Homemade Pastrami
For this homemade pastrami, beef brisket is brined (or corned) in a pickling mix for 5 days. The now-corned beef is rubbed with black pepper, coriander, and smoked paprika, and baked in the oven. If you must smoke it, see the variation.
Equipment
- 1 2-to-3 gallon food-safe container tight-fitting lid
Ingredients
For the brine
- 3 quarts water, for the brine
- 10 ½ ounces kosher salt
- 1 ¾ teaspoon pink curing salt, (a mixture of 6.25% sodium nitrite, salt, and a touch of red dye, also known as Prague Mix #1 or Instacure #1 or Curing Salt #1)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup firmly packed dark or light brown sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons pickling spice
- 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 quarts total of ice and cold water, for cooling the brine
- one (3- to 4-pound) beef brisket
For the spice rub
- ¼ cup ground coriander
- 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 4 cups cold water, for humidifying the oven
Instructions
Make the brine
- Fill a large stock pot with 3 quarts water. Add the 10 ½ ounces kosher salt and 1 ¾ teaspoon pink curing salt (it's essential to weigh the kosher salt for accuracy rather than go by a volume measure, trust me), 1 cup granulated sugar and ½ cup firmly packed dark or light brown sugar, ¼ cup honey, 2 tablespoons pickling spice, 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds, 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds, and 4 cloves garlic.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often to dissolve the salt and sugar in the fully. Immediately remove the pot from the heat once the brine boils.
- Add the 3 quarts (12 cups) of ice and cold water to a sturdy 2-gallon (or larger) food-safe container with a tight-fitting lid that fits in your fridge. Pour in the brine. It should be instantly cool.
☞ TESTER TIP: You want a large-enough container that can fit the brisket, brine, and a plate or weight on top to keep it submerged. Don’t use disposable pans—they tend to leak and don’t keep the meat fully immersed.
- Trim excess fat from the one (3- to 4-pound) beef brisket leaving a 1/4-inch thick layer, which is important for flavor and keeping the meat juicy. Dunk the brisket in the cooled brine.
- Refrigerate the brisket for 5 days, stirring the brine and flipping the meat each morning. If any part of the brisket is touching the container (or another brisket) make sure to rotate it to expose all of the meat to the brine.
Make the spice rub
- Mix together the ¼ cup ground coriander, 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper, and 2 tablespoons smoked paprika in a small bowl. (Or mix together my recipe for the spice rub above.)
Roast the pastrami
- Remove the brisket from the brine and pat it dry. Rub 1/4 cup of the spice rub evenly on the non-fatty side, then flip the brisket and rub the remaining spice mixture onto the fatty side.
- Let the brisket come to room temperature, about 2 hours.
- Crank the oven to 300°F (149°C). Pour 4 cups cold water into the bottom of a 12-by-15-inch roasting pan. Set a wire rack inside the pan.
- Place the brisket on the rack, fatty side up. Tightly wrap the brisket and roasting pan with a double layer of aluminum foil.
- Bake until the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 200°F (93°C). This should take about 1 hour per pound, or 3 to 4 hours total. Let the meat rest for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
☞ TESTER TIP: If you want to make sandwiches, chill the pastrami in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
- Without trimming the fat, carve the pastrami against the grain into slices as thin as possible without the meat falling apart. Keep the meat tightly wrapped in plastic in the fridge for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 6 months.
Notes
- Time-saving tip—Save time and have your butcher trim the fat cap on the brisket to 1/4-inch (6 mm).
- Submerging the brisket—If you find it difficult to keep the brisket submerged in the brine, place something heavy (a plate of a few canned goods are great for this!) in a sealed plastic bag and set it on top of the brisket to weigh it down.
- Make it fit—If your brisket is too big to fit into the brining container in one piece, cut it in half.
- Slicing pastrami—The meat will be easiest to slice after it has cooled. If you don't need to serve it right away, pop it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before slicing thin.
- Storage—Pastrami can be stored, tightly wrapped in plastic or aluminum foil in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 6 months.
- Dietary—This homemade pastrami recipe is suitable for gluten-free and dairy-free diets.
Nutrition
Serving: 1portion | Calories: 189kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 96mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.2g