Easy Homemade Pastrami

12 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes

Easy Homemade Pastrami that tastes like your favorite deli sandwich without the high price tag using corned beef to skip the curing!

Easy Homemade Pastrami that tastes like your favorite deli sandwich without the high price tag using corned beef to skip the curing!Easy Homemade Pastrami has been on my to-do list for quite a while. A few months ago I got the idea that I wanted to make slow cooker versions of all my favorite sandwiches. I am currently working on this but have Slow Cooker McRib SandwichesSlow Cooker Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches and many more on the way.

The idea behind using corned beef for this pastrami is that corned beef and pastrami are like first cousins, they’re both cured cuts of beef and have that signature pink coloring from the curing salt. There are just a few differences but with just a few ingredients you’ll be on your way to some delicious, inexpensive Easy Homemade Pastrami.

Stock up on those cuts of corned beef while they are still on sale!Easy Homemade Pastrami that tastes like your favorite deli sandwich without the high price tag using corned beef to skip the curing!

While reading through a list of the top 100 sandwiches online I came across one of my favorites, Pastrami. Coming soon are the slow cooker and sandwich version of the recipe, but for today I am sharing the original, Easy Homemade Pastrami. Easy Homemade Pastrami that tastes like your favorite deli sandwich without the high price tag using corned beef to skip the curing!

There’s not a lot to the dish, it mostly comes down to the soaking in water and the topping which is just a few ingredients. I based the dish off a Food Network version online and from speaking to my butcher who told me he makes his with corned beef as I was looking for cuts of brisket.

The reason you’re going to be soaking your corned beef is to get rid of some of the salt content. Corned beef is significantly saltier than Pastrami. While you’re soaking you’re adding in some brown sugar to cut the flavor as well as your spice packet.

Easy Homemade Pastrami that tastes like your favorite deli sandwich without the high price tag using corned beef to skip the curing!

Once you’ve finished the soak, roll it in more black pepper and ground coriander than you could possibly think is normal. It’s okay, remember when you get pastrami at the deli it has a crust all the way around the beef of a black pepper mixture. Forge ahead, don’t be worried!

Easy Homemade Pastrami that tastes like your favorite deli sandwich without the high price tag using corned beef to skip the curing!

Tools used in the making of this Easy Homemade Pastrami:
Spice Grinder: Perfect for grinding spices, just don’t switch back and forth between coffee and spices, your coffee will taste awful.S
Brining Container: I used this to brine meats because the size prevents having to cram larger cuts into smaller spaces and deform them. Also, the lid snaps on very tightly, I’ve never had a leaking issue.
Spice Rack – I buy spices in bulk from local grocers and from Penzey’s. It’s less expensive and significantly higher quality than buying the jars individually but I ended up being left with tons of little bags of spices. Enter the spice rack.
Baking Pan – This pan is the perfect size for the roast with high enough sides to cover it without ruining your spice topping

Pin this recipe now to remember it later

Pin Recipe

Easy Homemade Pastrami

Easy Homemade Pastrami that tastes like your favorite deli sandwich without the high price tag using corned beef to skip the curing!
Yield 12 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Course Main
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 5 pounds raw corned beef in a package in your meat department
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup black peppercorns
  • 1/4 cup coriander seeds
  • 1/2 cup water

Instructions

  • Soak the corned beef in a bowl of water with it's spice packet and brown sugar for 24 hours.
  • Using a coffee grinder, add the peppercorns and coriander and grind until coarsely chopped, like a very coarse pepper mill would create. You should see the pieces of black pepper individually.
  • Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
  • Mix the pepper and coriander seeds on a large plate
  • Dry off the meat once soaked and roll it in the spice mixture.
  • Place onto a rack if desired (I skipped this and it turned out fine).
  • Cook for 3 hours, pour in a half cup of water, then cover with foil and cook and additional half an hour.
  • Wait for the meat to cool in the refrigerator, then slice thinly or use a deli slicer for even thinner cuts.
  • If desired you can steam before adding to your sandwich for the true deli experience.

Nutrition

Calories: 414kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 2304mg | Potassium: 595mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin C: 51.4mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 3.5mg
Keyword: Easy Homemade Pastrami

Easy Homemade Pastrami that tastes like your favorite deli sandwich without the high price tag using corned beef to skip the curing!

Easy Homemade Pastrami that tastes like your favorite deli sandwich without the high price tag using corned beef to skip the curing!
Easy Homemade Pastrami that tastes like your favorite deli sandwich without the high price tag using corned beef to skip the curing!
Easy Homemade Pastrami that tastes like your favorite deli sandwich without the high price tag using corned beef to skip the curing!
Easy Homemade Pastrami that tastes like your favorite deli sandwich without the high price tag using corned beef to skip the curing!

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

Categories

Leave a comment & rating

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. What is the difference between the spice package and the spice mixture? How much of the spice packet is used in the soak?

  2. This is our favorite. I actually use a corn beef and cut fat off of it. Then follow the recipe. I make sandwiches like a Reuben. They are excellent.

  3. Hi Sabrina, when soaking the corned beef brisket in water with the spice packet and brown sugar, do you use only enough water to cover the brisket or is it a specific amount and while soaking for 24 hours, is that done in the refrigerator?

    Thank you and can’t wait to try it.

    1. Yes, you’ll want it to fully cover the brisket. Keep it in the refrigerator while it’s soaking for those 24 hours. Enjoy!

  4. Hi Sabrina, if I’m using only 1kg of corn beef, how should I adjust the cooking time accordingly? Thank you:-)

  5. I am sooooo excited about making this pastrami, since I am making lunches at home for my family. Just one question though, I need to be clear on this, do you place in oven and cook for 3 hours THEN add 1/2 cup water and cook for another .5 hour? Also, for years I had wanted to buy one of those bins for brining and you made it so effortless for me. Thanks a million. Sonia

  6. Unfortunately you left out the key difference between corned beef & pastrami. Smoke! Pastrami is smoked not boiled or baked.

  7. I haven’t made this yet…I just had to let you know you put a smile on my face & a giggle in my heart when I read your Warning Note ‘coffee grinder’ – coffee & spices! Thank you for that humour

  8. Does the spice packet come with the corned beef? The corned beef sold in our local supermart do not have spice packets. How do I make a spice packet?

    1. Most spice packets consist of one bay leaf, ten peppercorns, a tablespoon or a bit more of yellow mustard seeds, a scant tablespoon of coriander seeds, one allspice berry, two or three whole cloves and some fennel seeds (or cumin seeds, or even caraway seeds) and just a little salt. Some spice packets have a dried hot pepper, and that’s a good idea, too. Some have a teaspoon or so of dill seed. That’s the “pickling spice” element, and it’s a good idea as well. Whole spices is the way to do it!! You could always just do the peppercorns and bay leaves in a pinch.

      1. Could you please make a note in the recipe what the spice packet consists of. Helpful to all of us who don’t know. Thanks.

        1. Most spice packets consist of one bay leaf, ten peppercorns, a tablespoon or a bit more of yellow mustard seeds, a scant tablespoon of coriander seeds, one allspice berry, two or three whole cloves and some fennel seeds (or cumin seeds, or even caraway seeds) and just a little salt. Some spice packets have a dried hot pepper, and that’s a good idea, too. Some have a teaspoon or so of dill seed. That’s the “pickling spice” element, and it’s a good idea as well. Whole spices is the way to do it!! You could always just do the peppercorns and bay leaves in a pinch. You can also look in your spice aisle for “corned beef seasoning” and get it all in one package.

      1. If i start with a brisket that is already pickled (corned) but not cooked, should i still soak the beef in water for 24 hours? With sugar? With or without spices?

  9. This pastrami looks absolutely fantastic! I would like a pastrami sandwich right now!