Homemade Pastrami Recipes

EASY HOMEMADE PASTRAMI

Steps:

• Mix garlic and vegetable oil in a small bowl. Set aside for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C).
• Combine black pepper, paprika, coriander, dry mustard, white pepper, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl. Set aside.
• Cover a baking sheet with a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Coat aluminum foil with prepared garlic oil. Lay corned beef brisket on foil and brush with remaining garlic oil.
• Cover all sides of corned beef brisket completely with pepper mixture, reserving 1 to 2 tablespoons.
• With fat side of corned beef brisket up, wrap in the sheet of aluminum foil. Place wrapped corned beef on another sheet of aluminum foil with the seam and fat side down. Place double-wrapped corned beef on a third sheet of aluminum foil (seam down), and wrap again.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 6 hours.
• Remove pastrami from the oven and let cool to room temperature, about 3 hours.
• With pastrami still wrapped in aluminum foil, place in a freezer bag or other plastic bag and refrigerate for 8 to 10 hours.
• Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source.
• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Remove pastrami from refrigerator, unwrap, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle top with 1 to 2 tablespoons of remaining pepper mixture.
• Place pastrami in the oven, 6 to 8 inches below broiler heat. Broil briefly to brown surface, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pastrami from the oven and slice thinly, about 1/8-inch slices.
• Heat a large skillet over low heat.
• Heat pastrami slices in the skillet with a few drops of water until fat begins to turn from white to translucent, about 5 minutes.

PRIMETIME PASTRAMI

Steps:

• For the brine: In a large stockpot, add half of the water, the brown sugar, kosher salt, curing salt, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, juniper berries, chile flakes, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon and star anise and bring to a boil. Then simmer for 30 minutes. Add the remaining water with some ice to chill the brine.
• For the rub: Grind the peppercorns, coriander and juniper until crushed but still a little chunky. Add to a mixing bowl. Add the salt, brown sugar, chile flakes and granulated garlic and stir to combine.
• For the pastrami: First, clean all the fat off the brisket including the "V" between the two muscles, then follow the fat between the two muscles and separate them making a flat and a cap.
• Transfer the brine to a large hotel pan or roasting pan. Add the brisket and refrigerate at least 5 days and no more than 10 days. Make sure the brisket is stirred once a day to get an evenly brined brisket.
• After a minimum of 5 days, prepare a smoker for 225 degrees F.
• Remove the pastrami, rinse it and blot dry with paper towels. Thoroughly rub the brined brisket with the pastrami rub. Place in smoker and cook for 8 hours until the internal temperature reaches 210 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.

BIG DADDY'S HOMEMADE PASTRAMI

Steps:

• In a coffee grinder, add the peppercorns and coriander and grind until coarsely chopped. Set aside.
• In a large stock pot add all the brine ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and let cool. Add the brisket to the brine and refrigerate overnight. Remove the brisket from the brine and pat dry. Cover liberally with the spice mixture.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• On a sheet pan with a rack, arrange the brisket on the rack and roast until fork tender, about 4 hours. Remove to a cutting board and slice. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.

SIMPLE AND SMOKY HOMEMADE PASTRAMI RECIPE

Steps:

• Prep the corned beef. Buy or make corned beef. For pastrami, the flat section of the brisket is favored by many because it makes nice even slices for sandwiches, but I prefer the point section of the brisket because it is fattier, richer, and more tender. It can also be made from flank steak, or leaner cuts, or even from boneless short plate (rib meat). Remove all of the fat cap and if there is any filmy membrane on the other side, remove it all.
• Desalinate. Put the corned beef in a pot slightly larger than the meat and cover it with cold water in the fridge for at least 8 hours. Change the water at least once. This removes excess salt. Trust me, you need to do this or you will be gulping water all night after your meal.
• Rub. Make the rub. Rinse the meat, and while it is damp, apply the rub liberally and press it into the surface to help it adhere.
• Fire up. Set up your grill in 2 zones for smoking or set up your smoker. Preheat to 225°F. Pick your wood. I don't think it makes a huge difference with all the other flavors banging around in there. My best batch was with cherry wood.
• Cook. Place the meat on the smoker or on the indirect heat side of the grill. You only need to smoke it with indirect heat until it reaches the stall at about 160°F and the crust is brown. Then wrap it tightly in foil and roast it up to 203°F. This is called the Texas Crutch and it does wonders. It significantly reduces cooking time and makes the end product much more tender and juicy.
• Slicing. Slicing is crucial to maximize tenderness. Look at the meat and notice which way the grain is running. Cut it by hand in thin slices, about 1/8" thick, perpendicular to the grain. If you cut parallel to the grain it will be much chewier. Don't try to slice it with a machine. It will just fall apart.
• Serve. I serve the homemade smoked pastrami on fresh untoasted rye bread. A good brown mustard on both slices is all it needs. If you want, you can make a Rockin' Pastrami Reuben with sauerkraut, melted swiss, and thousand island or Russian dressing, or beter still, my famous Burger Glop. Reubens were originally made with corned beef, but there's no rule that you can't make one from pastrami. In fact, I prefer it.Leftovers freeze well and they can be reheated in the microwave or steamed. They can also be made into a killer hash. Ess, bench, sei a mensch!

HOMEMADE PASTRAMI

Steps:

• 1. Make the brine: Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Stir in the garlic, juniper berries, bay leaves, salt, brown sugar, curing salt, if using, whole peppercorns, and allspice berries. Let cool completely, then immerse the meat. (Weight it down with a plate if necessary.) Refrigerate for 3 days.
• 2. Make the rub: In a spice grinder or small food processor, combine the black pepper, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, and bay leaves. Pulse until coarsely ground. Stir in the brown sugar, paprika, cinnamon, and clove.
• 3. Remove the meat from the brine and rinse under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle and pat the rub on the brisket. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
• 4. When ready to cook, prepare your Smoker for 180 degrees.
• 5. Remove the plastic wrap from the beef brisket and arrange on the grill grate. Smoke the meat for 3 to 4 hours. Wrap the brisket tightly in foil. Increase the temperature to 250 degrees, and continue to cook the brisket until the internal temperature is 175 degrees. Allow the brisket to cool to room temperature, leaving it in the foil. Transfer the brisket to a baking dish, and weight it with foil-covered bricks or cast iron skillets. Refrigerate overnight. Slice thinly against the grain for serving. (A meat slicer is preferred to a knife.).

HOMEMADE PASTRAMI

Steps:

• 1. Chef's Note: I don't have my usual photos for this recipe... except the main photo, and that speaks for itself. YUM
• 2. In addition, if you already have a good corned beef (from a butcher that you trust) You can skip all the way down to step 14, and save three days. But you really need to trust that butcher, when he/she says they have a good corned beef.
• 3. THE BRINE
• 4. Put the filtered water into a large non-reactive stockpot and bring to the boil.
• 5. Add the brining ingredients.
• 6. Chef's Note: If you are using juniper berries, rub them in your hands to bruise them before adding to the boiling liquid.
• 7. Chef's Tip: If you are using gin, it's a good idea to have a glass or two... just to make sure it hasn't gone bad :-).
• 8. Stir for about 5 minutes (make sure all the sugars and salts have completely dissolved).
• 9. Remove from heat, and allow the brine to cool to room temperature.
• 10. Chef's Note: You will need a non-reactive container to hold the brisket and the liquid... the stockpot will do fine, but make sure that it is a non-reactive stockpot. Personally, I prefer something glass. I don't like anything plastic, because chemicals can leach out of the plastic over the long soaking time.
• 11. Add the brisket to the liquid and immerse it completely in the brine.
• 12. Chef's Note: The brisket will probably float, so use a pie plate or other non-reactive item to weigh it down.
• 13. Place in the refrigerator and wait for three days... four or five, if you have the patience.
• 14. Chef's Note: You can check it if you want; however, as long as it's immersed in the brine, you really don't have to do anything. Just don't forget it's in there.
• 15. THE RUB
• 16. Add the pepper, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, and the bay leaves to a mortar & pestle, and coarsely grind. Or, you could use a spice grinder.
• 17. Add the brown sugar, paprika, salt, cinnamon, and clove, and thoroughly combine.
• 18. THE PASTRIMI
• 19. Remove the brisket from the brine, rinse, and pat dry.
• 20. Thoroughly, cover the brisket with the spice rub
• 21. Place the brisket (unwrapped) in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
• 22. Chef's Note: We want the brisket to lose a bit of its moisture before putting it in the smoker, so unwrapped is the way to go. In addition, this will help to keep the rub from falling off.
• 23. Remove from the refrigerator.
• 24. Allow it to sit out for about an hour, this will take the chill off.
• 25. Prepare your smoker, and set the temperature to 220f - 225f (104c - 107c).
• 26. Chef's Tip: Do not be tempted to speed up the process by increasing the temperature... have patience, grasshopper.
• 27. Chef's Note: The choice of wood will help to flavor the meat; however, with all those other flavors banging around, it probably won't make that big a difference. With that said, I usually use apple wood.
• 28. Smoke the brisket, until the internal temperature reaches 190f to 200f (87c to 93c).
• 29. Chef's Note: This process can take up to 12 hours... or more.
• 30. Remove from the smoker, cover with a piece of parchment paper, and then tightly wrap in aluminum foil.
• 31. Place in the refrigerator for 12 hours, or overnight.
• 32. Chef's Note: Take a couple of bricks and cover them with aluminum foil, and place them on top of the brisket to weigh it down.
• 33. STEAM & SERVE
• 34. Remove from the fridge and steam the meat for about an hour, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 205f (96c).
• 35. Chef's Tip: It's important to the tenderizing process to get the meat all the way to 205f (96c).
• 36. Chef's Note: If you don't own a steamer, you can always put a rack into a pot, with some water (make sure the water is below the rack). Simmer the water, and then put the brisket on the rack, and cover. Make sure the pot doesn't run dry.
• 37. Remove from the steamer, and slice thinly perpendicular to the grain of the meat.
• 38. Chef's Tip: If you cut parallel to the grain, the pastrami will be too chewy. Enjoy.
• 39. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.