Pastrami
If you love the taste of a hot pastrami sandwich from your favorite deli, then you're immediately going to fall in love with the flavor of this Homemade Pastrami! It's smoky, peppery, tender, and so delicious. While it does take some prior planning, I'll give you all of the simple step-by-step instructions you need to make perfect pastrami from scratch every time. After a 5 day brine, simply season and smoke the brisket, then fall in love with this melt-in-your-mouth recipe!
Ingredients
Brine
- 1 gallon water
- 9 ounces pickling salt, or coarse salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons pickling spice, click link for the recipe
- 2 teaspoons pink curing salt, also called prague powder #1 or premium curing salt #1
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 5 pound beef brisket, flat cut preferred
Seasoning
- 4 tablespoons black peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
Brine the brisket.
- Add the water, salt, sugar, pickling spice, pink curing salt and garlic to a large pot on the stove over high heat.
- Bring to a boil and stir until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Turn the heat off and allow the brine to cool. To quickly cool down the brine before pouring it over the brisket, omit a cup of water in the brine, and add 20 ice cubes after you’ve prepared the brine.
- Place the beef brisket in a large container that can fit a 5 pound brisket and gallon of water. Pour the cooled brine over the brisket, making sure the brisket is completely covered in the liquid.
- Cover and brine the brisket in the fridge for 5-10 days.
Season the brisket.
- After brining the brisket, remove it from the brine and pat it dry.
- Add the peppercorns, coriander seeds and mustard seeds to a small skillet on the stove over medium heat.
- Lightly toast the peppercorns and seeds for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the toasted seeds to a spice grinder (if you don't have a spice grinder, refer to the notes below). Pulse the spices in the grinder into a coarse texture. Stir in the smoked paprika and brown sugar.
- Rub the brisket with the seasoning, then wrap it in plastic wrap and place it on a rimmed baking sheet in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
Cook the brisket.
- Remove the brisket from the refrigerator and plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
- Preheat a smoker to 250°F. (Refer to the notes below if you don't have a smoker.)
- Place the seasoned brisket directly on the grill grates of the smoker.
- Smoke for 6-8 hours or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 200°F.
- Remove from the smoker, loosely tent with foil, and let it rest for at least 60 minutes before slicing.
- After the meat has rested, thinly slice it against the grain into 1/4 inch slices using a sharp knife, or electric knife. If slicing the pastrami for sandwiches, you want to get it as thin as possible.
Notes
- If you don’t have a spice grinder, use a mortar and pestle to grind the spices after they’re toasted. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, place the spices in a sturdy bowl, then use the end of a wooden handled spoon or spatula to break up the seeds and spices as much as possible. You can also use a small food processor and pulse the spices. You still want the spice mix to be coarse in texture, not finely ground like other spice mixes.
- To cook the pastrami in the oven, instead of a smoker, follow the instructions for brining and seasoning the brisket, then use the instructions below to cook the pastrami in the oven.
- Wrap the seasoned brisket tightly in two pieces of foil. Add 1 cup of water to a roasting pan, then place the wrapped brisket on a rack in the roasting pan, making sure it is not touching the water. Tightly cover the pan with another layer of aluminum foil.
- Place in the oven, preheated to 225°F for 6 hours. Remove from the oven, remove the pastrami from the foil and place it on a cutting board. Loosely cover with the foil and rest for 60 minutes before slicing and serving.
- To make this recipe quick and easy, start with a store-bought corned beef. Once you get the corned beef home from the store, remove it from the packaging, drain all of the liquid out and pat the brisket dry. Prepare the pastrami seasoning, rub the seasoning on the brisket, then wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest for 24 hours in the fridge. Follow the instructions above for smoking the pastrami, or cooking it in the oven.
- Remember to smoke to temperature, not time! If you don’t have a meat probe, or wireless meat thermometer, like the MEATER, to watch the temperature of the pastrami without opening the lid of the smoker, I recommend starting to check the internal temperature of the pastrami with an instant-read meat thermometer after 6 hours. Depending on the size of the brisket, it could take anywhere from 6-10 hours to reach 200°F in the thickest part of the brisket. Continue checking the internal temp every 15-20 minutes, until it reaches 200°F.
- I recommend using mesquite pellets, or wood, to smoke the pastrami. You could also use hickory or pecan wood chips or pellets.
- Leftover cooked pastrami can be stored in the fridge for up to 7 days. You can also store leftover cooked pastrami in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 422kcal (21%)Carbohydrates 17g (6%)Protein 48g (96%)Fat 18g (28%)Saturated Fat 6g (30%)Polyunsaturated Fat 1gMonounsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 141mg (47%)Sodium 10556mg (440%)Potassium 876mg (25%)Fiber 2g (8%)Sugar 11g (12%)Vitamin A 718mg (14%)Vitamin C 1mg (1%)Calcium 71mg (7%)Iron 6mg (33%)
Did you make this recipe?Tag @WhitneyBond on Instagram and hashtag it #WBRecipes!