Pastrami Sandwich
A sandwich that takes 2 weeks to make, and 5 minutes to eat, but worth it.
Servings Prep Time
30sandwiches 1hour
Cook Time Passive Time
15hours 15days
Servings Prep Time
30sandwiches 1hour
Cook Time Passive Time
15hours 15days
Ingredients
Curing the beef
For smoking the beef
For the Sandwich
Instructions
Curing the beef
  1. Measure out the kosher salt, pink salt, peppercorns, mustard seeds, coriander, allspice berries, cloves, ginger, and bay leaves.
  2. Trim any excess fat off the brisket.
  3. Mix together the pink salt, and the kosher salt. And rub evenly over the brisket, making sure to coat the entire thing.
  4. Mix together the peppercorns, mustard seeds, coriander, allspice berries, cloves, ginger, and torn bay leaves. Spread over the brisket, covering both sides.
  5. Place the meat in a vacuum sealer bag, along with any left over salt mixture or spice blend. And seal it. I had to roll the brisket into a large meat cigar to fit it in the bag.
  6. Put the sealed meat bag in the fridge, and flip it daily, for two weeks, while the meat cures.
Desalinate the beef
  1. After the meat has cured for two weeks, remove it from vacuum sealed bag and rinse it off thoroughly.
  2. You need to soak the beef for at least 12 hours in cold water to remove some of the salt. I used a cooler filled with ice water. You can use a large pot filled with ice water and leave it in the fridge.
  3. Ideally, you will want to change the water every 3 to 4 hours, but if you cannot, don’t worry about it. The finished product may be a bit salty, but shouldn’t be too bad in a sandwich.
Smoking the beef
  1. Pre-heat your smoker to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Add some smoke wood to the smoker. I used hickory, but whatever wood you prefer will work.
  3. Once the smoker is up to temperature, add the brisket. And smoke it until it reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
  4. Wrap the brisket in foil, adding the apple juice, and smoke until it reaches 203 degrees Fahrenheit.
Resting the beef
  1. Once the brisket reaches the desired tenderness, and texture, pull it off of the smoker and allow it to rest, still sealed in foil until it cools to between 140°F to 160°F.
  2. Now you can either slice the brisket to eat now, or put it in the fridge to use later.
Slicing the brisket
  1. Remove the point from the brisket.
  2. If you want a leaner cut of meat in the sandwich, use the flat, if you want a fattier cut, use the point. Slice the meat thinly, across the grain. I used a deli slicer, and sliced the meat as thin as I could.
Build the sandwich
  1. Take two slices of the rye bread and toast them.
  2. Butter the bread if desired.
  3. Add the slice of cheese, if using.
  4. Stack the meat on the bread to make the sandwich. I like a meaty sandwich, so stack it thick, and evenly.
  5. Add the sliced pickles if using,
  6. Top with the deli mustard, and the bread.
  7. Slice in half, and serve.
Recipe Notes

This recipe assumes you know how to smoke beef, have access to a smoker, and know how to carve a brisket.