Homemade Pastrami

Instructions

Make the brine

Fill a large stock pot with 3 quarts (12 cups) of water. Add the kosher and pink curing salts (it's essential to weigh the kosher salt for accuracy rather than go by a volume measure, trust me), granulated and brown sugars, honey, pickling spice, coriander and mustard seeds, and garlic.

Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often to dissolve the salt and sugar in the fully. Immediately remove the pot from the heat once the brine boils.

Add 3 quarts (12 cups) of ice and water to a 2-gallon (or larger) food-safe container that fits in your fridge. Pour in the brine. It should be instantly cool.

Trim excess fat from the brisket, leaving a 1/4-inch thick layer, which is important for flavor and keeping the meat juicy. Dunk the brisket in the cooled brine.

Refrigerate the brisket for 5 days, stirring the brine and flipping the meat each morning. If any part of the brisket is touching the container (or another brisket) make sure to rotate it to expose all of the meat to the brine.

Make the spice rub

Mix together the coriander, pepper, and paprika in a small bowl. (Or mix together my recipe for the spice rub above.)

Roast the pastrami

Remove the brisket from the brine and pat it dry. Rub 1/4 cup of the spice rub evenly on the non-fatty side, then flip the brisket and rub the remaining spice mixture onto the fatty side.

Let the brisket come to room temperature, about 2 hours.

Crank the oven to 300°F (149°C). Pour 4 cups of water into the bottom of a 12-by-15-inch roasting pan. Set a wire rack inside the pan.

Place the brisket on the rack, fatty side up. Tightly wrap the brisket and roasting pan with a double layer of aluminum foil.

Bake until the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 200°F (93°C). This should take about 1 hour per pound, or 3 to 4 hours total. Let the meat rest for at least 30 minutes before slicing. TESTER TIP: If you want to make sandwiches, chill the pastrami in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

Without trimming the fat, carve the pastrami against the grain into slices as thin as possible without the meat falling apart. Keep the meat tightly wrapped in plastic in the fridge for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 6 months.

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