Pastrami Smoked and Sous Vide

Looking for an excuse to use my BBQ smoker and my Sous Vide Supreme for my Super Bowl Party I thought I might give pastrami a try. Pastrami is a deli stable but rare to see it out of a deli or sub shop. And I have never had it homemade, so I was down for the challenge.

So Pastrami is almost the same as corned beef, except pastrami gets a pepper and coriander crust and good amount of time in the smoker. And you start your pastrami as you would with a corned beef in a heavily seasoned brine. I based mine included black pepper, garlic powder, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, pink salt, whole all spice, cinnamon, cloves, onion powder, salt, bay leaf and brown sugar. I combined all the brining ingredients in water and brought to a boil then let steep and cool over night in the fridge. The next day I added my 3 pound brisket to the brine and let soak for 4 days, flipping it every day to ensure an even brine.

After 4 days in the brine, soak the brisket in fresh cold water for at least 4 hours or overnight to balance out the salt. After the rinse pat dry the brisket and apply an even mixture of cracked black pepper and cracked coriander seeds. The brisket is now ready for the smoker.

I used a hot smoke on my BBQ grill keeping the temp btwn 180 and 200 degrees F. Using a combo of apple wood pellets and mesquite for about 3 hours until the internal temp of the brisket reached about 135 F. After reaching that temp I removed it from the smoker.

I had read that after smoking generally the pastrami is cooled and then steamed later just before serving. Since I had a few days before the Super Bowl party, I thought what better way to knock out a step and just put it in sous vide and finish the cooking over a period over a couple days in a moist heat without over cooking it.

Also to keep it moist, I had read where brisket can dry even in sous vide, without a extra fat. Since I had a little pork belly fat lying around, I thought what better fat than pork fat? With its extra larded insurance I placed the pastrami into my Sous Vide Supreme water oven for 48 hours at 64 degrees Centigrade.

Finally the day of the big game arrived and the feast was about to begin. I removed the cut the vacuum sealed bag and a waft of smoky beefy goodness filled the room. I drained the meat juices out of the bag and unfortunately I did not save it due to the craziness of guests arriving for the party and game. The pastrami was tender, moist and unbelievably delicious. I was able to sample a few pieces before the real madness started. And made a half a sandwich 5 minutes into the game, when I returned to the kitchen at halftime the entire pastrami had been devoured! And no it wasn't the only thing on the menu, I also had 2 different types of chowder, a bacon explosion, chips, guacamole, queso dip, and a kugel. I was really hoping for leftovers, to cure my Monday morning headache, but alas the only leftovers I had were the photos.