This recipe combines Meathead's amazing Pastrami recipe with the sous vide technique to produce wonderfully tender and moist meat that is better than anything you'll find in New York's best delis.
Prep. Put the corned beef in a pot slightly larger than the meat and cover it with cold water. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours in order to remove excess salt from the meat. If you can, change the water once or twice.
Prepare a sous vide immersion circulator, such as Joule by ChefSteps, according to the manufacturer's instructions and set the water temperature for 145°F (63°C).
Remove the desalinated corned beef from the pot and place in a gallon-size sealable freezer bag. Carefully submerge the freezer bag in the water bath until most of the air has been removed and then seal the bag as in the video below. Once bag is submerged, cook the corned beef for 30 hours.
Fill a large container with a 50/50 mix of ice and water. Place the bag of sous vided corned beef in the ice water for 30 to 60 minutes to quickly reduce the meat's core temperature to 34 to 38°F (1.1 to 3.3°C). Place the meat in the refrigerator until ready to smoke (up to two days ahead of time).
Fire up. Fire up your smoker to 225°F (107.2°C) or prepare a grill for 2-zone cooking and get the indirect side to about 225°F (107.2°C). If you are using a gas grill, simply turn off the burners on one half of the grill for indirect cooking, adjust the grill temperature to approximately 225°F (107.2°C), then add a smoker box or smoking wood pouch according to manufacturer's instructions for the full smoke flavor. Use lots of wood.
Prep again. Combine the rub ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
Remove meat from the freezer bag. Cut off any extra fat. Pat the surface dry with paper towels and season generously all over with the dry rub mixture,
Cook. Place the meat in your smoker or on the cooler side of the grill as far from the heat source as possible. Allow the meat to smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 125°F (51.7°C), about 1 hour. Note that the pastrami is already perfectly cooked from the sous vide step. The goal is to add smoke to the meat while reheating it to a temperature that is pleasant when served.
Serve. Remove the pastrami from the grill, wrap it in a double layer of foil, and allow it to sit for 1 hour before unwrapping and slicing against the natural grain of the meat. May I recommend a Rockin Reuben Sandwich?
