Smoked Pastrami

 

One of the many items on my bucket list is a trip to New York City. I would love to explore museums, see a Broadway show, and enjoy every minute of being a tourist.  

If I won the lottery, I'd stay a month and enjoy every type of food imaginable while there, including delis. Of course, then I'd need to walk back home to Alabama to work off all those calories.   

But back to the subject at hand. I purchased a corned beef and had planned on Reuben sandwiches for days. Sweet Harold recently purchased a new smoker to replace the two that had been our workhorses for years. I decided to christen the new smoker by smoking the corned beef.

If you're still reading, here's where I tie all this together. Instead of having Reuben sandwiches, Pastrami and Swiss on Rye will be on the menu here at Chez Lolly. That's probably as close to a New York City deli as I'll get for the foreseeable future. 

When purchasing a corned beef, choose one with a consistent thickness, and that is as square as possible in shape. This will help you have an even surface to smoke. 

Corned beef is made by curing beef cuts in a saltwater brine for a couple of weeks. Before smoking, you'll need to soak the corned beef to draw out most of the salt. The meat will shrink as it goes through the smoking process. Without the soaking, the salt flavor would be intensified.  

Trim off any excess fat and any loose pieces. Cover the corned beef with cool water and soak for 4 to 6 hours in the refrigerator. Most of the salt will be removed, but there will be enough remaining to flavor your pastrami. 

After soaking, drain the water and pat the corned beef dry using paper towels. Now it's time to add the seasonings. If you want a milder flavor, start out simply and only use freshly ground black pepper and ground coriander. But to add extra flavor, I used a combination of the following: 

2 T. ground coriander 
2 T. dry yellow mustard 
2 T. light brown sugar 
1 T. paprika 
1 t. kosher salt 
1 t. granulated garlic 
1/8 t. ground cloves 
2 T. coarsely ground black pepper 

To create the signature crust on the surface of the pastrami, apply the rub liberally to thoroughly coat the corned beef. Because of the intense flavors of the rub, use a mild wood for smoking.  Fruit woods like apple or cherry are ideal. Strong woods like hickory or mesquite will be overpowering. 

For best results, aim to keep the smoker's temperature as close to 225 degrees as possible. A good rule of thumb is to smoke about 1 hour per pound of corned beef. The pastrami is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. The meat's exterior will be almost black. 

If you're starving, by all means, dig in and start making sandwiches. However, if you begin slicing the hot pastrami, you will likely not have evenly thin slices. I allowed the pastrami to cool for about 45 minutes, then wrapped it tightly in foil. After 24 hours in the refrigerator, I was ready to begin slicing.   

For the best pastrami, go for eighth-inch thick slices. Remember to cut against the grain of the meat.  I have a meat slicer and had a few trial-and-error slices until I found the perfect thickness. If you don't have a slicer, use your sharpest knife. 

After the pastrami is sliced, it's time to reheat. I found that the best way to do that is by steaming. Place a steamer basket into a saucepan and add water to just under the basket. Cover the pan and bring the water to a gentle simmer. Add however much of the pastrami you're reheating to the steamer basket, and recover. Four or five minutes later, the pastrami slices will be heated and tender. 

Now it's finally time to make your own Dagwood Bumstead Pastrami and Swiss on Rye! Slice a loaf of rye bread into half-inch thick slices and add a generous layer of spicy brown mustard to the bread. Next, pile on the pastrami to the bottom slice of bread. Don't forget to top with slices of Swiss cheese. Add the top piece of bread, and you're looking at a sandwich masterpiece!  Don't forget the obligatory dill pickle spears and side of coleslaw. Until I can visit a NYC deli, this will work. 

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