegar and discard the spices.

[surrealAmerican]

6. Sounds pretty good, but ...

... part of what makes pastrami taste so good is the way the fat takes up the brine and spices. Tenderloin is too lean to do that the way brisket does.