Bring a slice of the New York deli scene to your next barbecue.
Words and images – Kerren “Kezza” Packer
Excellent homemade pastrami is relatively simple to achieve, inexpensive, versatile and one of our guests favourites at The Barbecue Hut when used as a hero in our Reuben toastie.
Cheat’s Pastrami is known as such, purely because it starts its life as a humble piece of store brought corned beef (aka corned silverside). You can of course brine your own brisket (we recommend Silver Fern Farms – Grass Fed Angus Point End) to create corned beef if you want to take it to the next level and there are plenty of online tutorials on how to do this but in this recipe we’ll keep it simple.
Lets’ crack on…
Preparation:
1. Select a corned beef from your local butchers or supermarket that suits your needs.
2. Rinse the beef under the cold tap.
3. Submerge beef in water in a container with a lid and place into the fridge for 12-24 hours – this will remove any excess salts used in the brining process.
4. Remove from water and dry the beef with paper towels.
Method:
1. Lather (recommend food grade Nitrile gloves) enough English or American Mustard on to the surface of the beef to get an even coating.
2. To create the pastrami’s signature crust/bark you want to use a nice peppery rub to make it pop in look and flavours. There are plenty of off-the-shelf options, but we like to do our own blend. See breakout box.
The Barbecue Hut Pastrami Rub: (blend together)
6 parts Rum & Que Bulldust
1 part Rum & Que Rib Rocker
1 part Rum & Que BlackOut
1/2 part Rum & Que Intensify
1/2 part crushed coriander seed
1/2 part garlic salt
3. Liberally apply rub to achieve an even coating. Set aside covered on the bench for 30mins.
4. Set up your barbecue of choice for indirect smoking (if unsure, Google search your barbecue and “indirect” for set up). Light your barbecue and get it up to around 150C/300F. Add smoking wood (we prefer Pohutukawa).
5. Add the beef to the barbecue and close the lid.
6. After approximately 2.5hours the crust/bark should be set with a nice dark colour. I do not worry too much about internal temperatures at this stage.
7. When happy with the look, place the beef on to a “cake stand” that suits your oven tray of choice. Add just enough water to the bottom of the tray so it is not touching the beef.
8. Wrap the tray tightly with quality tinfoil and place into an oven at 180C/350F for approximately 1.5hours or until the internal temperature of the beef is 96C/205F. Remove from the oven and lift the foil lid to let the steam out.
And that is it – you have created some delicious pastrami. Either serve warm with a mustard sauce, mashed spuds, veges and crusty bread for an evening meal or cool and slice thinly for a delicious Reuben Sandwich (Google options).
If you have any questions, please reach out directly to info@thebbqhut.co.nz
Until next time, keep the embers glowing.