Pastrami is the quintessential Jewish deli meat. Homemade pastrami is even better, and not that difficult to make. Our smoked corned beef recipe makes for some OMG fabulous pastrami that you will want to make again and again.
Combine the rub ingredients in a bowl or mortar and pestle and gently grind the spice mix, cracking open the whole spices.
Remove the corned beef from the brine solution and rinse under cold water to remove as much brine solution as possible. We recommend then soaking the brisket overnight in fresh water in the refrigerator to further draw out some of the brine.
When you are ready to cook, pat dry the brisket and generously apply the rub. Let sit at room temperature while you prepare your smoker.
Heat your smoker to 225-250 degrees. Smoke the corned beef brisket to an internal temperature of 165 degrees, (about 1-2 hours per pound).
At this point, finish the pastrami by continuing to smoke or wrapping in foil and smoking to 203-205 degrees internal temperature. For a more authentic version finish by steaming the pastrami to a finishing temp of 205 degrees.
Slice across the grain and serve warm or serve as a sandwich on rye bread.