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smoked pastrami on a cutting board
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4.50 from 2 votes

Homemade Pastrami

This smoked pastrami was every bit as good as the homemade pastrami you get from the famous NY delis. From starting with a whole beef brisket, brining the brisket in a homemade pastrami brine, and making the pastrami rub, this recipe will walk you through everything you need to know to make smoked pastrami on the pellet grill or smoker!
Prep Time12 days
Cook Time14 hours
Total Time12 days 14 hours
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: brisket pastrami, homemade pastrami rub, pastrami recipe, smoked pastrami
Servings: 20 people

Equipment

  • 1 full-size, deep aluminum foil pan or other food-safe container for brining
  • heavy duty aluminum foil

Ingredients

  • 8-10 lb beef brisket trimmed
  • 1 cup beef stock

For the Brine:

  • 1 gallon water
  • 1 cup kosher salt
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • 1½ tablespoon pink curing salt #1 (aka Prague Powder #1)
  • 8 cloves garlic crushed
  • 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
  • 2 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns
  • 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
  • 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
  • ½ tablespoon ground cloves
  • ½ tablespoon ground ginger
  • ½ tablespoon ground mace
  • 2 small cinnamon sticks
  • 4 bay leaves

For the Rub:

Instructions

Make the Pastrami Brine:

  • In a medium saucepan, add about 1 quart of the water, kosher salt, brown and white sugar, garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, ground cloves, ground ginger, ground mace, and bay leaves. Heat over medium heat for about 5 minutes to dissolve the salt and sugar.
  • At the same time, add the whole coriander seeds, mustard seeds, cinnamon sticks, and cracked peppercorns to a medium skillet. Toast the whole seeds over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes. Transfer the seeds and peppercorns (remove the cinnamon sticks) to a zip top bag or folded piece of parchment paper, and use the bottom of a heavy skillet to crack the seeds a bit. Then add the cracked seeds and the cinnamon sticks to the sauce pan with the other ingredients. Stir to combine.
  • Remove the saucepan from the heat, and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Then, add the pink curing salt #1 to the brine, and stir to combine. Next, add about 15-20 ice cubes to the brine.

Brine the Beef Brisket:

  • Place the trimmed brisket fat side up in a full-size, deep aluminum foil pan. Pour the brine over the brisket. Add about 3 quarts of water (so the brine has 1 gallon of water total) to the pan, and stir.
  • Cover the aluminum foil pan with plastic wrap. Place the pan in the refrigerator for 8-10 days. *If needed, add a plate and/or a jar of water to weight down the brisket and make sure that it stays fully submerged in the brine. Once every day, uncover and flip the beef brisket to the other side so that it brines evenly. Replace the plastic wrap and return it to the fridge.
  • After 8-10 days, remove the brisket from the brine and rinse thoroughly under cold water.

Season the Brisket with Pastrami Rub:

  • Pat the brisket dry with paper towels. Coat all sides of the brisket with pastrami rub. *Our pastrami rub recipe makes enough for a 10-12 pound brisket.
  • Transfer the seasoned brisket to a wire cooling rack set on top of a large sheet tray. Refrigerate for 8-12 hours, or overnight.

Smoke the Brisket:

  • Preheat smoker or grill to about 250-275℉. Place the seasoned brisket on the grill, insert a probe thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of the meat, and close the grill lid. Smoke the pastrami brisket until the internal temperature reaches about 175-180°F (this took me 11.5 hours).
  • When the pastrami brisket reaches 175-180℉ internal, remove from the grill. Place the smoked pastrami on two large overlapped sheets of aluminum foil. Pour about 1 cup of beef stock around the brisket on the foil, and wrap the brisket tightly in the foil. The moisture from the added beef stock will get trapped inside the foil, creating the steamed effect as the pastrami continues to cook.
  • Adjust the grill temperature to 275°F. Place the wrapped pastrami back on the grill. Continue to cook until the internal temperature reaches about 200-205°F (this took me 2.5 hours).

Rest and Serve the Smoked Pastrami:

  • When the brisket reaches an internal temp of 200-205°F, remove from the grill. Allow to rest in the aluminum foil for 1-2 hours, or until the internal temp reaches about 180℉. *I recommend a "long rest". Once the internal temp reaches 180℉, transfer to an oven set at 155-160℉ and hold the wrapped pastrami for about 5 hours. If your oven does not go to 155℉, use the lowest heat setting available.
  • Slice the brisket against the grain into slices that are about 1/4" thick. Pile the sliced pastrami on slices of rye bread with spicy mustard for pastrami sandwiches, and serve warm. Or you can also wrap the pastrami in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

Video

Notes

  • For leftover pastrami, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.  Or you can also wrap tightly in plastic wrap, place in a zip top bag, and freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
  • Using the correct type and amount of pink curing salt is absolutely CRUCIAL! Look for Prague Powder #1, sometimes called Insta Cure #1 or Pink curing salt #1. You can also reference the handy curing salt calculator here for the correct amount of pink salt to use for your particular cut of meat.