Homemade Pastrami: Smoked Corned Beef Brisket

Last Updated on February 27, 2024 by Carne Diem

Protein:

Origin: Jewish, European, Middle Eastern

Method: Smoker, Oven, Steamer

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This homemade pastrami is made with corned beef brisket flat, and this is the perfect recipe for cooking on your smoker.  Made with a homemade pastrami seasoning, this pastrami recipes turns out perfectly tender and flavorful. 

Making your own pastrami at home is far better than store bought and surprisingly easy.  The entire process requires a few minutes of prep time, and then time to smoke the corned beef.  

I will try to avoid the obligatory Meg Ryan/Katz's Deli: "I'll have what she's having" When Harry Met Sally video clip here, but this Homemade Pastrami is OMG level good. This Jewish deli delicacy was believed to be brought to America by Romanian Jewish immigrants and has become an American-Jewish deli staple ever since. If you can find some high-quality brisket flat corned beef, this recipe is really pretty simple. Just season the corned beef, throw it on the smoker and then, if desired finish or reheat it by steaming it and you have some of the best pastrami you will ever taste.

If you are looking for more European inspired dishes, then be sure to check out some of these great recipes:

• The Best Chicken Kiev
• Sous Vide Tafelspitz: Austrian Tri Tip Roast
• Tenderloin Tip Beef Stroganoff
• Shrimp Mozambique: Spicy Portuguese Shrimp
• Deconstructed Beef Wellington
• German Hunter Sauce: Bavarian Mushroom Gravy

Making the Homemade Pastrami

The first step in making a great Homemade Pastrami is using a high-quality corned beef. We typically make our own, and making your own corned beef is a fun and satisfying way to go about making pastrami. When choosing a store-bought corned beef, you want to try to find a corned brisket flat. A lot of times this is labeled as such or if you are unsure, ask your butcher. Corned beef made from the point of a brisket is fattier and, while great for corned beef dishes, is not the best choice for making pastrami.  Traditionally pastrami was made from beef navel but whole brisket has also become common in some Jewish delis.

Remove the corned beef from its brine and rinse under cold water. We highly recommend soaking the corned beef in water overnight to then draw out more of the salt brine from the brining process, but if you don't have time do this make sure you thoroughly rinse the brisket before applying any rub remove to any sodium nitrite from the outside of the corned beef if you are using a homemade corned beef. We also would limit or omit Kosher salt from the rub.

Make your pastrami rub

To make the rub for the smoked corned beef brisket combine the spices in a bowl and mix to combine. If you don't have some of the spices listed in the recipe, feel free to substitute as you see fit. Make this recipe your own. We do recommend using a combination or coarse/whole spices, and finely ground spices in your rub.  To make the spice rub for this homemade pastrami recipe you will need black peppercorns, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, garlic powder, onion powder, brown sugar, and paprika.

Next gently crack the spice mix using a mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon.

Season the smoked corned beef

Generously coat the corned beef brisket with the rub. Generally, a binder is not needed for this piece of meat, but if you feel more comfortable using a thin layer of mustard as a binder, that is fine too. Cover the Homemade Pastrami in plastic wrap and let the meat sit at room temperature while you heat up the smoker.

Smoking the pastrami

Preheat you grill or smoker to 225-250 degrees. We strongly recommend monitoring the temperature with a meat thermometer.  We prefer cooking the pastrami at a lower temperature in order to maximize the smoky flavor of the smoked pastrami.

Smoke the corned beef until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees and the rub appears set on the meat. The time needed to do this can vary greatly depending on your grill or smoker but on average figure about 1-2 hours per pound.

Continue smoking or steam the Homemade Pastrami

At this point you have a couple options. You can treat the pastrami like a brisket and continue smoking it to about 198-205 degrees, you can wrap it and continue it in the smoker or oven, or you can steam it. Traditionally, real pastrami is finished by steaming it. We are fortunate enough to have a steam oven so that is how we always elect to finish the pastrami. For those without a steam oven you can still accomplish the same thing by placing the pastrami on a wire grate over a pan of water, and then wrapping the pan and brisket with foil. It works best to start with hot water in the pan and make sure the brisket is not sitting in the water. If you are not using the steam method, cook the meat until it reaches 203-205 degrees then remove from the oven or smoker.

Serving the Smoked Corned Beef Brisket

When you are ready to eat, slice the pastrami across the grain.  Keep the slices of pastrami wrapped in aluminum foil until you are ready to eat.

At this point you can eat it as is or slap some of it on some rye bread with some mustard and go to town for some great pastrami sandwiches.  Add some sauerkraut and Russian dressing for a pastrami Reuben sandwich.  

Serve this deli classic with your favorite sides like Jalapeno Coleslaw, chips, fries, or roasted potatoes. 

Need ideas on how to use leftover pastrami? Give our Breakfast Pastrami Hash a try.

If you just can't get enough smoked beef, be sure to check out our Halifax Style Smoked Donair: Canada’s Gyro, Big A$$ Meatballs, with Truffle Burrata, and Beef Short Rib Burnt Ends.

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