ny deli style pastrami

Recipe by
Pamela Rappaport
The Villages, FL

My husband grew up on NY style corned beef and pastrami. Unfortunately, there just aren't any good deli's here. I decided to learn to make pastrami. It's basically corned beef that is covered in a spice mix and smoked. The secret to it being juicy and tender is to steam it after smoking. It sounds like a lot of steps but it's basically just time spent waiting! We do have an electric smoker, but it can be done with indirect heat on a grill.

yield 8 serving(s)
prep time 6 Hr 15 Min
cook time 6 Hr
method Smoke

Ingredients For ny deli style pastrami

  • 1
    ready to cook corned beef from the grocery
  • 1/4 c
    whole black peppercorns
  • 1/4 c
    whole coriander seeds
  • 2 Tbsp
    yellow mustard seeds

How To Make ny deli style pastrami

  • 1
    Remove the corned beef from the package and rinse well. Set in a large bowl of water to soak in fridge for at LEAST 6 hours changing water a few times. This removes some of the salt and is important.
  • 2
    Drain and dry well.
  • 3
    Crush your spices in a mortar and pestal or spice grinder. Keep it coarse.
  • 4
    Cover the meat on all sides with the mix.
  • 5
    At this point you can go directly to the smoker or wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.
  • 6
    Wen you are ready to smoke, set your smoker at 225.
  • 7
    Insert meat thermometer into the meat and place directly on the rack, fat side up.
  • 8
    Add your wood chips or pellets, light wood like apple is good. Hickory is too heavy. Change: I did one today and mixed some hickory with the apple, we liked it. Of course, it's a little heavier smoke taste. Fill you water holder.
  • 9
    Smoke until the internal temperature is 150. Probably 2 to 3 hours.
  • 10
    Remove from the smoker to a broiler pan or any pan with a rack. Put water in the bottom of the pan and cover tightly with foil.
  • 11
    Bake/steam in the oven at 250 until tender. Can take from 3 to 5 hours depending on size.
  • 12
    Can be served hot. To slice thin, chill overnight and slice on an electric slicer.

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