[Sca-cooks] Adamantius in alien territory, requesting info and advice

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

Hullo, the list!

After a minor bout of impulse buying, I am now the proud owner of a  
half-brisket's worth (maybe four pounds -- although it _could_ be  
trimmed plate and not brisket) of Romanian-style beef pastrami.

I'm a corned-beef guy. My lady wife is the pastrami person, but  
neither of us has ever dealt with this before except in the form of a  
sandwich. We definitely know what to do with one of those. What I'm  
wondering is, what more has to be done to this beast before slicing  
and eating it?

It appears to be at least semi-cooked, but the label makes no  
reference to that. It appears to be at least partially cooked (it has  
that stiff-as-a-board feel of chilled, cooked meat, rather than the  
firm flexibility of chilled, raw meat). I gather this product is cured  
in a manner similar to corned beef, then coated with a spice rub and  
smoked. How much smoked, or how hot it got in the process, is unknown.

I suppose I could cut a slice off and see if I break a tooth on it, or  
I could assume it is raw and steam it, which I gather is the  
Officially Proper Thing To Do when not eating it straight from the  
smokehouse (and I don't own a car with a wide engine block, so that's  
out). Does anyone have any experience with this? Do I really need to  
steam it for three hours or so, or is it more a matter of covering it  
with foil and heating it in a low oven until it comes up to 160F or so?

Anybody?

Thanks in advance!

Adamantius




"Most men worry about their own bellies, and other people's souls,  
when we all ought to worry about our own souls, and other people's  
bellies."
			-- Rabbi Israel Salanter