If you love mile-high pastrami sandwiches, then this homemade Smoked Pastrami will rock your world! We’ll show you our shortcuts to making the best and easiest smoked and steamed pastrami in your backyard, just like iconic New York delis!
You pay big bucks for your favorite pastrami sandwich at a great local deli because pastrami takes FOREVER to make, but we’ve got some clever, tried-and-true shortcuts to help you make this easily at home in a fraction of the time.
And, with this pastrami recipe, you don’t need to inject the meat, brine it, or cook it forever and ever. It’s a simple, straightforward recipe and technique that’ll save you time and money because making pastrami yourself is SO much cheaper!
WHAT IS PASTRAMI?
Pastrami vs corned beef – what’s the difference? They both start out the same way – with meat that’s been brined for days in a solution of salt and spices, the curing process.
Traditionally, smoked corned beef is made from beef brisket flat, point, or even whole brisket, while pastrami is made from the deckle, or beef navel, a cut of meat from below the ribs. These days, pastrami is also often made from brisket because it is more commonly available.
Pastrami is also coated in a bold spice rub and herb mixture that further flavors the beef, whereas corned beef is often simmered with some pickling spices.
Finally, they are finished differently. Corned beef is boiled low and slow to break down all the connective tissues, while pastrami is smoked at low temperatures and then steamed. This double process of smoking and steaming helps the connective tissue break down and infuse the meat with smoke, and then steaming further breaks down the connective tissues and infuses the meat with moisture.
Making either corned beef or pastrami from scratch is a days-long labor of love, but you’re in luck because we’ve got a genius hack for you that’ll have you chowing down on thinly sliced pastrami perfection in no time. Around March, corned beef tends to be on sale at the local grocery stores, and it is the perfect time of year to stock up on these. You can freeze the cuts of beef until you’re ready to make this.
Our hack for the cooking process of making beef pastrami from scratch is starting with a prepared store-bought corned beef. Making easy pastrami from this shortcut will shave DAYS off the process.
Remember how both corned beef and pastrami start out the same? Instead of boiling it and serving it like corned beef and cabbage with carrots, we’re going to smoke and then steam it for tender bites.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE THIS EASY SMOKED PASTRAMI RECIPE
- Corned beef – We’re taking a shortcut by using corned beef instead of brining our own.
FOR THE PASTRAMI RUB
- Black pepper – Coarsely ground.
- Coriander powder – or ground toasted coriander seeds
- Mustard powder – or coarse-ground mustard seeds
- Brown sugar – Use light brown sugar.
- Smoked paprika – Smoked paprika has a smokier flavor than regular paprika.
- Garlic powder – Powder, not garlic salt.
- Onion powder – Powder, not onion salt.
