Clem's Pastrami
 
  Pastrami is a culinary item which emanated from Romania. It was brought to the US by Romanian Jewish émigrés particularly to New York city where it became an iconic Jewish food item. There are many Jewish food eateries in New York city where you can find pastrami. One famous eatery there is Katz's Delicatessen. You may recall the "I'll have what she's having" scene from the movie "When Sally Met Harry" (1989) where a woman diner decided that she will have what Sally was having after Sally was seen in throes of ecstasy apparently (to the other diner) from eating whatever Sally was having. That movie scene was shot in Katz's. Sally was actually having a "Turkey sandwich on white bread". It was Harry who was having Katz's iconic Pastrami on Rye".

 

  


The Katz's Delicatessen scene from "When Sally Met Harry"

 
 

Pastrami is cured beef, usually brisket (Katz's uses Beef Navel (also known as Beef Belly or Plate). It is firstly brined with spices, smoked and then usually steamed.

The first brining stage is similar to the way corned beef is made. Thus, one can make both corned beef and pastrami at the same time as I did this time in the following manner:
 

GENERAL PRECAUTION
 You are making a food product.
Exercise maximum hygiene/sanitation in all your procedures and equipment used.

Method

Firstly, obtain beef brisket of an amount suitable for your needs.

Prepare the brining solution (for each litre)

  • 175 g table salt
     

  • 150 g brown sugar
     

  • 2.5  g No. 1 Pink Curing Salt (Prague Powder)
    Note: This quantity is less than is typically used and will result in less of a typical ruddy red look of cured meats.

    To get a redder look, use 3.2 g per litre of brine (per J. Weissman)

    No. 1 Pink Curing Salt is pink in color so that it is not mistaken for table salt (it is NOT Himalayan PINK salt).
    It comprises 6.25% Sodium Nitrite and 93.75% table salt (NaCl).

    The US FDA recommendation for dosage of No.1 Pink Curing Salt is no more than 3.2 g for each kilogram of meat to be cured (see below for risk).

    The nitrite is antimicrobial and helps preserve processed foods. Red meat is red because oxygen binds with the pigment myoglobin in meats. This binding is temporary and when the oxygen is lost, meat turns grey. Nitrite is an alternate to oxygen as a myoglobin binder but the bonds made are more stable. This is why nitrited meats remain that ruddy colour - such as in corned beef when nitrite is added.

    Be aware that nitrites when consumed has been shown to cause cancer - in mice. However, curing salt is used routinely in commercially processed meats such as bacon, hams and corned beef. As with everything else, eat these in moderation.

    Do note that the compounds of concern - nitrosoamines, form from nitrites in meat at cooking temperatures above 130oC. Since corned beef and pastrami processing usually involve temperatures below 130oC, it can be said that consumption of these meat products is less of a worry if any.
     

  • Spices (your choice of blend and now much):
    Roughly grind

    • 2 tablespoons black peppercorns,

    • 1 tablespoon of mustard seeds yellow or black), and

    • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds.
      Reserve a tablespoon of this blend for use in cooking later.
       

  • Add the sugar, salt and ground spices into 1 litre of water.
     

  • Add 6 crushed bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon of allspice powder.
     

  • Boil the mix and then leave it to cool to room temperature.
     

Brining

  • Trim the beef brisket to remove silverskin and excess fat.
     

  • Place the beef into a suitably-sized container.
     

  • Add enough cooled brining solution to completely immerse the beef.
     

  • Place in a refrigerator and allow the beef to cure for 6 -10 days (I brined for 6 days).

 

  


 Beef brisket (cut into 2 pieces with the tip portion showing) after brining for 6 days

 


The brisket (flat portion lying on top of the tip end) out of the brine

 
  The beef portions were washed in several changes of fresh water and then soaked in fresh water for some two hours. After that, I took out the tip portion and made that into corned beef by simmer boiling it with a mirepoix  and spices for some six hours (see here).

The remaining brisket portion was soaked in fresh water (with at least one change) overnight in a refrigerator to desalinate the meat (the corned beef did not need so much desalination as it was simmer boiled in excess water for some 3 hours).

Remove the brisket from the water and surface dry it but keep it moist enough for the next step of applying the pastrami rub. The rub is made from (in proportion):

  • 2 tablespoons of whole black peppercorns
  • 1 tablespoon of coarsely ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon of whole coriander seeds
  • 1 tablespoon of coriander powder
  • 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of sweet paprika
  • 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons of onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of whole Yellow Mustard seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon of mustard powder
      (or a squirt of prepared mustard).

Apply this rub all over the brisket and then hot smoke it at 100 - 110oC (indirect heat) until a brown crust (called "the bark") forms and internal temperature of the brisket reaches 71oC of thereabouts. I used a Weber Kettle BBQ and charcoal for the hot smoking step. Smoke came from setting woodchips (Cherry and Hickory) over the hot charcoal.

 

  


The brisket at the end of 6 h hot smoking and before the "Texas Crutch".
Internal temperature of the brisket has come up to around 60oC at the end of hot smoking.

 
 
  • After hot smoking, wrap the whole brisket in aluminium foil (this method is called the "Texas Crutch") and then either continue cooking in the smoker, or cook in an oven. Either way, cook until the internal temperature of the brisket reaches 95oC.
     
  • You are now done cooking. Let the meat cool down before slicing as it will be firmer for good slicing then.

 

  


My effort served ala Katz's Delicatessen Pastrami on Rye.
(it is thick sliced pastrami with mustard [if requested] in between 2 pieces of rye bread)

 
 

 

 

All my cooking (some without recipes) can be found here (click on each photo to go to that dish's page):

 

http://clemkuek.com/photoalbum/photo696.html

 

Video presentations can be found here:

Clem cooks

 

 

www.clemkuek.com

 

21 February 2026
 

 



Created by Clem Kuek