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How to make pastrami at home

Published: Mar 20, 2021 · Modified: Mar 31, 2021 by Michael Ruhlman · 53 Comments

Slicing Hot Pastrami/photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman

Making pastrami at home is just one extra step from making corned beef. Corn your beef, then coat it with a mixture of black pepper and ground coriander and smoke it in your smoker or kettle charcoal grill. (updated from long ago.)

I've done this with short ribs, and love them because they've got the perfect meat-to-fat ratio.

While I've published the corned beef recipe from my book Charcuterie, I haven't really talked about smoking strategies at home. I recommend two different methods: stove top and in a kettle grill. Stove-top smoking is easy with an inexpensive ($43) Cameron smoker. I bought one a few years ago and it works great for bacon and would work great for this brisket. Briskets require long low heat though, and this is tricky on a stove top smoker. So this is what I do when I want both smoke and long slow cooking. I smoke the meat for a couple hours. Then I transfer it to a 200 to 250 degree oven to finish. With this pastrami, I would cook it in the oven for 30 to 60 minutes to bake the smoke on, and then cover it with foil and ½ cup of water and cook it for another 2 to 4 hours till it's tender (the water is to make sure there's plenty of steam).

What's more fun, when the weather is good, is to smoke them in a kettle grill.  For this, you need wood chips (sawdust is fine for stovetop smokers, but for coals, chips are by far the best, giving long steady smoke).  Soak the chips well, build a medium fire on one side of the grill, put your sodden chips on the coals and put your brisket on the cool side of the grill. Cook it covered for a few hours, adding coals and chips as needed. Or finish it as above in a low oven, covered. (OpenSky is offering a deal on wood chips today, four different kinds, including olive and cherry. I swear this was total coincidence because I've been planning this post for a while!)

Smoking is a great and fun way to flavor foods. I love the cherry or any fruit wood for bacon, and a hardwood like maple for this brisket.

(And PS, I don't know who gave that pickling spice recipe two stars, but it is from Polcyn, published in Charcuterie, and it is killer!)

Homemade Pastrami

How to make pastrami at home
4.84 from 12 votes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 3 minutes mins
curing time 5 days d
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, European
Servings 10

Ingredients
  

  • ¾ cup Morton's kosher salt (or 200 grams of any salt)
  • ½ cup sugar (100 grams)
  • 2 tsp pink curing salt (10 grams)
  • 5 cloves garlic, smashed with the flat side of a knife
  • 2 tbsp pickling spice (store bought or see below)
  • 1 five-pound beef brisket (the fattier the better)
  • 1 tbsp black peppercorns, toasted in a skillet and ground in a mill (ok to use store-bought ground)
  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground in a mill

Instructions
 

  • In pot large enough to hold brisket, combine 1 gallon/4 liters of water with kosher salt, sugar, sodium nitrite (if using), garlic and 2 tablespoons pickling spice. Bring to a simmer, stirring until salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled.
  • Place brisket in brine, weighted with a plate to keep it submerged; cover. Refrigerate for 2 days if it's thin, a third day if it's thick.
  • Remove brisket from brine and rinse thoroughly.  Refrigerate it for another day uncovered (this is best, to let cure equalize, but if you can't wait, that's ok too).
  • Combine the pepper and coriander and coat the brisket with it.  Smoke and cook the brisket, till tender, as described above.  This will keep for a week in the refrigerator.  Steam it to reheat or reheat covered in a microwave (gently). Slice thinly to serve.  
Keyword corned beef, cured beef, pastrami

Pickling Spice

Print Recipe
Course staple

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons/20 grams black peppercorns
  • 2 tablespoons/20 grams mustard seeds
  • 2 tablespoons/20 grams coriander seeds
  • 2 tablespoons/12 grams hot red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons/14 grams allspice berries
  • 1 tablespoon/8 grams ground mace
  • 2 small cinnamon sticks, crushed or broken into pieces
  • 4 bay leaves, crumbled
  • 2 tablespoons/6 grams whole cloves
  • 1 tablespoon/8 grams ground ginger

Instructions
 

  • Lightly toast the peppercorns, mustard seeds, and coriander seeds in a small dry pan, then smash with the side of a knife just to crack.
  • Combine the cracked spices with the remaining ingredients, mixing well.  Store in a tightly sealed plastic container or glass jar.
Keyword corned beef, cured, pickle, spice
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Alice M

    March 21, 2021 at 4:49 pm

    3 stars
    You recommend twice as much curing salt as is safe. Please check your amounts.
    Otherwise a nice recipe.

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      March 23, 2021 at 10:33 pm

      I use a ratio of .0025 pink salt, which is standard. So 10 grams/2 teaspoons pink salt for 4000 grams water (along with 5 pounds of meat) is appropriate. What is your reasoning? This recipe has worked for more than a decade with no safety issues.

      That said, it probably could be reduced without compromising flavor.

      Reply
      • David

        December 02, 2023 at 2:12 pm

        I have your cookbook, Charcuterie. The pastrami recipe in that book calls for 42 grams pink salt per 4000 ml water. Have I ruined the meat?

        Reply
        • Michael Ruhlman

          January 11, 2024 at 7:34 pm

          no, that should work. the nitrite in pink salt converts to oxide during the cooking. that's basically 3 T per gallon. Which is how brian has done it in the past. We now know you don't need half that much pink salt. but as long as you're not drinking the brine straight it should be fine. Sorry for late reply. What did you end up doing? The recipes in Charcuterie have been working great for 20 years.

          Reply
          • Hank Michaels

            February 19, 2024 at 10:39 pm

            5 stars
            I've been cooking from Charcuterie since it came out. I've been knocking the pastrami out of the park. I smoke a point cut on a Weber using the snake method--keeps the temp between 200-215 for 6-7 hours without ever having to open the lid. That combined with this mustard is amazing.
            https://leitesculinaria.com/106001/recipes-how-to-make-homemade-whole-grain-mustard.html

      • Sam Israelit

        March 13, 2024 at 6:02 am

        Your measurements are consistent with every other corned beef recipe I have found. Not sure what she is talking about. 2 tsp per 5 lbs in a gallon of water works great for me as I have made this over the past several years.

        Reply
    • John Lucchesi

      April 14, 2024 at 8:01 pm

      Alice you are incorrect. You use 2 Tablespoons per five pounds of meat as a standard. He is only using 2 Teaspoons so he is well within the limits.

      Reply
    • Steve

      September 26, 2024 at 7:02 am

      Shush Susan

      Reply
  2. Steve Kaplowitz

    March 23, 2021 at 5:14 am

    I have made this Pastrami for years and continue to love it. I tend to use apple wood to smoke it as I had an apple tree and saved the prunings. As I get older I some times cheat and start with a store bought corned beef, point cut only. After cooking, I dry it uncovered for 24hrs in the fridg, cover with cracked pepper and coriander, then smoke it in an offset smoker for 4 hrs. A gift from heaven.

    Reply
    • James

      August 14, 2022 at 6:14 pm

      Giving it my first go. Thanks Ruhlman. I went down the rabbit hole during 2020 and read Polish Sausage Making By Adam Marianski and surprisingly became fascinated with the history of it all. My first child is one now and I’m coming back up for air and getting after it! Always heard about you from Bourdain and always been a fan of whatever show you are on. You really should have your own show. YouTube is your friend. If you need a good sound guy let me know. Thanks

      Reply
      • Michael Ruhlman

        August 27, 2022 at 3:50 pm

        thanks James. sorry for the delay in responding. I DO need a sound guy! Cant even get iphone to pick up earbuds mic when doing videos.

        Reply
    • Mark

      March 10, 2025 at 8:31 pm

      5 stars
      I could not agree more! Leaving any meat uncovered in the refrigerator overnight or more is the key to getting it to pick up smoke flavor.

      Reply
  3. Nick

    March 30, 2021 at 12:18 pm

    5 stars
    I've made this twice as well as many other recipes from Charcuterie and they are all excellent. The garlic sage brine chops have now become a weekly staple.
    Question regarding this pastrami, if I am doing a full packer brisket, say 15 lbs, can I triple the full recipe?
    I'm also curious about the relatively short brine time, most other corned beef recipes call for 7-10 days of brining time. Is it shorter due to higher brine concentration?

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      March 30, 2021 at 4:42 pm

      for fifteen pounds, I'd double the brine (or triple if you wish and do a seven day brine with a third day in the fridge out of the brine to equalize salt.

      Reply
      • Nick

        March 30, 2021 at 6:13 pm

        5 stars
        Awesome, thank you Michael!
        Just to clarify, you mean after seven days of brining let the brisket sit in the fridge uncovered (i.e. not in brine) for eight more hours?

        Reply
        • Michael Ruhlman

          March 30, 2021 at 8:16 pm

          correct. lmk how it turns out!

          Reply
          • Justin

            April 21, 2024 at 2:39 am

            Michael - looking forward to trying out this recipe! Curious, for a 5lb point and with your measurements would you not reccomend letting it sit in the brine past the 3 days? I agree, some of the recipies I’ve seen call for a week but I guess that’s a full packer. Just want to know if it’s okay to leave it longer than 3 days or if it will get too salty. Thanks!

  4. Jean

    July 16, 2021 at 9:11 pm

    I have you book, Charcuterie. I am making a big batch of pastrami. I currently have about 25 lbs of brisket and venison haunch defrosting. I am guessing it will be 20 lbs when I am done trimming. I am looking at tripling the recipe for the brine. I do my brining in a 5 gallon bucket. Am hoping it will all fit. Any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      August 05, 2021 at 5:22 pm

      just use your common sense! It should work tripling recipe. (sorry for the delay!)

      Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      August 05, 2021 at 5:22 pm

      and you've likely already done this. how did it work?

      Reply
      • Jean

        August 14, 2021 at 2:39 am

        5 stars
        The venison came out exceptionally nice. The husband of the neighbor who made the rye bread for sandwhiches pronounced it "Magnifcent!" I did lots of trimming and ended up with 18 lbs of meat. I doubled the (5%) brine recipe and soaked it for 7 days. I am always so shocked at how cold my hands get when moving the meat in the brine! I put a strip of beef fat inside the 2 pieces of venison where the leg bone had been. I divided the haunch along fore and aft muscle groups to give me a better pocket to tuck the fat inside.
        I used my little 4 rack electric smoker with alder wood pellets. Final temperature was between 150 and 160 degrees, depending on the rack height.
        I did not boil nor steam any of it. I just slice it thin across the grain and go with that.
        I think that covers it.
        Thank you for replying. I imagine the comments here could be on 50 different recipes in any given day.

        Reply
  5. Scott Cory

    November 11, 2021 at 4:38 pm

    5 stars
    I've used this recipe for years a base recipe, altering the pickling spice and the brine seasonings with other aromatics as desired. My current batch of brine includes adding fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme from the garden to the pickling spice, and I've added juniper berries to the pickling spice mix.

    This recipe and others from Charcuterie have been broadened and deepened both what and how we cook

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      November 12, 2021 at 3:32 pm

      nice additions!

      Reply
  6. John Vest

    November 20, 2021 at 11:13 pm

    This brine is less strong with a shorter brine time than what you have in the book. Did you decide that the book recipe was too salty?

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      December 15, 2021 at 10:23 pm

      I cant remember why i changed it. It's not too salty because excess leaches into the cooking liquid.

      Reply
  7. Peter Faber

    November 23, 2021 at 2:39 am

    5 stars
    I've made this recipe numerous times and I am never disappointed. This time I tried a few things differently. I used Eye of Round as is was on sale. since it is pretty large at the fat end, I brined three days and one day to equalize. I now have a real smoker so that helped. I smoked it with hickory for 3 hours at just 200F. Then I bagged it directly off the smoker and sous vide cooked it at 132F for the next 30 hours. It was an outer world experience! So tender from the sous vide and smoky with the toasted coriander and pepper complementing all of it. This is definitely a repeat event!

    Reply
  8. Tom Barkman

    March 09, 2022 at 2:15 am

    I've made your recipe several times, it's as good as Katz, which is saying a lot. Thanks for the inspiration, Pal.

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      March 24, 2022 at 4:29 pm

      thanks!

      Reply
  9. George Vogt

    March 10, 2022 at 2:22 pm

    I started a batch of corned beef yesterday (3/9/22) using your recipe in Charcuterie -- great book, btw!--in order to have it ready for a St. Patrick's Day meal with the relatives. Can I leave the meat in the brine until the 17th? How long can the meat remain in brine before using?

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      March 24, 2022 at 4:29 pm

      It's best to take it out of the brine when it's finished. It will keep for a week or two refrigerated before cooking.

      Reply
  10. Mark Taub

    March 13, 2022 at 1:15 pm

    I'm approaching the end of brining an #11 brisket using this recipe. After drying for a few days in the fridge, I'll be ready for smoking and cooking. What are your thoughts on smoking and cooking time? What internal temp am I looking to achieve after smoking? Thank you.

    Reply
  11. Andrew Anselmo

    October 15, 2022 at 5:56 pm

    Hi Michael,
    I've made this recipe while living in the States, its absolutely fantastic! Thank you. I can't get fatty brisket in Portugal, so I'm going to use picanha. My question is, will your recipe amounts work with 2 picanhas that will be 2 1/2 lbs each?

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      October 20, 2022 at 8:03 pm

      if they're roughly the same weight, yes!

      Reply
      • Jim H

        February 06, 2023 at 12:58 am

        Hello Michael, I have been looking at different pastrami recipe’s trying to find one that would easy, see I grew up in California and would go to The Hat since living in LA (lower Alabama) I could not find anyone that has a pastrami sandwich, After reading the ingredients and all the comments I decided to try yours, and I was not disappointed. I will be doing this again soon

        Reply
  12. Bill Malcolm

    December 22, 2022 at 8:28 pm

    Hi Michael,

    in your book Charcuterie the pastrami recipe calls for 8 teaspoons of pink salt for 5 lbs of meat. Is that correct? Is it safe. I have a brisket in brine right now using that ratio.

    Thanks,

    Bill Malcolm

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      February 22, 2023 at 4:20 pm

      that does seem like a lot, but I believe it's for a gallon of brine? so most of it will remain in the brine. don't have access to the book but it's 20 years old and we've had no injuries so far!

      Reply
  13. Craig

    June 14, 2023 at 2:55 pm

    5 stars
    The first recipe I used! Four the cooking time after smoking would you cook it to a specific temperature or just use time? I’m cooking larger batches of different piece sizes so trying to figure out when it’s done. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      June 16, 2023 at 5:57 pm

      Feel, till fork tender.

      Reply
  14. Greg

    September 21, 2023 at 7:55 pm

    I'm a big fan of this recipe, but I find myself with only Mortons tenderquick; any suggestions on substituting it?

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      January 11, 2024 at 7:38 pm

      never used it so follow instructions!

      Reply
    • Sdale

      April 07, 2024 at 1:37 am

      I know this is an old post, but if you use the Morton's, careful with the amount of Kosher salt (or whatever other salt you're using). You will need to tone that down or it will end up too salty. I made that mistake with Bacon.

      Reply
  15. Zach

    December 08, 2023 at 12:52 pm

    I have been throwing a holiday party for the past 5 years and this is the star- the party has grown from 8 people ( one veg) to now with kids (that love this recipe) to over 20. Any thoughts on how to cook a 13lb brisket - anyways to use a gas grill to cook/add some smoke? Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      January 11, 2024 at 7:30 pm

      sorry for the late reply. It can be smoke roasted on a grill, and then steamed for several hours to tenderize. Hope you figured out what to do!

      Reply
  16. Brian

    March 20, 2024 at 1:45 am

    5 stars
    This is my go-to recipe for pastrami and all things pastrami flavored - I used the brine and rub on a pork butt to make porkstrami and it came out pretty solid!

    Going to do one this weekend but to get a little bit more depth of pastrami flavor, I'm using the rub ingredients as well as some pink peppercorns, mustard seed and a little bit of juniper in the brine in place of half of the pickling spice. Going to be interesting to see how it comes out! Anyone ever tried that?

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      May 02, 2024 at 2:47 pm

      no but sounds good!

      Reply
    • Meredith

      May 28, 2024 at 1:06 pm

      Good morning! I just ordered a Ninja brand smoker and can't wait for it to arrive. Your recipe looks fantastic! Do you have a method for smoking in an electric smoker like the Ninja Woodfire Pro? Thank you!

      Reply
      • Michael Ruhlman

        July 06, 2024 at 4:14 pm

        no method beyond common sense!

        Reply
  17. Joe F

    May 08, 2024 at 2:17 am

    I"ve used brisket a few times but now I use a serloin tip roast. I cure it for 14 days with all the spices. I then smoke it over apple and cherry wood. I have a 10 inch slicer so I get nice big thin slices that are perfect for a sandwich. I do leave the fat cap on so the ratio of fat to meat is still good. I also make my own seeded rye bread and 1000 island sauce and sourcrout. It comes out great.

    Reply
  18. Dan M.

    December 08, 2024 at 2:13 am

    I have an 18 lb brisket in my freezer that I want to make pastrami out of it. Would it be as simple as tripling this recipe. Or should I do something else.

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      January 09, 2025 at 7:01 pm

      You could probably be fine doubling it. Subscribe to my newsletter for a quicker response! ruhlman.substack.com

      Reply
  19. Todd

    December 20, 2024 at 5:37 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe, the brisket I'm smoking tomorrow will be my fourth time using your recipe. The only change I've made was length of brine time, I've gone to 23 days on this one. Last one I went to 20 and it was superb. I use 12-14 lb. packers. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Michael Ruhlman

      January 09, 2025 at 6:58 pm

      glad to hear it! Subscribe to my newsletter for a quicker response! ruhlman.substack.com

      Reply
  20. Kendall Ellis

    February 19, 2025 at 7:39 pm

    5 stars
    Excellent! Thanks for posting!

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Michael Ruhlman, an award-winning author and cook who writes about chefs, food and cooking, among other things.

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