Grill/Barbecue

Pastrami

by:
October 16, 2013
4.5
2 Ratings
Pastrami
Photo by James Ransom
  • Makes about 4 pounds
Author Notes

Curing pastrami is a celebration of great craftsmanship. This pastrami begins with a great cut of beef—a 5-pound piece of brisket from the fatty end, which is called the point—and is transformed by salt, smoke, and time into something magical. Not only is the experience of preparing pastrami a worthwhile exercise, the meat that results is free of commercial artificial preservatives, and its wonderfully salty and spicy flavor is reminiscent of what this cured meat is supposed to taste like. The process is not complicated, but it does take some planning. We use our restaurant smoker. You could certainly try it in a backyard smoker, but in this recipe, the pastrami is cooked in the oven. We add shiro dashi to give it a bit of smoky flavor. A tiny bit of pink salt (sodium nitrite) is necessary to preserve the meat and protect it from dangerous bacteria. —Michael Anthony

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons black peppercorns
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds
  • 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice berries
  • 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground mace
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 bay leaf, crushed
  • 1/4 cinnamon stick, crushed
  • 1 1/4 cups kosher salt
  • 2 2/3 tablespoons pink salt (sodium nitrite)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 5-pound brisket from the fatty end (point), untrimmed
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fennel seeds
  • 1/2 cup shiro dashi
Directions
  1. In a small skillet, lightly toast 1/2 teaspoon of the peppercorns, 1/2 teaspoon of the coriander, and 1/2 teaspoon of the mustard seeds over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
  2. Grind in a spice mill.
  3. Put the ground spices in a large pot and add the pepper flakes, allspice, cloves, mace, ginger, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, kosher salt, pink salt, granulated sugar, brown sugar, honey, garlic, and 4 quarts water. Bring the brine to a simmer, stirring until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Transfer the brine to a vessel large enough to hold it and the meat—which will be added later— and refrigerate until chilled.
  4. Put the brisket in the brine and weight it down (with a plate and tomato cans, for example) to keep it completely submerged. Cover and refrigerate for 5 days. Remove the brisket from the brine, rinse it, dry it, and put it on a large platter. Discard the brine. In a spice mill, process the remaining peppercorns, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, and the fennel seeds. Transfer the spices to a small bowl and mix well. Coat the brisket with the spice mixture and sprinkle the shiro dashi over it. Cover the platter and refrigerate for about 12 hours.
  5. Preheat the oven to 250°F.
  6. Put the brisket on a rack in a roasting pan. Add a cup of water to the pan and tightly cover the pan with aluminum foil. Cook the brisket until it reaches 165°F on a meat thermometer, 3 to 4 hours. (If you don’t have a thermometer, the brisket is ready when it is very tender.) Let the meat rest for at least 2 hours at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate overnight. To serve, transfer the pastrami to a cutting board and cut against the grain into thin slices. The pastrami will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Tags:

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • twinjadojo
    twinjadojo
  • molly yeh
    molly yeh
  • Sharyn Guthrie
    Sharyn Guthrie
  • Sarah
    Sarah
Michael Anthony
Michael Anthony began cooking professionally in Tokyo, Japan where he quickly grew to love the Japanese connection to the changing seasons. Following his time in Japan, Mike moved to France to hone his culinary skills at a number of renowned restaurants. He joined Gramercy Tavern as the Executive Chef in 2006 and under his leadership the restaurant has earned a number of accolades including a three star New York Times review in 2007 and the James Beard Award for “Outstanding Restaurant” in 2008. In June, 2011 he was named Chef-Partner of Gramercy Tavern. In 2012, Michael won the James Beard Award for “Best Chef in New York City.” Michael is the author of The Gramercy Tavern Cookbook.

Popular on Food52

7 Reviews

Sarah
Sarah December 10, 2017
Is it possible to skip the Shiro Dashi?
 
Fabio P.
Fabio P. September 17, 2015
I have a smoker manual machine. So, do I need to bag up it to cook or just leave at the smoke machine "naked" and how long?
 
tamater S.
tamater S. March 30, 2015
No asian stores nearby, but the health food store stocks organic Shiro Miso…any recipes for a home made shiro dash? Anyone?
 
twinjadojo
twinjadojo December 20, 2014
YES MY FRIENDS! This was an amazing substitute for the traditional roast brisket at our big Hanukkah celebration this evening. And, it changed the tone of the meal into a more light-hearted, casual affair, while still being very special, which is welcome during the non-stop celebrating going on in our interfaith home. I paired this with fresh rye and challah loafs, grainy mustard, carrot and radish pickles, fresh coleslaw, latkes, rosemary brown butter applesauce, sour cream and rugelach. We will be talking about this meal for (at least) eight nights. But onto the recipe notes! I followed the directions as written, though I believe I was almost a day short on brine time, to no ill effect short of a tiny section inside of my tied brisket that didn't get pinked. I could not clap eyes on Shiro Dashi anywhere on my island, so after some thought as to its purpose in the recipe, I whipped up some fresh dashi and used it in place of water to steam my meat. I still got the umami from the natural glutumates and a noticeable smokiness from the katsuobushi. My meat was well over 165F at the 3 hour mark, though wonderfully tender; next time I'll begin checking temp at the 2.5 hour mark. Total, smashing success, and a fantastically low-key party meal. Go ahead and make yourself some pastrami and celebrate something, even if just the party in your mouth.
 
molly Y.
molly Y. January 14, 2014
i love that this doesn't require a smoker! i have been craving a pastrami sandwich. or ten. i'll be making this soon.......
 
Svend
Svend October 23, 2013
I found dashi no moto (granulated dashi) at the local Asian market. Any problem with just adding some of that in with the spice mixture?
 
Sharyn G.
Sharyn G. October 21, 2013
I would like to know if there is an alternative to the shiro dashi - I would like an msg-free product. Thanks!