Homemade Smoked Pastrami
That’s right! A recipe for Homemade Smoked Pastrami is what I’m making this week 🙂
Well, friends…I am officially on summer break this school year!
Most teachers relax, soak in the sun, kick back and read a good book…me? I make pastrami!
Making pastrami is an adventure, and it takes patience and lots of extra special steps.
But it is SOOOOO worth it!
Just knowing you are part of this process from day 1 to day 6 makes that first bite unbelievably satisfying!
How to make Homemade Smoked Pastrami
Day 1 starts with brining a 5 pound beef brisket.
I trimmed some of the fat off the top, but kept some.
For the brine, bring a gallon of water to a boil and add some kosher salt, brown sugar, pickling spice, and Prague Powder #1 (I got mine from Amazon).
I also added garlic powder, ground mustard, ground allspice, and pepper.
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Once the brine boils for a minute, let it cool.
And then add your beef brisket, or put the brisket in a brining container and pour the cooled brine over top.
Place the brisket in the brine into a refrigerator for 5 to 6 days, turning it each day.
Ok fast forward to day 5 or 6…it’s PASTRAMI DAY!!!!
The day you get to smoke this baby and enjoy it after your hard work and patience 🙂
First remove the brisket and lay it on a tray, pat it dry with paper towels.
Then rub the dry rub over all sides.
The dry rub is A LOT of ground pepper…4 Tablespoons to be exact.
Also some brown sugar, garlic powder, ground allspice, and ground mustard.
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After 3 hours, wrap in foil, I like to double wrap mine.
And place back into the 250 degree smoker for another 3 to 4 hours.
Or until the internal temp is exactly 204 degrees.
You’ve waited so long for this amazing pastrami so far…6 days to brine…7 hours to smoke…
what’s another 45 minutes to let it rest, right???
The moment we’ve been waiting for!
Slicing into your Homemade Smoked Pastrami and tasting it for the first time!
Pure heaven right here 🙂
We made simple sandwiches on light rye bread with spicy mustard to start.
The pastrami was still slightly warm and it was everything I hoped it would be.
Yes, if I let it cool I could have gotten more uniform and even slices, but I didn’t even care.
This was absolute perfection!
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We also made Reuben sandwiches and pastrami nachos…highly recommend both!
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More recipes just as good as Homemade Smoked Pastrami…
Smoked BBQ Pulled Pork
3-2-1 Smoked BBQ Ribs
Smoked Maple Bourbon Brined Turkey
Traeger Bourbon Candied Bacon
Best Traeger Grill and Smoker Recipes
Best Blackstone Griddle Recipes
For more recipes like homemade smoked pastrami, follow me on:
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Homemade Smoked Pastrami
Homemade Smoked Pastrami is brined for five days and then smoked for maximum flavor and unbelievably delicious pastrami sandwiches, ruebens, and hash!
Ingredients
For the Brine
- 1 5 to 6 pound flat brisket trimmed
- 1 gallon water
- 1 1/4 cups kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
- 1/3 cup pickling spice
- 1 Tbsp Prague Powder #1 pink curing salt
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 Tbsp ground mustard
- 1/2 Tbsp ground allspice
- 1/2 Tbsp ground pepper
For the Rub
- 4 Tbsps ground pepper
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 Tbsp ground allspice
- 1/2 Tbsp ground mustard
Instructions
For the Brine
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Place the brisket into a large container that will fit in your fridge, big enough for the brisket and brine.
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Put the water, kosher salt, brown sugar, pickling spice, Prague powder, garlic powder, ground mustard, ground allspice, and ground pepper into a large pot. Bring this mixture to a boil and boil for 1 minute.
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Let this mixture come to room temperature and pour over the brisket. Place the container with the brisket and brine in the fridge for 5 or 6 days. Turn the brisket each day to mix up the brine.
For the Rub
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Remove the brisket from the brine and pat it dry.
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In a small bowl mix together the ground pepper, brown sugar, garlic powder, allspice, and ground mustard. Rub this mixture on all sides of the brisket.
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Place the brisket in a smoker set to 250 degrees for 3 hours. Wrap the brisket in foil, sealing the edges (double wrapped in foil is recommended). Place back in the smoker for 3 to 4 more hours, until the internal temp is at exactly 204 degrees.
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Let rest for at least 45 minutes before slicing.
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