With my oven set way dow to 170 degrees and the brine cured pastrami in there for over 5 hours and not getting past 110 inside, I pushed up the temp to 180, then 190, then 200 then 220, and after 11 hours I finally got the internal temp to reach 140 while the oven temp was at 250 degrees. I must say these two beef chunks took quite a lot longer to cook compared to the previous ones. Maybe because they were bigger in diameter. If anyone wants some of my left over dry spice rub, let me know and I'll send it out. It contains, allspice, clove, cinnamon, garlic, onion, bay leaf, mustard seed, celery seed, red pepper, black pepper, coriander, dill seed, ginger, and even some ground juniper berries. Needless to say its a really tasty spice blend and sticks to the outside of the beef once its been cooked. They now get refrigerated for at least 24 hours prior to slicing thin. I estimate I have about 8-9 pounds of pastrami, of which I will probably freeze some after its been sliced. Maybe in FS bags as individual servings that get vac sealed and then when I want a serving, I just put it in the microwave or drop into boiling water a couple of minutes, then open the bag and serve.. It should be good with the sourdough french bread I will also be making tomorrow, along with some spicy brown mustard I also made using some Grey Poupon, mixed with some finely ground brown mustard seeds and wine vinegar. The mustard needed a few weeks to 'mellow out' to a decent flavor. If it were served right after grinding amd mixing it tastes terrible. The same holds true for the chinese hot mustard powder when you mix it with water to make some hot mustard. It needs to 'bloom' a few hours before its served, also the same for Wasabi.

Spaghetti sauce or... Cabbage and Ground Beef Bake 1 bag (16 ounces - about 6 cups) shredded cabbage and carrots 1 lb. extra lean ground beef (do not brown) 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 1 medium onion finely chopped 1 cup long grain rice 1 28 oz. jar chunky spaghetti sauce 1/2 cup water 1/4 tsp. dried basil leaves, crushed 1/4 tsp. seasoned salt Place half of the shredded cabbage in 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Crumble ground beef over top. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Evenly distribute chopped onion, then rice over all. Top with remaining cabbage, salt and pepper. Combine spaghetti sauce, water, basil and seasoned salt; pour over cabbage. Cover and cook on low 5 to 6 hours or until rice is tender. Makes 6 servings ____________________________ Egg Rolls Submitted By : Cyndy Carver Serves : 10 Prep. Time : 1:00 1/2 Lb. ground beef (3/4) 1 lb. pkg. coleslaw mix (grated cabbage and carrots) 1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1 tsp. chopped garlic 1/2 tsp. ground ginger 3 Tbls. soy sauce 1 lb. pkg. egg roll wrappers 1 egg - beaten -Brown beef in skillet and drain off fat. -Add coleslaw mix, mushrooms, black pepper, garlic, and ginger to skillet. -Stir-fry until all is tender. -Drain and squeeze out any liquid from pan. -Stir in soy sauce. -Spoon 2-3 Tbls. mixture onto each wrapper. -Brush edges of wrapper with beaten egg. -Roll up wrappers as you would a burrito. -Fry egg rolls in 350 degree oil until brown. -Drain on brown paper bags. NOTES : Dip egg rolls in spicy mustard, soy sauce, or sweet and sour sauce. ________________________________ Eight Layer Casserole Yields 8 servings. 1 pound lean ground beef 1/4 cup imitation bacon bits 1 med. onion, chopped 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce 1 cup water 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 1/3 cup long-grain rice 2 cans whole kernel corn, drained 1 cup chopped green bell pepper Crumble ground beef evenly over bottom of a 6-quart crock pot. Sprinkle with bacon bits, then onion. In a medium bowl, combine tomato sauce, water, chili power, salt, and black pepper; pour half over beef and onion layers. Sprinkle rice evenly over top, then corn. Top with remaining tomato sauce mixture, then bell pepper. Cover and cook on LOW about 5 hours or until rice is tender. Per serving: Cal 365 - Carb 47 gm - Total fat 13 gm Sat fat 5 gm - Cal from fat 117 - Chol 42 mg - Sodium 1071 mg _________________ Deanna

Joe's Special 1 lb. lean ground beef 1 chopped onion 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1/4 to 1/2 lb sliced fresh mushrooms 1 10 oz. package chopped spinach thawed and squeezed "dry" or 1 lb. fresh spinach 3 eggs, lightly beaten salt & pepper 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano Brown meat in a large skillet on med-hi heat in a little oil to keep from sticking. Add onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Lower heat and cook until onion is soft. Add 1-1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the nutmeg and oregano. Add the spinach and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Make a hole in the center of the mixture and add the eggs. Stir into mixture quickly and cook a couple minutes more until the eggs are done. Serve immediately. You can adjust this to suit your personal taste. More meat, more spinach less egg etc. Different seasoning. I have never really used a recipe. I had to Google to find one similar enough to mine to get measurements.

TURKEY-CHICKEN PATTIES Makes 8 medium patties 1 1/2 lb ground turkey, chicken or a mixture of both (about 700 grams) 2 slices firm wholegrain brown bread torn into small bits 2 eggs, beaten 1 small onion - minced 1 TBS finely minced almonds or ground almond (optional) 1/4 teasp dry mustard eg. Colman's 1/8 teasp ground sage (optional) 1/2 teasp ground thyme 1 teasp salt 1/4 teasp fresh ground pepper 1/4 teasp ground nutmeg 4 TBS tomato purée or tomate frito (can also be condensed tomato soup) for mixture plus 2 TBS more for sauce 1/2 cup finely grated carrot 1/2 cup finely chopped or grated celery 1 cup low sodium chicken or veg broth olive oil for cooking 1. Mix the meat with the beaten egg, onion, seasonings, bread and almond crumbs, grated carrot and celery, 4 TBS tomato purée. Mix well together with hands. 2. Divide mixture into 8 portions and form with hands into 8 equal patties. 3. Heat about 2 TBS oil in large non-stick frying pan and when hot, add four of the patties, cook about 4 minutes then turn them over. Turn down heat to low, spoon 2 TBS of the tomato purée on top of the 4 patties, add half the broth to the pan plus one TBS of remaining tomato purée, stir liquid, put on lid and simmer for about 8 minutes. Remove patties to heated dish and spoon over remaining sauce. 4. Wipe pan and repeat step 3 for last 4 patties or freeze them for another day. Source: Adaptation of one of my favourite old recipes. SharonCb