Smoked Pastrami - A Beginner's Guide

4.99 from 68 votes

Learn how to prepare tender Smoked Pastrami at home. It's seasoned with a homemade spice blend and simply delicious!

Prep Time6

Cook Time4 30

Resting Time30

Total Time6 5

Course: Main Course, Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 160kcal

Mix brine ingredients together over low heat until the sugar and salt dissolve completely. Allow the mixture to cool.
Place brisket in a deep pan or a 2 gallon ziplock bag. When the brine is cool, pour it over the brisket making sure that it is fully submerged in the liquid. Cover with foil and place in the refrigerator for 5 days, turning the brisket daily.
After 5 days, remove the brisket from the brine and rinse off in cold water. Soak the brisket in cold water in the refrigerator for 8-hours or overnight.

Toast the spice rub ingredients in a hot pan until fragrant, do not burn. Coarsely grind the spices using a coffee bean grinder. Do not over-grind the spices, you don't want to make a fine powder.
Remove the brisket from the water and pat dry. Coat completely with the spice rub and place it on a rack over a tray, refrigerate overnight. The next morning, bring brisket to room temperature.

Turn the smoker on and fill with pellets. Set the temperature to 225°F. Choose Super Smoke. When the smoker is ready, place the brisket directly on the grill and insert the probe into the thickest part. Set the probe temperature to 160°F.
When the brisket reaches 160°F (mine took 2 ½ hours), remove it from the grill. Pour 2 cups of water into a deep pan, then place a rack over it. Put the brisket on the rack, making sure it's not sitting in the water. Cover the pan with foil and seal.
Place the wrapped brisket on the grill and re-insert the probe. Set the probe temperature to 200°F.
When the pastrami is ready, remove the pan from the smoker and allow the pastrami to rest for 30 minutes in the sealed pan before slicing it into thin slices against the grain.

To fully submerge the brisket in brine, you can also use a 2-gallon Ziploc bag. They come in handy for many recipes!
If you don't want to brine the meat for 5 days you can cut the time down to 3 days. It should still taste amazing!
In a pinch, you can substitute pickling spices for my corned beef blend.
Which flavor pellet you use in this smoked pastrami recipe is a matter of preference. Try hardwoods like oak, hickory, or alder. If you prefer fruitwoods, consider apple, maple, cherry, and pecan.
If you want to make a deli-style pastrami sandwich, start with rye bread or my personal favorite, sourdough. Slather the bread with mustard, then pile on lots of thinly sliced pastrami, Swiss cheese, diced onions, and pickles. Enjoy!