Cheater Homemade Pastrami

Combine the mustard, brown sugar, coriander and allspice in a small mixing bowl and whisk until the sugar is dissolved.

Remove the corned beef from the package, rinse very well under cold running water, then pat dry with paper towels.

Coat all sides of the corned beef with the mustard mixture then coat it completely and evenly with the pepper. Place it in a lipped non-reactive pan, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Note: Some folks recommend soaking the corned beef in water for about 24 hours (prior to marinating it in the mustard mixture), changing the water a few times. I decided to skip that step this time, so I don’t know how that might have affected the final product.

Remove the corned beef from the refrigerator about an hour before you’re ready to start cooking.

Start your smoker and prepare for indirect cooking at medium heat (300-325ºF).

About 15 minutes before you’re ready to start smoking add three medium-sized chunks of smoke wood to the fire. I used 2/3 cherry and 1/3 hickory.

Then put the corned beef into the smoker and put the lid on. Cook the corned beef over indirect heat until it reaches 175ºF in the center of the thickest part (about 2-3 hours).

Move the pastrami to a steamer rack that you’ve placed in a large non-reactive stock pot with about 3 cups of water. Bring water to a boil, cover the pot, and steam the pastrami over medium heat until the center of the thickest part reaches 195ºF (about 30 minutes).

Move the pastrami to a lipped pan, cover with plastic wrap, and let it cool.

Slice it thin, pile it on some good dark rye smeared with mustard, add a couple slices of Swiss cheese and warm until the cheese just starts to melt.

Serve and enjoy!