- Main
- Beef
- American
- Make-ahead
- Smoker
- Stovetop
- Adventurous
Good for, as AI judged the whole recipe.
Ingredients
For the brisket
- 1
flat-cut corned beef brisket (4–5 lb), spice packet discarded, rinsed
- 3–4
cherry wood chunks
For the rub
- 1/4 cup
black peppercorns, coarsely cracked
- 3 tbsp
coriander seeds, coarsely cracked
- 1 tbsp
light brown sugar
- 2 tsp
garlic powder
- 2 tsp
onion powder
- 1 tsp
mustard powder
- 1 tbsp
yellow mustard
To serve
- 16 slices
rye bread
- 1/2 cup
deli brown mustard
- 8
dill pickle spears
- Dairy-free
May contain wheat, depending on the rye bread: check the label.
Not checked: flat-cut corned beef brisket (4–5 lb), spice packet discarded, cherry wood chunks, deli brown mustard, dill pickle spears.
Diets guessed by AI from the ingredients, not checked.
Steps
- Step 1
Put the corned beef in a large pot or container and cover it with cold water. Refrigerate 12 hours, changing the water 3 or 4 times whenever you think of it. This pulls out the curing salt so the meat tastes like pastrami, not like a salt lick.
12 hr, hands-off
- 1 flat-cut corned beef brisket (4–5 lb), spice packet discarded
- Step 2
Drain the brisket, rinse it, and pat it very dry with paper towels. Trim the fat cap down to about 1/4 inch thick.
10 min
- 1 flat-cut corned beef brisket (4–5 lb), spice packet discarded
- Step 3
Crack the peppercorns and coriander seeds coarsely — pulse them in a spice grinder, or crush them on a cutting board under the bottom of a heavy skillet. You want cracked, gritty pieces, not fine powder. Stir them together with the brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder and mustard powder.
10 min
- 1/4 cup black peppercorns
- 3 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- Step 4
Smear the brisket all over with the yellow mustard — just a thin film to help the rub stick. Press the rub on heavily, top, bottom and sides, until the whole brisket is crusted. Use all of it.
10 min
- 1 flat-cut corned beef brisket (4–5 lb), spice packet discarded
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard
- Step 5
Set up your smoker for 250°F with the cherry wood chunks. Put the brisket on fat side up and smoke until a dark, set bark has formed and the thickest part reads 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 6 hours. Don't touch it or spritz it; let the bark build.
6 hr, hands-off · 250°F
- 1 flat-cut corned beef brisket (4–5 lb), spice packet discarded
- 3–4 cherry wood chunks
- Step 6
Lay out two long sheets of heavy-duty foil. Set the brisket in the middle, pour 1/2 cup water around it, and wrap tightly in both sheets so the steam stays in. Return it to the smoker.
10 min
- 1 flat-cut corned beef brisket (4–5 lb), spice packet discarded
- Step 7
Cook wrapped at 250°F until the brisket is probe-tender — a thermometer or skewer slides into the thickest part with almost no resistance, around 203°F internal, about 2 1/2 hours more. Tenderness matters more than the exact number, so keep going if it still feels tight.
2 hr 30 min, hands-off · 250°F
- 1 flat-cut corned beef brisket (4–5 lb), spice packet discarded
- Step 8
Leave it wrapped and rest it on the counter for 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours in a cooler). Then unwrap, find the direction the muscle fibers run, and slice across them as thinly as you can with a long sharp knife.
30 min, hands-off
- 1 flat-cut corned beef brisket (4–5 lb), spice packet discarded
- Step 9
Toast or warm the rye bread, spread it generously with deli mustard, and pile the warm pastrami high on each sandwich — about 6 oz per sandwich. Serve with pickle spears.
10 min
- 16 slices rye bread
- 1/2 cup deli brown mustard
- 8 dill pickle spears
Where it’s from
Written by AI from an idea
Version 1, saved Oct 5, 2026