After I came back from New York I was chatting with Chef Todd about my going to Katz’s and he said, “Did you try the pastrami?”
Then he said he was making pastrami for his cafe lunch menu the following week. He had just started brining the beef and was going to smoke it the day I was going to work in his kitchen. How timely. I can see how it’s done.
So here’s how he did it. He brined beef brisket in a solution of water, brown sugar and brining salt, with garlic and peppercorns added. This was brined over the weekend.
After several days of brining, brisket was removed from the liquid and rubbed generously with ground spices including pepper and coriander.
Then the beef was cooked in a smoker overnight–at 250 degrees for about 8 hours and then kept a few hours longer at a 140 degrees before being taken out and cooled. Chef did tell me the ingredients and the temps and times and I noted it down somewhere but for the life of me, I can’t find it! Here are pictures of the beef brisket before smoking and after it is done.
Pardon my lack of details. I was just logging how making pastrami was done. I was too busy making sandwiches and putting salads together.
Here is the brisket sliced.
Pastrami was served with sauerkraut and Swiss cheese in a Pastrami Reuben Sandwich. I shared my sandwich with a friend, who shared her Spinach Salad with me.
