Homemade Pastrami Recipe - Copied from Internet and not tried yet.
Ingredients:
8 lb Beef Brisket Flat
2 TBSP Yellow Mustard
Pastrami rub (recipe below)
Pastrami Rub
2 tsp Onion Powder
½ tsp Mustard Powder
½ tsp Mustard Seeds Whole
2 TBSP Black Pepper Coarse Grind
1 TBSP Brown Sugar
1 TBSP Paprika
2 TBSP Black Peppercorns Whole
1 TBSP Coriander Seeds Whole
Pickling spice
1 TBSP Black Peppercorns
1 TBSP Coriander Seeds
1 TBSP Mustard Seeds
1 TBSP Red Chili Flakes
1 TBSP Whole Allspice Berries
1 TBSP Whole Cloves
1 TBSP Juniper Berries *** Not in original recipe, I added it
1 tsp Ground Ginger
1 tsp Ground Mace
1 Stick Cinnamon crushed
2 ea Bay Leaves broken into pieces
Brine
1 gal Water
1½ cup Kosher salt
1 cup Sugar
¼ cup Pickling Spice (from above)
4 tsp Cure #1
8½ lb Ice - You can replace the ice with 1 gallon of water, but you'll need to wait a few hours for the brine to cool if using water.
Instructions:
To Make the Pickling Spice
Toast the coriander, peppercorns and mustard seeds in a dry fry pan over medium heat until they are fragrant.
Keep the seeds moving and be careful they do not burn.
Crack the toasted spices, but not into a powder.
Combine the toasted spices with the rest of the pickling spice ingredients and store in an airtight container.
To Make the Rub
Combine all of the powder ingredients in a small bowl.
Crack the peppercorns, coriander and mustard seeds, but not into a powdered.
Mix all ingredients together
To Make the Brisket
Combine all brine ingredients except for the ice in a large pot.
Bring to a boil and stir until the salt and sugar has dissolved.
If using ice, add ice to your brine bucket then pour the brine mix over the ice and stir.
If not using ice, add another gallon of cold water to the brine mixture and cool in the fridge for a few hours until cold.
Trim the brisket flat so that there is a 1/8" layer of fat on one side only.
Add the brisket to the cold brine solution.
Place a bowl filled with brine on top of the meat to make sure it doesn't float.
Refrigerate and let the brisket sit in the brine for 5 - 7 days, flipping daily to help stir up the cure and make sure the brisket is always covered in brine.
The thicker the meat the longer you will need to leave it.
To Make the Pastrami
Remove the brisket from the brine and cover it in a pot with cold water.
Place it back in the fridge for at least 8 hours.
If you are in a rush you can just wash the brisket under cold water for a few minutes but it may still be quite salty.
Remove from cold water, pat dry, and spread a thin layer of yellow mustard over the brisket.
Sprinkle the rub all over it. Use your hand to press the rub in.
For a whole brisket flat I used the entire batch of rub.
Fire up your smoker to 250°F
Place the brisket on the smoker, fat side up, and smoke until the internal temperature hits 155 - 160°F. This should take around 5 hours.
Once the brisket has developed a nice mahogany red bark, wrap it tightly in foil and increase the smoker temperature to 300°F.
Continue smoking until the Pastrami feels tender when probed and has an internal temperature between 203 - 207°F.
Take the Pastrami off the smoker and leave it to rest for at least half an hour.
Slice thinly and serve.
