Smoked Pastrami from Brisket

Pastrami is cured and smoked lamb meat from Romania. Immigrants brought the recipe to America, where beef became the go-to choice.

In the U.S., pastrami is mainly made from brisket, with New York-style pastrami being the most famous. It’s sold in many Jewish delis, like Katz’s.

The characteristic colour of pastrami comes from the curing process, specifically from the nitrite salt in the cure, which reacts with the raw meat to prevent discolouration.

We use pre-mixed curing salt, which has precisely the right balance of nitrite salt and various herbs and spices. Unlike wet brining, where the curing salt is dissolved in water, and the meat is submerged, we use the dry curing method.

For this brisket “ear,” which weighs around 3 kilograms, we sprinkle about 1 tbsp curing salt per side. If you have a larger brisket cut, feel free to use more curing salt proportionally.

The dry method works faster, requires less salt, and is easier to apply. You could use a wet brine if you want guaranteed tenderness and juiciness, but we’re not concerned with that for this brisket ear.

Once we’ve applied a thin layer of curing salt over the meat, we place it in a ziplock bag and press out as much air as possible before sealing. This ensures complete contact between the meat and the salt. The bag then goes into the fridge for two days.

This is a brisket ear, which isn’t very thick. If you’re using a thicker cut of brisket, you might want to add an extra day to the curing time.

After two days, the nitrite salt has done its job, so we rinse it off the meat. This step is crucial, or the pastrami will become way too salty. We don’t pat the brisket dry, but let it drain on a rack. We need a moist surface for the dry rub to stick properly.

We use a mix of the usual BBQ spices for the dry rub but without salt since the cured meat already has plenty of salt.

We place the rubbed brisket on the rack in our smoker, keeping the rack underneath for easier handling later. In this first stage, the brisket will absorb the smoky flavour, which takes about 3 to 4 hours.

After smoking, we place the rack in an oven tray filled with water. Pastrami is traditionally steamed until tender. The steam helps break down the connective tissue, making the meat softer.

By keeping the meat on the rack, it doesn’t sit in the water, so the spice crust isn’t damaged or washed away.

We cook the pastrami until it reaches an internal temperature of 90ºC (195ºF), 90ºC (195ºF) isn’t set in stone. The longer you cook the meat, the more tender it will become.

When you want to check the tenderness, insert a probe or skewer into the meat. The pastrami is done when it goes in and out without much resistance.

It took us around 4 hours to get the meat to our liking, but this can vary. Every piece of meat is different.

Once the steaming is complete, it’s time for the hardest part—waiting. The meat needs to rest for 20 to 30 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute. If you skip this step, all the moisture will be on the outer edges, and when you slice it, the extra juice will end up on the cutting board while the middle part stays dry.

If you finish early and don’t plan to serve the pastrami for a while, wrap it well and store it in a cooler to keep it warm for hours.

Finally, it’s time to slice the meat. First, cut the brisket in half along the grain to create manageable slices.

Here’s where you can see the effect of the curing salt. Unlike a smoke ring that only forms on the outer edge of the meat, the nitrite salt penetrates much deeper, giving the meat a beautiful pink colour throughout.

You can slice the pastrami as thinly as you like. We prefer slices about half a centimetre thick. It’s best to use a long, sharp knife for this, as it makes things easier and results in even slices.

With pastrami, you can make amazing sandwiches, traditionally topped with cheese, sauerkraut, mustard, or whatever else you like.

If you’re going to make this pastrami, let us know in the comments below. Better yet, take a picture and post it on Instagram, tagging @bbqhelden so we can see what you’ve made.