How To Smoke Pastrami Using A Corned Beef Packer

If you’re looking to make your own pastrami, using a brine might be something you’re just not ready to do yet. You can easily make smoked pastrami using a corned beef packer, and definitely is worth doing at least once in your life!

This smoked pastrami recipe, pretty much took me a weekend to do. For the uninitiated, pastrami is usually cooked from the leaner, or “flat” portion of a brisket. Which is also where corned beef comes from.

You can get corned beef “point” (or the fattier side” of the brisket”) packers. Make sure see the work “flat” or lean on your corned beef packer.

When you get your corned beef packer, take the brisket from the pack. Let it soak in the fridge in a bucket of water overnight (8 hours minimum).

This will allow the corned beef to desalinate which is a must. The meat will be wayyy to salty to eat as pastrami, if you throw it on the smoker as is.

This saves for a few days but ultimately, you’ll definitely want to experiment with brining on your own!

So I smoked my pastrami with a 50/50 blend of cherry wood and pecan wood. This is all preference and totally up to you. You’ll want to smoke at around 225 until you hit the “stall” or 160.

Then you’re going to wrap loosely in aluminum foil (to preserve your bark) then you have a decision to make.

You can put it back on the smoker at around 325, for a couple hours until it hits an internal temp of 205. Probe in a few places for resistance.

Keep in mind it will have a little more resistance than a brisket would, due to the brine.

Or you can go the “Katz” route. Let it rest in the fridge overnight, then steam it for about 2 hours before its time to serve. I bought a tamale steamer to get the job done.

You’ll see that you’ll get some Au Jus, which You’ll want to put the pastrami back into after you slice. It’s delicious!!

And stick around because shortly I’ll be sharing a little pastrami Rueben sandwich I put together.

How To Smoke Pastrami Using A Corned Beef Packer

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours

Total Time: 14 hours 20 minutes

Servings: 4 lbs

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 lbs corned beef packer look for the lean or flat
• 3 tbsp mustard this to allow the rub to bind

FOR THE PASTRAMI RUB

• 4 tbsp coarse ground black peppeer
• 2 tbsp ground coriander
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp granulated onion
• 2 tsp granulated garlic
• 1 tsp ground mustard

Instructions

• Soak your corned beef in water and let it sit in the fridge overnight. Once done, pat dry with a paper towel, then apply a thin coat of mustard on both sides of your corned beef
• In a spice shaker, add pepper, coriander, paprika, granulated onion, granulated garlic and ground mustard, shake until evenly blended, then apply a liberal coat to your corned beef, now converted to pastrami.
• Smoke at 225 for about 6 hours, or until the internal temperature is 160. Wrap loosely in aluminum foil, and let rest in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to serve, steam for 2 hours. Let it rest for about 20-30 minutes, then slice thin and serve. Enjoy!

Notes

You can skip the refrigeration after smoking and put straight into the steamer, if you want to serve same day.