Simple And Smoky Homemade Pastrami Recipe

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4.64 from 973 votes

This homemade pastrami recipe is complex and smoky, but not in the way that other smoked meats are smoky. The smoke in this beef pastrami is not overt. It is blended in thoroughly. Much like Katz's pastrami, this is highly seasoned, but the black pepper and coriander rub is never domineering, and swimming across all your buds are a range of other herbs and spices. Once you try this recipe you may need to open your own deli!

NOTE: In early 2022, I modified the recipe to eliminate the steaming step because the Texas Crutch, wrapping tightly in foil during the cooking step, works just as well with less fuss, mess, and it retains more of the rub and bark.

Serve with: an egg cream or a local New York beer like a Brooklyn Lager.

Course:

Dinner

Lunch

Main Course

Cuisine:

American

Irish

Jewish

Makes:

About 3 pounds

Servings: 8

Takes:

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 6

Total Time: 6 20

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

▢ 4 pounds corned beef, preferably our homemade recipe
▢ 3 tablespoons pastrami rub

Notes:

About store bought corned beef. Corned beef comes in two forms, ready to eat, and brined. Ready to eat corned beef is cured, then cooked, and usually packaged in slices or sliced at the deli counter. Do not use this! Brined corned beef is usually a hunk of brisket that has been cured in a salt solution and packaged in a hearty cryovac plastic bag with some of the brine. It has not been cooked yet. That's the stuff you want.

Metric conversion:

These recipes were created in US Customary measurements and the conversion to metric is being done by calculations. They should be accurate, but it is possible there could be an error. If you find one, please let us know in the comments at the bottom of the page

Method

Prep the corned beef. Buy or make corned beef. For pastrami, the flat section of the brisket is favored by many because it makes nice even slices for sandwiches, but I prefer the point section of the brisket because it is fattier, richer, and more tender. It can also be made from flank steak, or leaner cuts, or even from boneless short plate (rib meat). Remove all of the fat cap and if there is any filmy membrane on the other side, remove it all.
Desalinate. Put the corned beef in a pot slightly larger than the meat and cover it with cold water in the fridge for at least 8 hours. Change the water at least once. This removes excess salt. Trust me, you need to do this or you will be gulping water all night after your meal.
Rub. Make the rub. Rinse the meat, and while it is damp, apply the rub liberally and press it into the surface to help it adhere.
Fire up. Set up your grill in 2 zones for smoking or set up your smoker. Preheat to 225°F (107°C). Pick your wood. I don't think it makes a huge difference with all the other flavors banging around in there.
Cook. Place the meat on the smoker or on the indirect heat side of the grill at about 225°F (107°C). You only need to smoke it with indirect heat until it reaches the stall at about 160°F internally and the crust is brown. Then wrap it tightly in foil and roast it up to 203°F (95°C). This is called the Texas Crutch and it does wonders. It significantly reduces cooking time and makes the end product much more tender and juicy. If you want you can even move it indoors once it is swaddled in foil. If the temp creeps up to 300°F nobody will arrest you.
Slicing. Slicing is crucial to maximize tenderness. Look at the meat and notice which way the grain is running. Cut it by hand in thin slices, about 1/8" (3.2 mm) thick, perpendicular to the grain. If you cut parallel to the grain it will be much chewier. Don't try to slice it with a machine. It will just fall apart.
Serve. I serve the homemade smoked pastrami on fresh untoasted rye bread. A good brown mustard on both slices is all it needs. If you want, you can make a Rockin' Pastrami Reuben with sauerkraut, melted swiss, and thousand island or Russian dressing, or beter still, my famous Burger Glop. Reubens were originally made with corned beef, but there's no rule that you can't make one from pastrami. In fact, I prefer it.
Leftovers freeze well and they can be reheated in the microwave or steamed. They can also be made into a killer hash. Ess, bench, sei a mensch!

Nutrition per Serving