Homemade Smoked Brisket Pastrami
A prime packer brined 10–14 days in Meat Church's pastrami brine, crusted in my pepper and coriander rub, smoked overnight at 225°F, wrapped at 170°F and finished at 250°F until probe tender.
Years before I ever smoked anything, I wished I could make my own pastrami at home. After a handful of good briskets I finally tried it, and it's still the cook I'm proudest of.
The brine
I use Meat Church's pastrami brine: pickling spice, brown sugar, garlic, salt and curing salt. My first one brined 9–10 days, and it had a thin gray band in the center where the cure didn't reach. My next ones went 12 days and up to two weeks for a big one. The thicker the brisket, the longer it needs. Keep it in a big food-safe container and flip it every day or so.
Rub and smoke
After the brine, rinse it well. I fry a small test piece on the stove to check the salt, and mine haven't needed a soak. A mustard binder and a heavy coat of my pastrami rub go on next. It has no salt, so you can go as heavy as you want. Then it smokes overnight at 225°F until the bark is set and it's about 170°F inside. I wrap it in butcher paper, bump the smoker to 250°F, and pull it when the flat is probe tender, around 205–210°F. A 4-hour rest and then slice.
How to eat it
Reuben sandwich, in an omelet, or plain with pickles. Tell me your favorite.
Watch the cook
Beef
Homemade Smoked Brisket Pastrami
A prime packer brined 10–14 days in Meat Church's pastrami brine, crusted in my pepper and coriander rub, smoked overnight at 225°F, wrapped at 170°F and finished at 250°F until probe tender.
Print- Prep
- 30 minutes, plus 10–14 days brining
- Cook
- 12–16 hours
- Total
- About 2 weeks
- Yield
- 15–20 servings
- Method
- Wet cure, smoked
- Wood
- Your choice
Instructions
- Combine all the brine ingredients in a large pot and bring to a simmer until the sugar dissolves. Cool it completely.
- Trim the brisket and put it in a food-safe container just big enough to hold it. Pour in the brine and add only as much extra water as you need to cover it, since extra water dilutes the cure.
- Refrigerate for 10–14 days, depending on thickness, flipping it every day or so.
- Take it out and rinse it completely. Fry a small piece to check the salt. If it's too salty, soak it in fresh water for a couple of hours.
- Pat dry, coat with a thin layer of mustard and apply a heavy layer of pastrami rub.
- Smoke overnight at 225°F, about 8–10 hours, until the bark is set and the internal temperature is about 170°F.
- Wrap in butcher paper, raise the smoker to 250°F and cook until the flat is probe tender, around 205–210°F.
- Rest for about 4 hours (on the counter or in a BBQ blanket), then slice thin against the grain.
Pitmaster Notes
- Always follow the dosage on your curing salt package. Curing salt is not optional and not interchangeable with table salt.
- Not sure it's brined long enough? Give a thick brisket another day or two. Undercured meat leaves a gray band in the middle.
- I don't steam or boil mine. A good smoke makes it tender enough, and I don't want to risk the bark.
Product links are things I actually used. Some are affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Times and temps are my starting points. Every cooker and every cut runs a little different, so cook to temperature and feel, not the clock.
