After smoking, it can be slowly roasted in a low oven to make it very soft, falling apart. It has an intense flavor and aroma due to the use of spices and the smoke can be more intense or less intense, depending on the wood and smoking process. It's great on sandwiches or as a main dish with vegetables, potatoes or our traditional rice and beans.
O pastrami It became popular in the United States, consumed in sandwiches and was introduced to that country by Greek immigrants in the early 1960s. But, as it turns out, it was not the Greeks who created the pastrami, but rather the Turks, originally called Pastırma.
Most recipes include curing salt (sodium nitrite), which reacts with the myoglobin in the meat and sets the pink color. Is it possible to do without curing salt? Yes, it just won't stay the same color and the specific flavor of the cure won't exist either, but it's not a big problem as this recipe is well seasoned. I particularly prefer to use it because it is a highly recommended preservative in products that undergo smoking.
Want to know more about sodium nitrite, read curing salt what it is and how much to use
The recipe has a lot of ingredients, especially condiments, but it is very easy to make.
Ingredients
Pickling spice mix
- 2 pieces of cinnamon stick;
- 14 grams of allspice;
- 20 grams of ground black pepper;
- 12 grams of dry pepperoni;
- 24 bay leaves;
- 20 grams of mustard seed;
- 20 grams of coriander seed;
- 6 grams of ground nutmeg;
- 6 grams of whole cloves;
- 8 grams of powdered ginger.
Mix preparation: mix all the ingredients and quickly pound in a mortar or pulse a few times in the grain grinder/blender/processor. Beforehand, toast the seeds if you want to extract even more flavor.
Brine
- 2 liters of water;
- 100 grams of salt;
- 50 grams of sugar;
- 8 grams of curing salt 1 (6.25% of nitrite and 93.75% of salt);
- 2 crushed garlic cloves;
- 10 grams of pickling spice mix.
Meat
- 1 kg of a beef cut of your choice, we use beef brisket, but it can be skirt steak, flank steak or beef brisket.
Preparation
1) Bring the water with 10 grams of the spice mix, salt, sugar, curing salt and garlic to a boil for 2 minutes, turn off the heat and wait for it to cool. Soak meat and refrigerate for 3 to 5 days;
2) Remove from the refrigerator and wash the meat under running water;
3) Apply a layer of crushed grain mustard (processor, blender or pestle) around the piece, mixing evenly;
Smoking
I applied a very simple smoke method that was easy to do at home, but with very rudimentary temperature control. I left a skewer-type thermometer inserted and controlled the temperature by opening or closing the air inlet. It's a rustic but functional method. The more air that flows, the more heat will be generated.
4) Light a barbecue and let the charcoal burn hot, deposit all the burning coal on one side of the barbecue, on the other side place a container with water;
5) Place the meat on a grill over the container with water;
6) Leave a thermometer close to the meat and cover the grill;
7) Check the temperature, wood and coal from time to time, add if missing and open or close the smoke vents to increase or decrease the burning/temperature;
8) Smoke for 3 to 5 hours at approximately 80ºC. The time may vary depending on the thickness of the meat, ideally it is determined by the internal temperature of the meat;
9) If you wish, you can measure the internal temperature of the meat and end the process when it exceeds 65ºC;
10) Refrigerate, it will last for at least two weeks in the refrigerator.
How to serve pastrami?
There are several options, the most common are:
- Slice thinly and use as a filling for sandwiches;
- It is also very good sliced thinly and fried with onion in a frying pan, this way it can be served with rice, beans, pasta or as a filling for sandwiches;
- Another good option as a main dish is to slowly roast it covered with aluminum foil in the oven at 90ºC until it is very soft.
Sources: wikipedia, Charcuterie – The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing
-
Curing salt 2R$ 8,00 -
Curing salt 1R$ 8,00 -
Fixative AntioxidantR$ 23,00 -
Culinary twineR$ 7,90 -
Starter CultureR$ 69,90 -
Culinary elastic net 50mmR$ 15,00 -
Collagen casing 45mm roll 5 meters salamiR$ 25,00 -
Culinary elastic net 65mmR$ 18,00 -
Collagen casing 80mm cup and salamiR$ 29,90 -
Salami collagen casing 45mm 10 units tiedR$ 22,00 -
Galvanized HookR$ 12,00 -
Natural pork casing for sausageR$ 52,00
English 
Português do Brasil
I received this recipe from a friend, I've made it more than 10 times. It's a hit among my friends who have even eaten at Katz's
Hi Leandro. That's great, I'm happy to know that this pastrami recipe has been approved even by those who ate it at Katz! Thanks for the feedback.
I have a question, I always make the recipe as it is here, for breast pieces weighing maximum 1-1.5kg. If I want to make more pieces at once, do I use the same proportion of marinade (water, seasonings, spice mix) per weight of meat?
You need to adjust the salts for the weight of the meat, add more in relation to the additional weight, the other condiments you can keep adding just a little more to compensate, but the salt needs to be increased proportionally.
Good morning. For 4.5 kg of Brisket, with curing salt 1 at a concentration of 7%, what quantities should I use?
Use 10 g of curing salt.
The quantities can be calculated using the additive calculator that we provide on the website:
https://charcutaria.org/aditivos-alimentares/calculadora-de-aditivos-alimentares/
Hi...I made mine on 12-06-21...with sirloin steak...it took 17 days to cure...I smoked it until 68ºC, it took about 4 hours at 100ºC or 110ºC...then I packaged it and kept it at 110ºC for another 2 hours until it reached 80ºC...I've never done it before... For me it was great...I offered it to other people who also knew it...they loved it too...it's a shame I couldn't post a photo
Hi Cleber, thanks for the report and for sharing the method, times and temperature used to produce your pastrami. A lot of help to everyone!
Hello!! I was traveling and my pastrami was cured for two weeks (I made it with termites) when I removed it from the cure, the liquid was like soft jelly, but with the color and no bad smell. I finished the preparation and it turned out great. Softer than usual and very tasty, but I'm worried about the stickiness. Do you know if it poses any health risk? Thanks!
Hi Lara, to know if there was contamination only with an analysis, it is difficult to assess just from the report. Generally, the smell is a good indicator. Perhaps there was some fermentation that softened and added flavor, there is probably no risk, but as I said, it is difficult to evaluate.
Goodnight. From what I understand you made 1 kilo of the product. Shouldn't 2.5 grams of cure1 have been added instead of the 8 grams you used? The calculation is made using the weight of the meat or the weight of the meat + water. I was in doubt. Thanks.
As there is a lot of water, some of the nitrite in the curing salt will not be absorbed, so I prefer to add more to ensure protection. I generally calculate by the weight of water + meat. But you can apply the curing salt later if you want more precision. After brining, apply the exact amount of curing salt, this way there is no risk of excess or lack.
Thank you very much for the comments.
Hug.
Goodnight . What is the maximum period that meat can remain in brine?
Thanks
Around a week
Eduardo, my meat has been in the brine for 10 days. Do you think I lost?
I do not think so. Smell the brine and the meat, if it smells spoiled, discard it, but I believe it is still good.
Hello Dear
do you ship to jerusalem
thank you
Hi Chef. Yes, approximately USD 40 in 15 days.
Hey guys! Thank you very much for the recipe! The first time I made it, it was very good. Now on Monday the brine became viscous and created an equally viscous layer on the meat, could it be contamination? The meat doesn't smell...
Hi Pablo, The viscous broth must be some contamination. Did you use any type of thickener/emulsifier, such as soy protein, carrageenan or something similar?
Good afternoon …. Can I use curing salt 1 instead of curing salt 2?
Thanks
Maybe yes.
Hello. First I would like to congratulate you on your high competence. I placed an order on Wednesday and it arrived in Rio on Friday! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 I would like to ask two questions: Is it possible to find a cut of beef that most closely resembles beef belly? Or is brisket the best option we have here in Brazil? I have a gas grill, one of those big ones, like American ones, that close… can I smoke on it? Thank you very much.
Hi Lara, I'm glad everything went well with the order! In the belly region there is the rib, rib and flank steak. All of these cuts are in the belly area. Skirt steaks on this type of barbecue are very good. Yes, you can smoke in it, place the wood in a container over the flame and cover the grill.
Hello, is the amount of curing salt calculated only by the weight of the meat, or is it calculated by the weight of the meat and water? Grateful. Can you use curing salt with 90% salt, 6% nitrite is 4% nitrate?
By the weight of the meat. You can use the curing salt in the proportions you mentioned.
Good morning ! Could you ask me a question, in the written recipe for the brine it says 1oo g of fine salt and in the video it says 200g, which would be the right one to use, or does it vary the amount depending on the meat, for breast 200g and flank steak 100g, would that be it? Thanks!
Hi Célio, follow the ingredients on the website, use 100g for any cut of meat. The recipe has been updated on the website to make the salt more suitable. In the video, unfortunately, there is no way to edit. Hugs!
OK understood! Thanks for the quick response, CONGRATULATIONS!
Good afternoon.
Is it possible to vacuum-pack it after it is ready to keep it for longer? If so, what would be the appropriate packaging and the estimated storage time?
Hi Douglas, yes you can. It's difficult to pinpoint exactly as it depends on the recipe, amount of salt, curing salt, smoking, seasoning, average refrigerator temperature... frozen for around 3 months. Vacuum-packed in the refrigerator should last 30 days. But as I said, validity depends on many factors. The thicker the bag the better.
Hi, I forgot to soak the seasoning mix for about 20 days at the bottom of the fridge, is there a problem? ruined the meat? or I can continue….
Hi Fabiano, I believe you can continue. Remove the meat, dry it and smell, if it smells good, of seasoning, then proceed. If you smell a bad smell, discard it.
Hello,
What is the ideal thermometer and where can I buy it?
Hi Vlademir, the ideal is a thermometer with two probes, one to measure the ambient temperature and the other the internal temperature of the meat. I have been using the inkbird IBT-2X.
I can make the brine without curing salt, because what I have here, I think is a little old, it shouldn't have the same effect.
Hi Fabio, you can do it without the curing salt. No matter how old it is, curing salt does not go bad, it may just lose its effect. I tend to use it even after its expiration date and even very old ones tend to have an effect. But in any case, you can do it without the curing salt, no problem.
Mine was quite salty. I washed the meat, but apparently not enough. Is there a way to fix it?
You can leave it soaked in water for two hours or so, it will remove some of the salt.
Eduardo, I programmed it badly, I imagined that the smoking process would take two hours, I got confused. Since I get home late on weekdays, today the meat has been in brine for five days in the fridge. It's a 1.5kg breast. Can I leave the meat until Saturday morning and then smoke it? Or is it too long? If it's going to harm the process, I'll stay late but I'll do the smoking tomorrow. Today, unfortunately, I won't be able to do it anymore, because I only realized the time now. I apologize for the inconvenience and would be grateful if you could provide further guidance on this point. Hug.
You can leave it in the brine until Saturday morning.
Good morning. My name is José Roberto, and I would like to answer some questions regarding this Pastrami recipe:
– the quantities are for 1kg of meat, therefore, should I multiply the quantities proportionally to the weight of the piece that I will use, including the curing salt?
– should the refrigeration time be in an uncovered container? And does the time depend on the size of the piece?
If you could get back to me I would appreciate it as I intend to start preparing this recipe.
Thank you and hugs.
Hi José Roberto,
– the quantities are for 1kg of meat, therefore, should I multiply the quantities proportionally to the weight of the piece that I will use, including the curing salt?
Yes, exactly that. For 2kg of meat, for example, double the quantities presented in this recipe, including curing salt.
– should the refrigeration time be in an uncovered container? And does the time depend on the size of the piece?
The recipe time is already quite long (3 to 5 days) so it will be enough even for larger pieces.
I hope you like the result!
Thank you very much for the quick response, Eduardo. I'll post photos later, hugs.
😀
personal talk from Chacuratia…
the recipe is very good... I tested it and approved it... in fact... the people here at home approved it.
I made a large piece so I would always have pastrami at home when I was hungry, so a practical question.
How long does pastrami last in the fridge?
Is it better to slice it or keep the whole piece and slice it as you get hungry?
abs
Hi Moacyr, I'm glad the recipe was approved! Pastrami will last for about 90 days in the refrigerator, well packaged. If you vacuum pack it, you can slice it, divide it and store it in the refrigerator. If you don't have the equipment to vacuum pack it, keep the entire piece with a few turns of PVC and cut it on demand. Hugs!
First of all, thank you very much for sharing the recipe!
Let's get to the questions:
1 – Can I make it in the oven? If so, for how long and at what temperature to obtain the desired texture and flavors for the recipe?
2 – I saw that you sell firewood chips. What would be the ideal way to use them when smoking in the oven?
3 – Finally, in which of the possibilities can I obtain better results? Oven or barbecue grill?
It cost.
Hello Lucas.
1) Yes, the temperature can be around 90 degrees. The longer you leave it, the softer the meat will be, so it depends on the desired doneness, leave it until it is very soft, breaking it apart.
2) In the oven, you can place them inside a smokebox or other metal container and leave them in the lower part of the oven, as the chips burn, the smoke will be released. But the oven tends to turn black, you will have to clean it later.
3) I believe that the breath is better on the barbecue as the charcoal already provides a little smoke. But it is more difficult to control the temperature.
In both cases, also place a pot of water so that there is water vapor and the environment is not so dry. It takes time, a lot of time, to become soft. Keep testing until you get the desired texture.
Good afternoon! Which wood chip did you use in smoking?
Apple tree
Good evening, I tried to make pastrami but the breast piece weighed approximately 2.7 kg. I used approximately 7g of curing salt 1 (in addition to the other seasonings), injected the preparation with a syringe and left it in the brine for approximately 11 days, even after smoking (8h at 70º) and finished (+ 3h wrapped in laminated paper at the same temperature ), the center of the piece was not pink, but rather like normal roast meat.
Do you think there was a lack of curing salt? Doesn’t the brine time result in greater “penetration” into the piece? Any tips?
Thanks and hugs
Hi Luis, do you know the proportion of sodium nitrite in the curing salt you used? What color was the meat, very dark or paler? You can try using an antioxidant based on sodium erythorbate which is a healing accelerator, that is, it enhances the action of the healing salt.
Good morning!
I used 7g of curing salt at 7% nitrite, which gives approximately 0.49g of Sodium Nitrite. The meat was pink on the edges and brown/light gray like the color of a normally roasted meat. I don't know if it changes anything but I added a little brown sugar and honey to the brine (a matter of personal taste).
Thank you for your help and attention. Hug
Perhaps the curing salt used has reduced action or the quantity stated does not match what appears on the product. You can try dry curing, that is, instead of brining, massage all the ingredients into the meat and leave it in the fridge for 5 days, then smoke it or roast/cook it and then smoke it, whichever you prefer.
Ok Eduardo, thank you very much for your help and information, I will try again and pay attention to the methods and ingredients used. Hug!
Good morning. I'm making pastrami but I only found “type 2” salt (94% salt, 4%nitrite and 2% nitrate).
Can I use this same one?
Hi Mauricio, yes you can. This curing salt has very little nitrate so there is no problem.
Thank you very much Eduardo! As soon as it's ready, I'll send you photos of the result!
Illustrious Eduardo,
It was sensational, although it didn't have the texture of the pastrami we bought at the deli. I decided to use filet mignon. Follow image
Filet mignon, yes! I believe that to achieve a texture similar to that of a delicatessen, it has to be smoked (or smoked and roasted) for much longer, slow and time-consuming, then all the binding tissue breaks down and the meat shreds almost on its own. A big hug!
Once again, thank you Master!
Dear friends of Charcutaria.org,
I follow your website on YouTube, and I've already made some comments there. I came to the website to try to upload some photos, but I can't.
Hi Marcio, does an error message appear?
No. But nothing happened either.
I can give you my telephone number, would you prefer?
Hi Marcio, if you can send the photos to contato@charcutaria.org which I post in the comments.
Follow the photos. I believe the problem was the size.
What did you think?
I think this is going to be amazing. Termite is a well-marbled meat and with the brine it will become even juicier! Very clean, perfect!
Where to buy pattern via Post Office?
Hi Reginaldo, sorry, I didn't understand the question.
Hello Eduardo. I'm thinking about making the recipe with flank steak. Do you recommend removing the fat from the piece or can you leave it on?
Grateful.
Hi Julio. Yes, you can do it with flank steak, keep the fat. Just reduce the salt in the recipe to 100g as it is a much fattier meat than the breast.
Hello,
I left it in the oven for more than 3 hours at approximately 70 degrees and the piece was still very hard. What can I do to get a shredded, tender, juicy piece like the American places?
Thanks.
Marcelo
Hi Luís, if you want it to fall apart, leave it longer or increase the temperature (90º) so that the protein and connective tissue lose their properties and fall apart during the cut. You can also bake in the oven for 3 hours at 90ºC and then smoke for another 3 hours at 70ºC.
Hello Eduardo,
This temperature of 90ºC for 3 hours is without aluminum foil, right? I'm thinking about turning the aluminum twice and baking for 8 hours at 150ºC. From your experience, do you think it will stay dry?
Marcelo, I believe that wrapped in aluminum foil it will maintain its juiciness and the meat will be very tender. What I suspect could happen is a lot of liquid leaking out when removing from the aluminum. For 8 hours I would leave it at an even lower temperature, around 80ºC, this way I believe it will stay soft without releasing so much liquid. But you can test both ways to evaluate the best result.