Around 1987, I was working downtown in New York City.  I started going to a local Irish pub to get my lunch (Not to be confused with beer.)  They served this wonderful dish called the corned beef.  I did not know how it was prepared but I just loved it.  A few years later I was introduced to pastrami, which I think, is a close cousin of the corned beef, I loved it even better.

Over the years, I have gotten very good at making the corned beef from scratch.  However this was my first attempt to make pastrami.  The recipe is not original and I got it by watching a YouTube video.  I cheated a bit I actually did not make pastrami from scratch like my corned beef.  I actually used a corned beef brisket, they sell almost all the time at Costco.  If you get the corned beef brisket from Costco, do NOT use the spices which come with it.

So, what exactly is a corned beef brisket?  The process of corning is basically to soak the meat in brine (salt water) for a few days.  In every recipe there is one secret ingredient which makes all the difference.  In case of pastrami and corned beef, it is the pink salt, which gives the final product a nice pinkish/reddish texture.  It is hard to find it at the grocery stores.  I found it at mySpiceSage.com.  Look for Prague powder number 1.

1. Skip this step if you already got corned beef brisket from Costco.
   Use this recipe for a 5 lbs brisket.
       a. One gallon water
       b. Two cups Kosher salt
       c. Five teaspoons pink salt
       d. 1/2 cup brown sugar
   Bring the water to a boil with all the ingredients above.  Once cooled, put the brisket in a pan soaked in this brine for at least five days.  Make sure to keep it in a cool place or refrigerator.
   The end product is a corned beef brisket.
2. This is where the recipe for pastrami starts.
   You will need the following spices:
       a. 1 tbsp of red pepper
       b. 2 tbsp of black pepper
       c. pepper flakes to your taste
       d. 2 tbsp of coriander powder.  Indian grocery stores carry it for a great price.

   Red Pepper

   
   

   Pepper Flakes

   
   

   Black Pepper

   
   

   Coriander Powder

   3. Prepare the meat.Remove excess fat.  Pastrami, unlike the corned beef has very little fat.
   

   Remove Excess Fat

   
   
   
   

   Aluminum foil oiled

   4. Sprinkle the spices one by one on the brisket on both sides and rub them thoroughly.  Use the black pepper as the last spice to create that nice blank black peppery edge.
   
   

   Rub Spices

   
   

   Rub Spices

   
   

   Rub Spices

   
   

   Rub Spices

   5. Wrap the meat in aluminum foil, six times (yes, no kidding.)  We want the juices to be locked in.
   

   Wrap meat in the foil

   
   
   
   
   

   Wrap it again

   
   

   Wrap it six times

   6. Put the foiled meat in the oven at 250 degrees for five hours to cook.
   
   7. After five hours let the meat sit for another day.  This is very important.
   
   8. Open the foil, carve the meat into slices to your liking and enjoy.
   

   The final product