Homemade Pastrami
User Reviews
4.9
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Prep Time
45 mins
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Cook Time
4 hrs
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Total Time
5 d 7 hrs
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Servings
10 servings
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Calories
189 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Israeli
Homemade Pastrami
Description
Homemade Pastrami starts with a beef brisket trimmed to retain a thin layer of fat for moisture and taste. The brisket is submerged in a carefully prepared brine of kosher and curing salts, sugars, honey, pickling spices, coriander, mustard seeds, and garlic, which is boiled then cooled with ice to quickly lower the temperature. Maintaining the brisket immersed and turning it daily ensures full contact and curing throughout. After five days, the brisket is ready for further smoking or cooking to complete the pastrami preparation.
This recipe emphasizes the importance of accurate salt measurements and brine temperature to achieve consistent flavor development and food safety. The brisket's fat layer helps to keep the meat tender during the curing period. After curing, slicing the pastrami thinly while cold facilitates cleaner cuts and better presentation.
Practical tips include having the butcher prepare the brisket trim to save time, using weights to keep meat submerged, cutting large briskets to fit containers, and proper storage. The cured pastrami should be tightly wrapped and refrigerated up to one week or frozen for up to six months. This recipe can accommodate gluten-free and dairy-free diets.
Ingredients
For the brine
- 3 quarts water for the brine, ice-cold
- 10 1/2 ounces kosher salt about 2 cups Diamond Crystal brand OR 1 heaping cup Morton's brand
- 1 3/4 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
- 1/2 cup brown sugar firmly packed, dark or light
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons pickling spice
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds whole
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 quarts water for the brine, ice-cold
- One (3- to 4-pound) beef brisket
- 4 cups water for humidifying the oven, cold
For the spice rub
- 1/4 cup ground coriander
- 2 tablespoons black pepper freshly ground
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
Instructions
Make the brine
- Fill a large stock pot with 3 quarts (12 cups) of water. Add the kosher and pink curing salts (it's essential to weigh the kosher salt for accuracy rather than go by a volume measure, trust me), granulated and brown sugars, honey, pickling spice, coriander and mustard seeds, and 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 3 quarts (12 cups) of ice and water to a 2-gallon (or larger) food-safe container that fits in your fridge. Pour in the brine. It should be instantly cool.
- Trim excess fat from the 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 coriander, pepper, and 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 of 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
- Have your butcher trim the brisket fat to about 1/4 inch to save prep time.
- To keep the brisket submerged during curing, place a weighted plate or sealed bag on top.
- If the brisket is too large for your container, cut it in half to fit.
- Slicing pastrami is easier after it has cooled; chill in the refrigerator if not serving immediately.
- Store cured pastrami tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to one week or freeze for up to six months.
- This recipe works for gluten-free and dairy-free diets.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 10servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 189 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1portion | |
| Calories | 189kcal | 9% |
| Carbohydrates | 3g | 1% |
| Protein | 24g | 48% |
| Fat | 9g | 14% |
| Saturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Cholesterol | 70mg | 23% |
| Sodium | 96mg | 4% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 0.2g | 0% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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