Ultimate Pastrami | 15 Years in the Making
We’ve been perfecting this pastrami recipe for over 15 years—combining smoke, spices, and sous vide to get meat that’s juicy, tender, and loaded with flavor.
Recipe guidance:
- Trim beef short ribs.
- Brine 7 days in water, brown sugar, salt, Prague powder, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, black + pink peppercorns, cinnamon, chile flakes, cloves, and bay leaves.
- Pat dry and coat with a crust of coarsely ground juniper berries, black peppercorns, coriander seeds, and chile flakes.
- Smoke until aromatic and beautifully dark.
- Slice against the grain and serve—sandwich optional.
Key tips:
- A full 7-day brine builds depth of flavor.
- Coarse spices give pastrami its signature crust and texture.
- Slice thinly against the grain for maximum tenderness.
- Sous vide + smoking gives you control: tender inside, smoky outside.
? Full recipe and both pastrami methods here: https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/sous-vide-pastrami