What inspired the dish
Our team got pretty tired of not having access to deli meats and smoked goods. I think we all watched TV shows of amazing cuts of beef being sliced up straight out the smoker. Smoke&Bones have always done amazing brisket, but many aren't aware just how good the pastrami is.
Pastrami is also brisket, but its more aromatic than the Texas style one you might be accustomed to trying. Salt Beef is cured and boiled, then sliced for Reuben sandwiches, think of Pastrami as that cut that is between Texas style beef brisket and Deli style Salt Beef. It's cured in a mixture of sugar, salt and spices for 7-10 days. Once the cure is complete, it is coated in a secret spice mix (mostly pepper and coriander), and smoked until tender. The pastrami is chilled and then sliced on our deli machine.
How do I make this at home?
Just buy it from us! Our pastrami is perfectly cured and smoked ready for consumption, all you have to do is steam it. But if you'd rather try making it from scratch, we've got you covered.
Ingredients
- Dry-Aged Brisket (you can get it pre-cured and pre-trimmed from us)
- If curing yourself:
- 200g sea salt
- 200g brown sugar
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 15g Pink curing salt 1
- 1 litres of water
- 1kg of ice
- 6 tbsp coriander powder
- 6 tbsp black pepper
- Sourdough Loaf
- American mustard
- Gherkins
- Swiss cheese slices
Method
- If your brisket is already brined you can jump to step 10
- Boil 1 litre of water
- Add all of the curing ingredients and let the salt, brown sugar and pink curing salt dissolve
- Turn off the heat
- Add 1kg of ice to cool down the curing liquid
- Add your brisket into a vacuum bag or into a flat container
- Pour the curing liquid on top and ensure the brisket is completely covered
- Say farewell to this for 10 days in your fridge, you will need to flip the brisket everyday
- Remove after 10 days, wash and leave to soak in spring or filtered water overnight to remove any extra saltiness
- Combine your coriander powder and coarse black pepper and mix thoroughly
- Coat your pastrami completely in this spice mix
- Smoke it until it is 70C degrees internal
- Now you can either steam it til tender, or wrap in foil and pop into the oven or back into the barbecue until tender (approx 90C degrees internal)
- Allow to rest for minimum of one hour
- Slice as thin as possible
- Assemble your sandwich by stacking your pastrami, topping with Swiss cheese, adding gherkins and sauerkraut (if you have any).
- Top it with plenty of American mustard and enjoy
