If you have ever had the real deal Pastrami from a New York Deli like the famous Katz Deli, then you know what “love at first bite” is all about. A chewy roll stuffed with delicious peppery pastrami thin sliced piled on with mustard and pickles. It is Nirvana.
This classic deli favorite is a perfect lunchtime treat, packed with flavor and easy to make at home.
Yield: 2 to 6 pounds of Pastrami
Total Time: 8 Days
Brine: 5 to 7 days
Smoke: 5 to 6 hours
Rest: 2 hours
Ingredients
1 6.5 to 7 pound Cross Creek Ranch Premium Meats American Wagyu or Full Blood Wagyu Brisket
For The Brine
7 Quarts water
1 ½ Cups kosher salt
1 Cup granulated sugar
1 Cup dark brown sugar
3 Tablespoons pink curing salt
3 Tablespoons pickling spice
1 Teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
8 Cloves garlic, crushed
3 Sticks of cinnamon
¼ Black peppercorns
For the Brisket
¼ Cup whole peppercorns
4 Tablespoons coriander seeds
2 Tablespoons mustard seeds
2 Cups beef broth
1 Cup apple juice
Instructions
Brining
- Combine all ingredients for the brine in a large stock pan and bring to a rolling boil over medium heat. Let brine continue to boil for an additional minute, then remove from heat and let it cool.
- Trim the brisket’s fat layer to 1⁄3 inch. Place brisket in brine and make sure it is completely submerged in the liquid. Place in refrigerator for 5 to 7 days, turning brisket once a day
- Remove brisket from the brine and rinse thoroughly in cold water. Pat the brisket dry and place on a rack within a pan and allow to air dry for an additional 24 hours in the refrigerator
Cooking
- Crush together peppercorns, coriander and mustard seeds. Press this mixture into rinsed brisket, all sides, let rest at room temperature for 1 hour
- Place seasoned brisket on a rack, in a pan deep enough to hold the steaming liquids, add beef broth and apple juice to the pan.
- Using a mild wood, heat your smoker to 275 to 325 degrees. Set brisket and steaming liquids in the smoker and smoke for approximately 5 hours. Internal temperature should be 165 to 170 degrees
- Once temperature has been reached, remove the brisket and wrap in butcher paper, and then in foil, replace on smoker, without the steaming liquids and smoke till the internal temperature reaches 200 to 205 degrees
- Remove from the smoker and wrap in a towel and let rest for 1 hour before slicing very thin.
- Serve on chewy rolls or rye bread, with deli mustard and pickle slices