Tag: pastrami

Homemade Pastrami

I’ve been making homemade pastrami for years. I make what is commonly called ‘cheater’ pastrami, or ‘fauxstrami’. I don’t start with a brisket, brine (or ‘corn’) it for ages and then smoke it. Instead, I start with a corned beef brisket. The end result is absolutely fantastic.

Homemade Pastrami

I load up on corned beefs any time they are on sale. My relatives and neighbors absolutely love it when I make pastrami. It’s always a huge hit.

I took a slightly different approach than my traditional method and I’ve found this way to make homemade pastrami to be even better than the old. You still get that slight peppery bite, but the pastrami-like flavor seems more pronounced and further penetrates the meat than when I use a more coarse spice grind.

I prefer to use fruit or nut woods when I smoke unless I want a heavier smoke flavor. Pecan, apple or cherry are my favorites. For this pastrami I went with apple.

Homemade Pastrami
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5 from 1 vote

Homemade Pastrami

I load up on corned beefs any time they are on sale. My relatives and neighbors absolutely love it when I make pastrami. It’s always a huge hit.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword corned beef, smoked
Prep Time 8 hours
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 16 hours
Servings 1 corned beef
Calories 2012kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Rinse and dry the corned beef.
  • Whisk together the mustard, brown sugar, coriander and allspice. You want the mixture to be slightly wet so that it adheres to the meat. If it does not, add a bit more mustard and mix.
  • Rub the mixture all over the brisket, then cover completely with the ground pepper. Place in a large resealable bag or wrap tightly in foil and keep in the fridge overnight.
  • The next day, fire up your smoker for 225-250 F. Place a chunk or two of light fruit wood in the smoker (I used cherry). Cook the brisket for at least 8 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 195 – 205 F.
  • Remove, wrap in foil, and let rest for 30 minutes.
  • Thinly slice the brisket against the grain using a meat slicer or sharp knife. Serve.

Notes

I usually buy reduced sodium corned beef to make pastrami. If you have concerns over the amount of sodium, soak your brisket in cold water for 2 hours, replacing the water every 30 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 2012kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 136g | Fat: 137g | Saturated Fat: 43g | Cholesterol: 486mg | Sodium: 11313mg | Potassium: 3116mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 146IU | Vitamin C: 246mg | Calcium: 258mg | Iron: 19mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Cheater Pastrami

I love the week around St. Patrick’s Day. Not because I’m Irish or love the color green. No, it’s because corned beef briskets go on sale. And every year, I buy a big load of them and make cheater pastrami on my smoker. The end result is tender and very flavorful. Perfect for sandwiches. Almost beyond perfect.

Cheater Pastrami

So why is this approach called ‘cheating’? Well, real pastrami takes a long time to make. You don’t start with a corned beef brisket out of the grocer’s fridge. I’ve had the most amazing pastrami in New York City. Here in Indianapolis, the closest I’ve found is at Shapiro’s Delicatessen (though I’ve heard that Fat Dan’s Deli is also great). This cheater version isn’t as good, of course, but it’s actually quite fantastic. All my neighbors will back me up on that.

I start out by rubbing corned beef in a mix of mustard, all spice, coriander and a lot of cracked pepper.

Cheater Pastrami

The meat gets wrapped and goes into the fridge overnight to get ‘happy’.

Cheater Pastrami

Then onto the smoker at 225 F for about 8 hours or until the internal temperatures reach 195-205 F. Let them rest then slice then and enjoy!

Cheater Pastrami

This recipe is a combination of a recipe I found on Patio Daddio and the technique on my favorite Weber Smoky-Mountain-related site, the Virtual Weber Bullet.

Cheater Pastrami
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Cheater Pastrami

Perfect for sandwiches. Almost beyond perfect.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword corned beef, homemade, pastrami, smoked
Prep Time 8 hours
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 16 hours
Servings 1 pastrami
Calories 1997kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Note: I buy coriander seeds and whole peppercorns from the local GFS store and grind them using an old blade-style coffee grinder. Make sure you keep the grind a little coarse. You can also use a mortar and pestle.
  • Rinse and dry the corned beef.
  • Whisk together the mustard, brown sugar, coriander and allspice. Rub the mixture all over the brisket, then cover completely with the ground pepper. Place in a large resealable bag or wrap tightly in foil and keep in the fridge overnight.
  • The next day, fire up your smoker for 225-250 F. Place a chunk or two of light fruit wood in the smoker (I used cherry). Cook the brisket for at least 8 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 195 – 205 F.
  • Remove, wrap in foil, and let rest for 30 minutes.
  • Thinly slice the brisket against the grain using a meat slicer or sharp knife. Serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 1997kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 136g | Fat: 136g | Saturated Fat: 43g | Cholesterol: 486mg | Sodium: 11311mg | Potassium: 3055mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 173IU | Vitamin C: 245mg | Calcium: 223mg | Iron: 18mg

Nutritional values are approximate.