Smoked Pastrami
intro
Deeply smoky, peppery, tender cured beef brisket, sliced thin for classic deli sandwiches, made with low-and-slow smoking for authentic homemade deli flavor.
Ingredients
Steps
Make the curing brine
In a large stockpot, combine 4L cold water, 60g kosher salt, 50g packed dark brown sugar, 6g (1 tsp) Prague powder #1, 9g (1 tbsp) garlic powder, and 7g (1 tbsp) onion powder. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until all solid ingredients fully dissolve, then remove from heat and chill completely to 4°C (40°F) in the refrigerator before use.
Cure the beef brisket
Once brine is fully chilled, submerge the 1.8kg trimmed beef brisket point completely in the brine, weigh it down with a clean ceramic plate to prevent floating, cover the pot tightly, and refrigerate for 5 full days at a steady 2-4°C (35-40°F). Flip the brisket once every 24 hours to ensure even salt and flavor penetration.
Make the pastrami rub
After 5 days of curing, remove the brisket from the brine, rinse thoroughly under cold running water to remove excess surface salt, and pat completely dry with paper towels. Toast 24g (4 tbsp) whole black peppercorns, 12g (2 tbsp) coriander seeds, and 6g (1 tbsp) yellow mustard seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes until fragrant, then coarsely crush in a spice grinder. Mix the crushed spices with the remaining 9g (1 tbsp) garlic powder, 7g (1 tbsp) onion powder, and 14g (2 tbsp) sweet paprika, then rub the entire surface of the brisket evenly with the spice blend, pressing gently to adhere.
Preheat the smoker
Preheat your offset or electric smoker to a steady 107°C (225°F), fill the internal water pan with cold water to maintain a moist cooking environment, and soak 225g (1/2 lb) of hickory wood chips in water for 30 minutes before adding to the smoker box.
Smoke the brisket low
Place the spice-rubbed brisket on the smoker grate fat-side up, close the smoker lid, and smoke for 8 full hours, adding 225g (1/2 lb) of fresh soaked hickory chips every 2 hours to maintain consistent thin blue smoke. Cook until the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 79°C (175°F), measured with a calibrated instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part, avoiding contact with fat.
Steam to tenderize
Remove the partially smoked brisket from the smoker, wrap tightly in two layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil, and set in a steamer basket over 5cm (2 inches) of gently simmering water in a large lidded pot over medium-low heat. Steam for 2 hours, topping up the pot with hot water as needed to prevent boiling dry, until the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 93°C (200°F) and a probe slides into the meat with no resistance.
Rest and slice thin
Remove the pastrami from the steamer, keep it wrapped in foil, and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature to allow juices to redistribute evenly through the meat. Unwrap and slice against the grain into 3mm (1/8 inch) thin slices for sandwiches or charcuterie boards.
Tips
2.Maintain a steady smoker temperature between 104-110°C (220-230°F); temperatures above 121°C (250°F) will cause meat proteins to seize, resulting in tough, dry pastrami.
3.Always slice fully rested pastrami as thin as possible against the grain; thick slices cut with the grain will be unpleasantly chewy even when perfectly cooked.
OMG, I was so intimidated by the 5 day cure and 10 hour smoke but this pastrami came out better than the deli I drive 45 minutes to in Brooklyn! Sliced it thin, piled it high on rye with spicy brown mustard, served it for Sunday family dinner and everyone went back for seconds. Total game changer, will absolutely be making this again for our next potluck. 10/10 no notes!
SO good, but wow that time commitment is no joke! I work 9-5 so I had to split the cure over a work week and smoke it on a Saturday when I could be home to check the temp every hour. My kids loved it piled on sliders for our neighborhood cookout, but I knocked a star off because my first round of the rub was a little too heavy on the coriander for my taste—definitely dial that back next time. Still, way better than store bought!
Meal prep win for the whole month! I sliced up the whole brisket after smoking, vacuum sealed portions, and froze them for quick lunches. Throw a couple slices in the air fryer for 3 minutes, toast some rye, and you’ve got a better-than-deli sandwich at your desk for a fraction of the price. Worth every minute of the wait, no cap.
Taste was incredible when it finally worked, but I wish the recipe had more notes about maintaining consistent smoker temp in cold weather! I’m in Colorado and it was 30 degrees out the day I smoked mine, so I had to run the smoker 50 degrees higher than the recipe said to keep it steady, added almost 2 hours to cook time. Ended up being a late dinner, but everyone ate it anyway. Will try again when it warms up.
Brought this to my office potluck last week and people were literally asking me for the recipe before they even finished their first bite! I will say, I was nervous about the 5 day cure because I’ve never cured meat before, but the step by step instructions were so easy to follow even for a total newbie. 10/10, this is going in my permanent rotation for big gatherings.
If you told me I could make pastrami as good as Katz’s in my own backyard smoker I would’ve called you crazy, but this recipe delivered. The bark is perfect, the meat is juicy, the seasoning is spot on. Ate half the brisket standing up over the cutting board before I even brought it inside, no shame. SO good.
Made this for my dad’s birthday (he’s a total pastrami snob) and he said it’s the best he’s ever had, even better than the stuff he used to get at delis in NYC when he was a kid! The only swap I made was using a little extra black pepper because we love a peppery crust. Served it with coleslaw and pickles, classic combo. My whole family was raving. Game. Changer.
Wanted to love this, I really did, but I completely forgot about the 5 day curing time! I bought the brisket, had friends coming over for dinner, and realized I needed to start almost a week in advance. Ended up having to order pizza instead. Save yourself the headache and read the full recipe before you go to the grocery store, y’all. The parts I tested (the rub) tasted great, just didn’t plan right.
Took the whole long weekend to make this, and let me tell you, it was worth every single minute. Taught my 14 year old how to mix the cure, check the smoker temp, and slice against the grain, so it was a fun little father-son project too. We made reubens with the first batch and they were insane. Already planning to make another one before Thanksgiving for appetizers.