The short answer
- Silverside or well-marbled brisket, at least 2kg.
- 7 days curing in a vacuum bag in the fridge, turned daily; rinse, soak 1 hour.
- 2 days in the pepper and coriander rub, then smoked at 100 °C to 68 °C in the centre.
- 5 more days sealed in the fridge, then sliced thinly.
From Romania to New York
Pastrami most likely comes from Romania, where the name means something like 'preserved'. Jewish immigrants took it to New York in the 19th century, where it became the deli classic: thin slices of spiced, smoked beef on rye with mustard and pickles.
Making it takes patience rather than skill. A vacuum sealer keeps the cure and the rub on the meat for days, and a kettle barbecue does the smoking if you don't have a smoker. In Australia, silverside, the cut used for corned beef, is the natural choice; brisket gives a fattier, richer result.
Per kilo of meat
For the cure
Curing salt (see the table), 10g freshly ground black pepper, 7g mixed peppercorns, 1½ teaspoons garlic granules, 1½ teaspoons ground coriander, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger.
For the rub
2½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon coarsely ground coriander, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, a pinch each of chilli flakes, ground ginger and garlic powder.
Curing salt: weigh it exactly
Curing salt contains nitrite, which gives pastrami its colour and protects it during the long cure. The amount depends on how much nitrite your curing salt contains.
| Curing salt | Nitrite | Per kilo of meat |
|---|---|---|
| Nitrite curing salt (ready mixed, as in LAVA's recipe) | about 0.5 % | 30g |
| Prague Powder #1 / pink curing salt | 6.25 % | 2.5g, plus 27g plain salt |
Never use Prague Powder at the 30g amount. Check the nitrite content on your product and follow its instructions; keep curing salt away from children.
Step by step
1 · Cure: 7 days
Trim excess fat, rub the cure all over the meat and seal each piece separately. Seven days in the fridge, turned once a day so the cure spreads evenly.
Helps: E-Vac rolls
2 · Rinse and soak
Wash off the cure thoroughly and soak the meat in cold water for 1 hour.
3 · Rub: 2 days
Pat dry, press the rub on all sides, seal again and leave it in the fridge for 2 days.
4 · Smoke to 68 °C
Hot-smoke at 100 °C with indirect heat, in a smoker or a kettle barbecue, until the centre reaches 68 °C. Let it cool.
5 · Rest: 5 days
Seal the cooled pastrami once more and leave it in the fridge for about 5 days, so the flavours settle.
Serving and keeping
- 1
Slice thinlyAcross the grain, as thin as you can; take it out of the fridge a little before serving.
- 2
In portionsSeal it in portions, flat on a thin board so it keeps its shape, for the fridge or freezer.
- 3
The sandwichRye bread, mustard, pickles, and plenty of pastrami.
LAVA AustraliaOfficial LAVA distributor and vacuum-packaging specialists since 2018.
