Ever wanted to try making your own homemade pastrami? This recipe doesn’t take rocket science and comes out perfect! So good, you’ll eat it without bread.
Disclaimer: I have never had pastrami in New York. I don’t know what a Katz’s is. Really, I can’t think of ever ordering pastrami out… But there is this ‘chain’ that I’ve been taken to that serves a ‘New York Steamer’ that I was determined to show up three ways from Sunday in the girl carnivore kitchens. Why? Because it involved my smoker and a terribly underused cut of meat that I happen to love – the brisket.
Today we’re cheating though, and starting with an already prepped brisket.
Corned beef.
Give your own homemade pastrami a try and let me know how it comes out!
Ingredients
- 4 lbs corned beef
- 4 tbs fresh coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 tbs coriander powder
- 1 teas mustard powder
- 1 tbs light brown sugar
- 1 tbs smokedpaprika
- 2 teas garlic powder
- 2 teas onion powder
Instructions
- Two nights before ready to smoke: place the corned beef in a large pot of cold water and place in the fridge to draw out excess salt.
- Combine the black pepper, coriander, mustard, brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder in a bowl. Remove the corned beef from the water and pat dry. Rub the corned beef with a thick layer of rub, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.
- The day of: prep wood chips by soaking in water at least 2 hours. (I used hickory). Prep smoker for 225 degrees F. Add water to the water pan and let the corned beef sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Place corned beef, fat side up in smoker and smoke until internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F. Remove from smoker, wrap in aluminum foil and cool completely (I placed in the fridge overnight).
- When ready to serve: Steam. Place pastrami on a steamer rack, or metal wire rack above simmering water in a large pan on the stove top, making sure the meat does not touch the water. Cover with lid or aluminium foil and steam for 2 hours, adding water as needed, or until the meat reaches 200 degrees F.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
the ever awesome AmazingRibs
Tried this recipe?Mention @GirlCarnivore or tag #girlcarnivore!
This made the best pastrami ever. Followed your directions and we had the best tasting pastrami ever.
Thanks for sharing.
About how long of a smoke does this take to get to 190? Would it be worthwhile to wrap in butcher paper or foil partway through the smoke? I’m trying to determine if I want to try and smoke this the weekend before I need the pastrami or the night before (which would be a weeknight, so some of the smoking would be while I’m asleep).
Look delicious, I’ll have to try them :))
Thanks for sharing.
As kid from the Bronx and a veteran of many a pastrami I can’t help but add my 2¢! The recipe is a good one and should produce a delicious pastrami, although I would increase the ground coriander by a T or so. However, to really appreciate your pastrami you should start with a raw brisket and corn it yourself as a first step. Yes, it adds days to the process but it is well worth the effort. Sure, I have made pastrami using a commercial corned beef; it is REALLY good, but it cannot compare to doing it from scratch. My only other suggestion is that before rubbing your corned beef with the dry rub, coat your meat with a layer of yellow mustard. Trust me, it helps both in flavor and in adhering the rub to the meat. Don’t worry, your pastrami will not taste like mustard – but even if it did, what could be bad!
Just got done with this, and it is amazing! Thanks so much!