HOME-SMOKED PASTRAMI
he best pastrami I ever tasted? It wasn’t at a landmark New York deli.
It wasn’t even in Manhattan—it was at Fette Sau, a barbecue joint in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Imagine the perfect ratio of beef to spice to wood
smoke—meaty enough to sink your teeth into yet fatty enough to melt
on your tongue. Spicy, as all good pastrami is spicy, yet focused on the
two classic seasonings: coriander seed and black peppercorns. Tender? You
could cut it with the side of a fork.
These virtues do not come easily. You need to start with superior beef—
in this case, hormone- and antibiotic-free Black Angus, raised on a small
farm in New Jersey. You brine it with onions and garlic for almost two
weeks, then smoke it for 14 hours. Here’s the Project Smoke version. Rye
bread optional.T
YIELD: Serves 8 to 10. with
leftovers
METHOD: Hot-smoking
PREP TIME: 30 minutes
BRINING TIME: 12 days
SMOKING TIME: 8 to 10 hours
RESTING TIME: 1 to 2 hours
FUEL: Fette Sau uses a
mixture of apple, cherry, and
oak. but any hardwood will do.
You'll need enough wood for
10 hours of smoking (see chart
on page 6).GEAR: Two jumbo resealable (^) INGREDIENTS
plastic bags; an aluminum foil
pan (optional); instant-read
thermometer; unlined butcher
paper (without a plastic
coating); an insulated cooler
8 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
widthwise
FOR THE BRISKET AND BRINE
1 beef brisket flat with plenty of
fat intact (6 to 8 pounds)
2 quarts hot water and 2 quarts
ice water
2 A cup coarse salt (sea or kosher)
2 teaspoons pink curing salt
(Prague Powder No. 1 or
Insta Cure No. 1)
1 small onion, peeled and cut in half
widthwise
FOR THE SPICE RUB
V2 cup cracked black peppercorns
V2 cup coriander seeds
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
1 tablespoon light or dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
SHOP: Organic, grass-fed, or
locally raised beef brisket. Pink
curing salt contains salt and
sodium nitrite (page 16); buy
it at a good meat market or
order it online from Amazon.
The traditional cut of beef for
pastrami is navel—a belly cut
with clearly visible striations
of meat and fat. If you wish
to try it, special-order beef
navel from your butcher, then
cure, rub, and smoke it as you
would brisket. I call for leaner,
tenderer brisket here.
Beer (optional)
in a jumbo heavy-duty resealable
plastic bag. Add the brine and seal
the top, squeezing out the air as you
go. Place in a second bag and seal,
then place in an aluminum foil pan
or roasting pan to contain any leaks.
Brine the brisket in the refrigerator
for 12 days, turning it over once a day.
- Trim the brisket, leaving a fat
cap on top at least Va inch thick.
2. Make the brine: Place the hot
water, coarse salt, and pink salt
in a large bowl or plastic tub and
whisk until the salt crystals are
dissolved. Stir in the ice water,
onion, and garlic. Place the brisket
72 | BEEF