Speaking of "Make Your Own"...

[Sneakers]

Looking for a good, tried and true recipe for pastrami from corned beef. I tried one I found on the Interwebz. Eh.

So for those that have done it and had good success, got a recipe you'd like to share? I bought a few corned beefs at Aldis when they were on sale, time to use them.

 

[vraiblonde]

My pastrami rub for a 4lb slab of meat:

5 tablespoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons paprika
3 tablespoons ground coriander
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper
2 tablespoons dry mustard
8 cloves garlic, minced

Soak the corned beef in water for 12-24 hours. Drain and pat dry. Generously rubby-rub and let it rest on the counter for at least an hour. Smoke fat side up at 250 for 45 mins to 1 hour per pound. Wrap in foil and let it rest for about an hour. Slice and eat.

In case you didn't smoke the brisket long enough and it's still tough, throw it in the pressure cooker to finish it off.

 

[SamSpade]

What she said - except I de-salinate it much longer - smoking tends to concentrate the brine in corned beef.

 

[Sneakers]

Brisket is in the water desalinating. I'll grind up the seasonings tomorrow.

 

[Sneakers]

Decided to use indirect heat on the grill instead of the smoker. Thought about the hot pastrami sandwiches I used to get from the Jewish Deli in NY, and it wasn't smoked that I recall, just baked. Took a bit of fiddling to get the grill to keep a constant 250*. Just off the grill and now wrapped. The only deviation from the recipe besides smoking was the time in the rub. Vrai said at least an hour, it was 24 hours in the fridge. Warmed it to room temp before putting on the grill.

 

[Sneakers]

Well, 70% fail.

Looks like pastrami. Smells like pastrami. Tastes like a spoonful of salt and rubbery. Sliced and rinsed it well, and that helped the salt a lot, but not tender enough. Don't have a pressure cooker. I was worried it would dry out, but I could leave it on the grill a lot longer without issue next time. Once you get past the salt, it does taste like a good pastrami.