American Deli Pastrami

Ingredients:

• 1 (6-8 pound) corned beef brisket
• (To corn brisket yourself):
• Wet brine: 12 quarts water
• 1 1/2 cups pickling salt
• 1/4 cup pickling spices or Penzey's Corned Beef Spices or McCormick's Montreal Smoked Meat spices
• Dry spice:
• Paprika, for sprinkling
• 1/2 cup (approx.) steak spices (such as McCormick's Grill Mates or Montreal Steak Spice)

Instructions:

To corn the brisket, place brisket in brine and allow to brine two days in the fridge, turning over every once in a while to swish meat thoroughly through brine.

About 4-6 hours before smoking meat, remove from brine and pat dry. Sprinkle liberally with paprika. On each side of brisket, pat about 1/3-1/2 cup of prepared steak spices, pressing into meat. Wrap in a plastic bag or lots of wax paper and then wrap again, tightly in foil wrap. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

Simmer the pastrami in water a few hours, on low until tender and cooked through. Chill well. (or serve hot) Slice meat thinly and steam, and then pack on rye bread to serve with yellow deli mustard.

Comments:

Buy a corned beef already done and then go from there. This makes a wonderful, fragrant slicing beef, perfect for summer sandwiches.

Submitted By:

Marcy Goldman