Home-made Pastrami

sptucker

New member
Decided to attempt my first home-cured corned beef brisket, and after a few days in the brine, pulled it out and cut off half to make pastrami...

For those of you who don't know (I didn't know this until just a few months ago), corned beef brisket is cured brisket, and pastrami is basically corned beef rubbed with crushed black peppercorns and coriander seeds, then smoked.

This was super easy to make, and it's easily as good or better than any pastrami I ever had, including fancy deli pastrami. You should definitely give it a shot!

Cooking the regular corned beef tomorrow. Will report back...

Anyway, I took a few pics. Enjoy!

The cured corned beef, with peppercorns and coriander measured and ready to grind


Rubbed and on the MAK, ready to smoke!


After 4 hours in SMOKE mode, internal temp 150 and ready to pull off


Steamed for 2 hours and sliced. Prepping a sammie!


Ready to eat!
 

sptucker

New member
Looks delicious? Can you tell me why you steamed it? I assume it's to finish cooking. Just wondering.

I was loosely following Ruhlman's "Charcuterie" recipe, plus steaming appears to be the favored/traditional method for getting a moist and tender final product, according to some articles I read. At 150 it was still pretty tough, but after a couple hours steaming, it was quite tender. I didn't let it get too overdone though because I wanted it to be easy to slice.
 

TentHunter

Moderator
It looks super great, Paul! I am enjoying watching you delve into the world of charcuterie!


BBQ Judge: I usually just wrap the pastrami in foil with just a few TBS of water, bump the pit temp up to 275° - 300°, and let it braise (or steam) for a couple hours. It turns out nice and tender.
 

flypig

New member
I've been making my own pastrami for several years. I started by buying corned beef from the store, then advanced to curing myself. It's so easy and amazing that I have to let my co-workers know when I plan on doing it so they can order some.

For steaming, if you have one, try pressure cooking @ 15psi for about 5-10 mins with a little water or Au Jus.
 

sptucker

New member
It looks super great, Paul! I am enjoying watching you delve into the world of charcuterie!

It's been a lot of fun. I've made hot links and brats too, but didn't post any pics...
I would really like to try making salami. I will have to pick your brain on that, Cliff!
 

sptucker

New member
OK, the corned beef came out perfectly, too... Only took one pic, sliced with all the veggies:



Folks, this is so much better than store-bought. Heck, it's the best we ever had. Any and all of you can easily make this, and it is so worth it if you enjoy corned beef!
 

hariandro001

New member
I live north of Boston and cannot buy pastrami that holds a candle to this recipe. Simply outstanding, exactly as written. I have made it quite a few times, and have tweaked it some, but you don’t have to.
Five stars.
 

Chef Anjana

New member
OK, the corned beef came out perfectly, too... Only took one pic, sliced with all the veggies:



Folks, this is so much better than store-bought. Heck, it's the best we ever had. Any and all of you can easily make this, and it is so worth it if you enjoy corned beef!
Yummy one of the great recipe i had of my own ..Thank you this forum to make me learn more recipe.
 
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