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All Things Barbecue's staff chef, Tom Jackson, walks you through brining and smoking your own pastrami at own. This simple process will result in the best pastrami you have ever eaten.

Thanks! I love a good pastrami sandwich. I keep saying I am gonna do this but I never have.

Thanks for the great post Herb!

Any chance you might be able to post the brine recipe quantities?

This is perfect as my girlfriend was just telling me how much she loves pastrami. I'll surprise her with this when I get home. Thanks for posting! As requested above, the quantities would be appreciated.

TennesseeJed wrote:Any chance you might be able to post the brine recipe quantities?

Answering my own question....

1. Please note--I did not get this from ATBBQ or Yoder. This is my own research, so it will not necessarily be the same as in Tom's [excellent] video. This recipe is also not copyrighted, as it is not taken exactly from any single source. I looked at close to 30 pastrami recipes. I have listed and estimated approximate quantities for the items that Tom does mention for the pickling spices in his video.

After looking at many, many pastrami brine recipes, I was able to determine that most recipes use roughly equal quantities of the whole spice berries, seeds or cloves and roughly half the same amount for each of the ground spices. So, while I may not have the quantities exact for Tom's brine recipe, this combination should likely get folks very close and it appears to be a very workable pickling spice mixture. I am going to try it this week and will report back w/ photos if I can remember to take them while I'm working on it.

Pickling Spice Mixture

1. 2 TBSP each: mustard seeds, allspice berries, red chili flakes, black peppercorns, coriander seeds, cloves (whole), juniper berries
2. 1 TBSP each: ground mace, ground ginger
3. 2-4 bay leaves, broken into pieces
4. 2 smallish cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces

Lots of variations obviously can be found, but mixture will most likely get you close enough on your first pastrami that you can tailor it on successive briskets. Personally, I would probably toast the whole spices a bit in a dry, hot pan and then crack with a mason jar or other blunt utensil before adding to ground spices and bay leaves.

Still love to hear from Tom or ATBBQ, if you're willing or able to post any quantities.

Many thanks!

TJ

http://www.atbbq.com/thesauce/recipes/v ... i-at-home/

The recipe is posted on our blog, but here it is for those who want it.

Ingredients

- 1 beef brisket flat

For the Brine:

- 1 gallon water
- ¾ C kosher salt
- ½ C sugar
- 2 t pink salt (sodium nitrite)
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 T pickling spice (recipe below)

Note: Depending on the size of your brisket, and the container in which you are brining, you may need to multiply this recipe. You will need enough brine to cover the brisket in the brining container.

For the Rub:

- ¼ C black peppercorns, toasted, coarsely ground
- ¼ C coriander seeds, toasted, coarsely ground

Directions

Step 1: Combine all brine ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil and stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled.

Step 2: Place brisket in the brining liquid. Weigh it down with plates to make sure it is fully submerged. Refrigerate for 3 days.

Step 3: Remove brisket from brine, and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. Coat the brisket with the rub. Preheat your cooker to 250ºF.

Step 4: Smoke at 250ºF until internal temperature reaches 150ºF. Double wrap the brisket in foil, and continue smoking until pastrami is tender when probed with a thermometer (190ºF-205ºF). Allow meat to rest half an hour. Slice thinly and serve.

Pickling Spice

Ingredients

- 1 T coriander seeds
- 1 T black peppercorns
- 1 T mustard seeds
- 1 T red chile flakes
- 1 T allspice berries
- 1 T whole cloves
- 1 t ground ginger
- 1 t ground mace
- 1 small cinnamon stick, crushed
- 2 bay leaves, broken in to pieces

Directions

Step 1: In a dry hot skillet, toast the coriander, peppercorns and mustard seeds just until fragrant. Be careful not to burn them. Crack the spices on a cutting board, under a heavy pan.

Step 2: Combine the toasted spices with the remaining spices. Store in a sealed container.

Thanks, Josh.

Thanks Josh! I looked all over the ATBBQ site, but couldn't find it. Now I'll know! Glad I got pretty close on relative quantities. Looking forward to making it soon. Wondering if you've ever tried a regular brisket w/ the pastrami rub but no brining? Might give that a shot soon too. Love the bark on a good pastrami.

Thank you Josh! This will work great. Would any Moderator please strike one of my (almost) double posts above. I'll be more careful in the future. Thank you

Dom 1975 wrote:Thank you Josh! This will work great. Would any Moderator please strike one of my (almost) double posts above. I'll be more careful in the future. Thank you

I don't see any issue with your prior post.