Homemade Pastrami
St. Patrick's Day is the perfect time to make Homemade Pastrami! Just grab some corned beef from the store, toss it on the smoker and *boom* Homemade Pastrami!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup coarse ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 Tbsp turbinado sugar
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1½ tsp granulated garlic
- 1½ tsp granulated onion
- 1 tsp ancho chili powder
- 1 corned beef brisket or round
Instructions
- Preheat smoker to 225°-250°F.
- Using a small bowl, combine all spices together.
- Remove corned beef brisket/round from brine; rinse brisket and discard brine. Press the spice rub mixture evenly into all sides of meat.
- Place beef on smoker and smoke until internal temperature reaches 150°F. (The time will depend on which cut of corned beef you use. This will most likely take about 1-3 hours at this stage, but just check the temperature occasionally.)
- Remove pastrami from smoker and wrap with aluminum foil. Place pastrami back on smoker and continue cooking internal temperature reaches 185°F (another 1-2 hours).
- Remove pastrami from smoker, but allow meat to rest for 30 minutes. For serving, slice pastrami thinly against the grain. (Tip: I found it easier to slice if you chill pastrami overnight and slice while cold.)
Notes
Recipe adapted from Certified Angus Beef.
Most rubs for smoking include salt. This rub does not include salt as is beef has already been corned in brine.
To turn this homemade pastrami into delicious Reuben sandwiches, just grab some marbled rye bread. Butter that bread and toast it in a dry skillet while warming the sliced pastrami in same skillet. Add Swiss cheese and sauerkraut (or cole slaw!) and you've got one heck of a tasty sandwich. Don't forget to serve with a good dill pickle, too!
