Calendar
Sign InRegister

Simple Homemade Smoked Pastrami Recipe

A richly seasoned smoked pastrami made from corned beef, with a dark peppery crust and tender slices meant to be cut thin across the grain. The foil wrap finish keeps the meat juicy while softening it to classic deli-style tenderness.

Total time: 23 h 55 min • Active: 7 h 35 min • Inactive: 16 h 20 min

Cooking feedback100% would make again (1)Cook notes summary and your notes

Cook Notes Summary

The cook had good results overall and would make it again, but the process was slow and a bit inconsistent. Soaking the corned beef beforehand seemed important, and the pastrami eventually reached tender, finished temperatures with a strong smoke-to-oven method; however, the meat stalled around 160°F, one batch took much longer than expected, and wrapping may not have been tight enough to fully speed through the stall. Next time, a more consistent soak, tighter wrapping, and a steadier cook plan with earlier time allowances for the stall would likely improve timing and moisture control.

Generated from private cooking notes.

View Recipe Schedule

Add this recipe to your scratch meal and set a meal time to see clock times instead of countdown timers.

Ingredients

Steps

  1. Trim off the fat cap and any membrane from the corned beef.≈ 10 min
  2. Submerge the trimmed corned beef in cold water in a pot slightly larger than the meat and refrigerate it, changing the water at least once during the soak.≈ 8 h–24 h
  3. Preheat a smoker or two-zone grill for indirect cooking to 107°C.≈ 20 min
  4. Rinse the soaked corned beef and pat it damp but not dry.≈ 5 min
  5. Press the pastrami rub evenly onto the damp corned beef so it adheres well on all sides.≈ 5 min
  6. Smoke the rubbed corned beef over indirect heat at about 107°C until the crust is brown and the internal temperature reaches 71°C.≈ 4 h
  7. Wrap the smoked beef tightly in foil.≈ 5 min
  8. Continue cooking the wrapped beef until it reaches an internal temperature of 95°C and is very tender.≈ 3 h
  9. Slice the pastrami thinly across the grain for serving.≈ 10 min

Add this recipe to your scratch meal to save your step completion progress as you cook.

Adapted from amazingribs.com

Yields

Your Cooking Notes

Sign in to add private cooking notes.