Pastrami

This is a two part recipe really. If you don’t have the time, you can buy a pre-cured corned beef (especially around St. Patrick’s Day) and skip that part.

What I have been doing lately actually is cutting about half the flat off to make a traditional corned beef and then using the rest for pastrami. You do you.

Ingredients

• 1 whole packer brisket, around 16 lbs.

The Brine

• 3 gallons cold water
• 3 oz curing salt (prague powder #1)
• 2 ¼ C kosher salt
• 1 ½ C brown sugar

Pickling Spice

• 2 tbsp whole mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp whole allspice berries
• 2 tsp whole coriander seeds
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 bay leaves, torn up
• 2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
• 6 whole cloves

The Rub

• 4 tbsp whole black peppercorns
• 3 tbsp whole coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika

Preparation - Curing

Trim most of the fat off the brisket. You only need about ¼ inch of the fat cap remaining. Any other fat can be removed.

In a large, food-safe container (I use a 6 gallon brewing bucket), mix the cold water, salts, and sugar for the brine. Stir vigorously until the liquid is clear and all the salt and sugar has dissolved.

Heat a dry cast iron skillet on the stove over medium heat. Combine all the pickling spices in a bowl and then pour them into the hot skillet. Keep them moving in the pan and toast them gently for a couple minutes until aromatic.

Dump the pickling spices into the brine and submerge the brisket. Ensure that the meat is fully submerged. Place something heavy on top of it to keep it from floating up if necessary.

Cover the container and place it in the fridge for six to twelve days.

Preparation - Cooking

Remove the meat from the brine and rinse it thoroughly. You’ll want to test the meat for saltiness before proceeding. Cut of a small slice, against the grain, from one of the corners. Fry it up and taste it. If it is extremely salty, you can put the brisket in a bath of cold water for around 40 minutes and try again.

When you are satisfied with the salt level, pat the brisket very dry. You want to remove as much moisture as possible from the exterior to let if form a nice pellicle. Once dry, wrap it very tightly in plastic warp and put it back in the fridge at least overnight.

Coarsely grind up the peppercorns and coriander in a mortar and pestle (or a spice grinder, but be gentle). Combine with the rest of the rub spices.

Take the brisket out of the fridge and check the surface. It should be slightly tacky. Apply a thin coating of yellow mustard to help the rub adhere. Apply the rub generously to the brisket. It should look like the meat is wearing a sweater of spices.

Let the brisket sit on the counter for 45 to 60 minutes while you heat up the smoker to 225°F.

Put the brisket on the smoker with the fat cap away from the heat source. Leave it in the smoker undisturbed until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.

Wrap the meat in butcher paper and continue to smoke it until it reaches an internal temperature of 200°F.

Place the wrapped meat in a cooler and let it rest for three or four hours.

Slice it against the grain and enjoy.