This pastrami rub is the perfect seasoning blend for your homemade smoked pastrami. Just a simple mix of ingredients, including black peppercorns, coriander, and mustard seeds. It will complete your corned beef brisket recipe.
There’s nothing quite like making your own homemade smoked pastrami. Originally a method of preserving beef, it’s now a recipe in its own right. Due to the different preparation stages it needs to go through (it has to be pickled, brined, and smoked), it takes a long time. But it’s well worth the wait.
The key to excellent smoked pastrami is the rub. Like with any other type of beef seasoning rub, the aim is to add a layer of flavor to the meat that will last through cooking. Ingredients differ from recipe to recipe, but the goal is always to add a slightly sweet and spicy touch of flavor to the finished meat.
We’ll be using a simple blend of fresh black peppercorns, coriander seeds, and yellow mustard for our smoked pastrami rub recipe. We’ll also work in some brown sugar, paprika, garlic, and onion powder. Each has a unique and robust flavor by itself, but they come together beautifully for this beef seasoning.
The ingredients need to be combined in a small bowl, and the rub is ready to go. When applying to pastrami, I use yellow mustard as a binder to help the seasoning adhere to the meat. If this sounds like overkill, don’t worry. This is purely practical and won’t add any flavor to the final product.
Finally, you might notice that, unlike other BBQ dry rubs, there isn’t any salt in this blend. This is because pastrami goes through several days of brining, so they will have a good deal of salt already soaked into the meat. If we add any more, we run the risk of the pastrami being too salty and therefore inedible.
Pastrami Rub
Ingredients
Binder
- 2 tbsp yellow mustard
Pastrami Rub Seasoning
- 4 tbsp black peppercorns
- 4 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
Instructions
- Remove brisket from brining bucket. Run under cold water to remove any excess spice or solution. Pat down with paper towel.
- In a small bowl, add all the rub ingredients (black peppercorns, coriander seeds, brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and yellow mustard seeds). Use a fork to combine well.
- Apply a thin layer of yellow mustard across surface of brisket, on all sides
- Apply the mixed pastrami rub blend liberally across all sides of the brisket
