The Pastrami Style Brisket

Over the years, I’ve experimented with different techniques and iterations of this recipe on a number of grills, but I recently gave it another go on my brand-new Weber SmokeFire EX6. It was the best one yet, I swear.

The individual steps don’t take too much time on their own, but it’s definitely a beneficial idea to plan each stage and ensure you have everything you need ready to go.

I’ve spent years perfecting this recipe to get it just right! Even though a process that takes more than three days might not sound super exciting to everyone, I promise you, the end result makes every single minute totally worth it!

The meat is just so juicy, soft, and tender! The taste is very mix of sweet and smoky, and that red smoke ring really catches the eye!

It’s a lot like the hot pastrami sandwiches you find at the iconic Katz’s Delicatessen in New York, which many folks claim has the best pastrami style brisket in the world.

Ingredients

A whole brisket, approximately 5–6 kg, trimmed but leaving a bit of fat on the meat for flavor.

Ingredients: BRINE (MAKES 5 L)

• 200g molasses blackstrap treacle 
• 200g sea salt
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp dried dill

Sodium nitrate, optional (CAUTION: if using, refer to manufacturer’s instructions).

Ingredients: Pastrami rub

• 3 tablespoons of mixed peppercorns—green, black, and pink! 
• 2 tablespoons of coriander seed
• Two teaspoons of garlic granules 
• 2 teaspoons of dried dill
• 3 teaspoons of salt
• 3 teaspoons of brown sugar

The Method

DAY 1: You Must Finish This Step First Thing In The Morning.

Making the brin

Boil about 500 ml of water and toss in all the cure ingredients. Easy peasy! Just let the liquid bubble away until all that salt disappears!

First, pour this liquid into a big container, and then go ahead and add the rest of the 4.5 liters of water.

Trim The Brisket And Brine

Communicate with your butcher and see if they can hook you up with a nice, fatty brisket—sometimes called the packer cut!

Go ahead and trim off that tallow, the tougher yellow fat, along with any sinew you see hanging around. But hey, you definitely don’t want to take all the fat off that brisket! Fat brings all the flavor and keeps everything nice and juicy! 

Pop the brisket into the brine and store it in the fridge, or keep it below 5°C for 48 hours, or, if you’re feeling patient, up to 5 days!

Day 2: As It Is a Rest Day, Proceed With Your Regular Activities.

Day 3: The Exciting Day! – Desalinate

Once you’ve finished brining, take the brisket out of the container and give it a thorough rinse under cold running water to wash away any leftover brine. 

Prepare the Pastrami Rub

Start by grinding up the peppercorns and coriander seeds with a pestle and mortar. Add in the remaining dried herbs and spices and mix thoroughly. Coat the bridge all over, ensuring that the sides and ends are covered.

Time to smoke. 

You must complete this step in the morning. I started mine at 7am, and the brisket was ready to come off the smoker at 6pm.

Simply set your SmokeFire to 105°C. 

Just pop that brisket on the cooking grate and let it smoke for about 4-5 hours. A beautiful bark will reward you! If your beef has a good amount of fat, aim for about 5 hours of cooking time.

If it’s thinner, I’d totally go for 4 hours! You should definitely check out the Weber Connect app and give the Brisket Smoke program a try!

Simply insert the probe right into the center of the meat and connect the other end to the port. Easy peasy!

Monitoring your cooking from your smartphone significantly streamlines the process, particularly during extended cooking sessions such as this one.

The Texas’s Crutch

So, when it comes to BBQ, there’s this nifty little trick where you wrap your smoked brisket snugly in butcher paper. It’s all about keeping that moisture in, making it super juicy and delicious!

After you’ve wrapped it up, pop the brisket back on the smoker and let it cook for another 6 to 7 hours. To make things a bit quicker, you can turn up the temperature to 115°C.

Final Steps

As soon as your temperature probe hits that 90°C mark, it’s time to take it off the smoker! Letting the brisket rest is super important!

Ideally, you want to pop it in an insulated container, like a Yeti box, for at least an hour. Trust me, it makes a difference! Cut it into thin slices and serve with some mustard and pickles!

If you want, you can allow it to cool and savor it another day. Hey, if you’re reheating that brisket, just remember to steam it! It makes all the difference. 

I’ve whipped up this recipe in all sorts of ways, but trust me, if you stick to these steps, it’s guaranteed to bring pure joy to everyone involved.