Pastrami
Brisket is a cut from the breast of a side of beef, and pastrami is brisket that has been cured and smoked. It is certainly one of the best things every to happen to a brisket. I’ve been curing my own for a couple of years now, and it’s well worth the effort.
Start with an uncured, trimmed 3lb brisket flat (the bottom portion of the brisket).
Combine all of the following ingredients to make your dry cure:
- 3T of Morton’s Sugar Cure (plain)
- 1T brown sugar
- 3T of corned beef spices (I like Penzeys with brown & yellow mustard seeds, coriander, allspice, cracked cassia, dill seed, bay leaves, cloves, China ginger, peppercorns, star anise, juniper, mace, cardamom, red pepper, whew…)
Place brisket in a large freezer bag and coat with the cure. Rub the cure into the meat, covering all sides. Squeeze the air out of the bag and seal. Store in the refrigerator for 5 days, flipping the meat over once a day. Liquid will begin to collect n the bag - this is a good thing as it indicates that the cure is working. Do not drain it off.
On the 6th day, remove the brisket from the cure and rinse under cold water the remove most of the pieces of spice. Then soak the brisket in cold water for 1-2 hours to remove some of the salt. Dry off the meat and season heavily with a good steak seasoning that has plenty of black pepper. I like Dizzy Pig’s Cow Lick.
Set up your smoker for indirect heat. Add wood for smoke (I like grape vine). Cook at 225°F for about 3 hours, or until the internal temperature of the meat hits 175°F. Remove the brisket from the smoker and wrap in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Let it cool for about an hour. This helps the meat to stay juicy. Slice thinly against the grain. Enjoy!
