Whole Muscle Cured Meats

Black Bark Pastrami

Classic Style Pastrami

Black Bark Pastrami is a whole-muscle cured meat made from beef brisket flat. Smoke at 225-275°F (107-135°C) and finish at an internal 203°F (95°C). Exact amounts scale to any batch weight in the DeepWoodz Smokehouse app for iPhone and Android.

Cured brisket under heavy coriander and pepper, then taken all the way to tender like a barbecue brisket instead of stopping at a food-safe temperature. That combination is what makes pastrami pastrami. Give it the time — there is no version of this that goes fast.

• Peppery
• Smoky
• Savory

Internal temp

203°F (95°C)

Smoker temp

225-275°F (107-135°C)

What goes in it

• Kosher Salt
• Cure #1
• Coarse Black Pepper
• Coriander (ground)
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Paprika
• Brown Sugar
• Dextrose

Amounts are calculated for your batch weight in the app — including the cure, which is held at a fixed, food-safe rate.

The meat

Beef Brisket Flat

How it's made

1. Weigh your brisket flat to calculate exact ingredient amounts.
2. Mix all dry cure ingredients together thoroughly.
3. Rub the cure mixture over the entire surface of the brisket, covering all sides evenly.
4. Place in a vacuum seal bag or zip-lock bag, removing as much air as possible. Alternatively, place in a non-reactive container and cover tightly.
5. Cure in the refrigerator for 1 day per pound of meat. Flip the meat daily to redistribute the cure. A 10 lb brisket needs 10 days.
6. Remove from the bag and pat dry with paper towels — do NOT rinse or soak. The salt is measured to 2% of the meat weight, which is exactly where it should finish. Soaking washes out seasoning you weighed on purpose, and there is no way to know how much you lost.
7. Pat dry and apply a heavy coat of coarse black pepper and ground coriander on all sides — this is the signature pastrami bark.
8. Let the brisket sit uncovered in the refrigerator overnight to form a pellicle (tacky surface).
9. Smoke at 225-275°F with cherry or oak wood until internal temperature reaches 165°F, then wrap in butcher paper.
10. Continue cooking until internal temperature reaches 203°F and the meat probes tender like butter.
11. Rest for at least 1 hour before slicing thin against the grain. Steam to reheat for the best deli-style texture.

Wood

Cherry · Oak · Hickory

Before you start

• How much Cure #1 per pound
• Venison to pork fat ratio