katz

A Smoked Pastrami Recipe That's Close To Katz's

corned beef, preferably

pastrami rub

This rub is essential for making good pastrami, but you can also use it for other cuts of meat. The recipe makes enough for a whole beef brisket (about 18 pounds) with some left over.

Copycat Katz's Deli Pastrami Rub Recipe

black peppercorns

fresh coarsely ground black pepper

coriander seeds

coriander powder

brown sugar

paprika

garlic powder

onion powder

½ teaspoon whole yellow (white) mustard seeds

mustard powder

Prep. Begin by crushing the seeds. If you wish, you can use only powdered coriander, ground black pepper, and ground mustard, but I like using some whole seeds. If you are using some whole seeds, pour them into a zipper bag and smash them with the bottom of a sauce pan so they are &quot;cracked&quot; but not completely powdered.

Mix. Blend together all the spices.

Use. Once prepared, either store the rub in a jar or other airtight container or use it to prepare Katz&#039;s Delicatessen quality pastrami as seen in this video.

Smoke: http://bit.ly/2Du1R8U

Meathead's Pastrami Recipe:  http://bit.ly/1P0p0lQ

Meathead from AmazingRibs.com is using Smoke to perfect his smoked pastrami recipe. Take a sneak peek into Meathead's kitchen as he experiments with simmering pastrami and then uses Smoke to track its progress on the smoker.

Meathead's Famous Katz Deli Pastrami... Using Smoke!

This homemade pastrami recipe is complex and smoky, but not in the way that other smoked meats are smoky. The smoke in this beef pastrami is not overt. It is blended in thoroughly. Much like Katz&#039;s pastrami, this is highly seasoned, but the black pepper and coriander rub is never domineering, and swimming across all your buds are a range of other herbs and spices. Once you try this recipe you may need to open your own deli!

Simple And Smoky Homemade Pastrami Recipe

corned beef, preferably our homemade recipe

Prep the corned beef. If possible, make your own corned beef. It is just plain better than storebought. For pastrami, the flat section of the brisket is favored by many because it makes nice even slices for sandwiches, but I prefer the point section of the brisket because it is fattier, richer, and more tender. It can also be made from flank steak, or leaner cuts, or even from boneless short plate (rib meat). If you are using brisket, one side of the meat will probably have a thick layer of fat on it called the cap. Remove all of the fat cap except about 1/8" and if there is any filmy membrane on the other side, remove it all. That thin layer of fat is important. The process takes about a week.

Desalinate. Put the corned beef in a pot slightly larger than the meat and cover it with cold water in the fridge for at least 8 hours. This removes excess salt. Trust me, you need to do this or you will be gulping water all night after your meal.

Rub. Make the rub. Rinse the meat, and while it is damp, apply the rub liberally, about 4 tablespoons per square foot of surface, and press it into the surface to help it adhere. If there is a thin part of meat, use less rub. Put in the fridge for a minimum of 2 days. Don't wrap it. The rub just sticks to the plastic wrap. Normally I say you do not need to let meats marinate in a rub, but the wait seems to help this particular rub adhere.

Fire up. Set up your grill in 2 zones for smoking or set up your smoker. If you can, use a charcoal smoker. It produces a deeper darker crust than any other cooker. Preheat to 225°F. Pick your wood. I don't think it makes a huge difference with all the other flavors banging around in there. My best batch was with cherry wood.

Cook. Place the meat on the smoker or on the indirect heat side of the grill. If you plan to steam it before serving for maximum tenderness, you only need to smoke it with indirect heat until it reaches the stall at about 150°F. You can wrap in foil and refrigerate for a week if you wish or proceed to the steaming step. The downside is that steam softens the crust. You can skip the steaming and smoke it up to 203°F and have a nice firm smoky bark, but the meat will not be quite as tender. But it will be tender. And delicious. Your call. Try it both ways and pick the method that suits you best.

Steam (optional). If you want to steam it for maximum tenderness, if you have a bamboo or metal steamer in which the meat will fit, you can use that. If not, you can make a steamer by putting a wire rack in a baking pan. If necessary you can sit the rack on wads of foil to keep it out of the water. Unwrap the meat and put it on the foil in which it was wrapped or the steam will wash off much of the rub. Do not slice the meat first.

If you made a steamer with a baking pan, cover it with foil. If the pan is steel don't let the foil touch the meat. The salt, the water, the steel, and the aluminum can interact and create electrical charges that can melt the foil! This is a phenomenon called the "lasagna cell" because it happens to lasagna often.

Put the pan on a burner, turn the heat to medium low, and steam it an hour or two until heated through to 203°F. Add hot water as needed, making sure the pan never dries out. Don't rush this. Take it all the way to 203°F. Note that the crust tends to get soft when you steam. No doubt about it, a hard crust is more appealing. So you can firm the crust by putting it on a hot grill or in the oven or under the broiler for a few minutes. The best crust comes from smoking up to 203°F and skipping the steam. The big puzzlement is how does Katz's retain the hard crust even though they boil the meat just before serving. Dr. Blonder speculates that they pack the meat in so tight that the crust remains hard. I'm skeptical.

Slicing. Slicing is crucial to maximize tenderness. Look at the meat and notice which way the grain is running. Cut it by hand in thin slices, about 1/8" thick, perpendicular to the grain. If you cut parallel to the grain it will be much chewier. Don't try to slice it with a machine. It will just fall apart.

Serve. I serve the homemade smoked pastrami on fresh untoasted rye bread. A good brown mustard on both slices and a few shreds of sauerkraut is nice but not necessary. Now this is going to sound weird: It may need a light sprinkling of salt. The soaking process occasionally removes too much. So taste it and if you wish, sprinkle it on lightly. At Katz&#039;s they put about 1 pound of meat on each sandwich, and the Carnegie Deli uses even more. That&#039;s just too much for me devour without unhinging my jaw. 1/2 to 3/4 pound per sandwich is more than enough for home use. If you want, you can make a Rockin&#039; Pastrami Reuben with sauerkraut, melted swiss, and thousand island or Russian dressing, or beter still, my famous Burger Glop. Reubens were originally made with corned beef, but there&#039;s no rule that you can&#039;t make one from pastrami. In fact, I highly recommend it.Leftovers freeze well and they can be reheated in the microwave or steamed. They can also be made into a killer hash. Ess, bench, sei a mensch!

The best recipe for the ultimate Reuben from Meathead of AmazingRibs.com.  Learn More: https://tinyurl.com/acq59mj

Meathead of AmazingRibs.com shows you how to elevate the world's best sandwich, the Reuben, by converting corned beef to smoked pastrami, as close to Katz's deli pastrami as possible without a trip to Manhattan.

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How To Make The Best Pastrami And Pastrami Reuben Sandwiches

Katz's Deli Pastrami Rub Recipe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2yd19NlQJ8

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Top 4 katz recipes from across the web

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A Smoked Pastrami Recipe That's Clo...

Copycat Katz's Deli Pastrami Rub Re...

Simple And Smoky Homemade Pastrami ...

Katz's Deli Pastrami Rub Recipe

The most viewed katz recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine