Hot-smoked, oven-finished pastrami-style corned beef
New fully cooked pastrami-style alternative for the recovered cold-smoked corned-beef discussion. No Robert test or validated cold-smoking process is claimed.
- YIELD
- 6–8 servings from a 3–4 lb raw corned-beef brisket
- PREP / WAIT
- 20 minutes plus optional 1–2 hours refrigerated desalting
- COOK
- Approximately 4–6 hours total; tenderness and temperature determine completion
Ingredients
- 1 commercially cured, raw corned-beef brisket, 3–4 lb
- 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon crushed coriander seed
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil
- 1 1/2 cups hot water for the covered finishing pan; add more if the pan begins to dry
Method
- Thaw fully in the refrigerator and follow the package use-by instructions. Discard the packing liquid. If a milder salt level is wanted, soak the brisket in cold water for 1–2 hours in the refrigerator, changing the water once; drain and pat dry.
- Preheat a smoker to 250°F and verify the chamber temperature with a separate thermometer. Mix the pepper, coriander, garlic and paprika. Rub the brisket with the oil and the spice mixture. Add no curing salt.
- Smoke directly from the refrigerator at a verified 250°F for about 2 hours for flavor. This is hot smoking; do not insert a preceding cold-smoke or room-temperature drying stage.
- Move the brisket immediately to a deep roasting pan with the hot water. Cover tightly and continue in a 325°F oven until fork-tender, usually another 2–4 hours. Check that liquid remains and replenish with hot water when needed. Verify at least 145°F internally; brisket generally becomes tender much higher, often around 195–205°F.
- Rest covered for 15 minutes, then slice across the grain. The rest exceeds the USDA minimum 3 minutes after reaching 145°F. Refrigerate small portions within 2 hours. Keep at 40°F or below for up to 4 days, or freeze; reheat leftovers to 165°F.
Notes & storage
- This replaces the incomplete cold-smoking sequence with continuous hot cooking. Commercial corned beef is already cured; extra Tender Quick or Cure #1 is not an ingredient.
- The pepper-and-coriander rub is a new flavor formulation; the sources establish meat handling and cooking requirements, not a test of this exact flavor recipe.