Big Daddy Jay's Pastrami Sammich

15 pound brisket

Brine Ingredients

1 tablespoon peppercorns mixed

1 tablespoon black mustard seed

10-12 whole cloves

6-9 whole allspice

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/2 cup vinegar

2 1/2 quarts water

16.5 grams pink curing salt

116.7 grams course sea salt

66.3 grams sugar

Mop Ingredients

1 16 oz can stout beer

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup apple juice

1 tablespoon Texas Pete’s hot sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Other ingredients

Rye bread

Horseradish brown mustard

Pepper and lots of it

Begin by trimming the brisket of any excess fat. Once trimmed, weigh the brisket to calculate exact weight. Go to http://www.diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html. They have the handiest cure calculator known to man. Some numbers are fixed, and I never deviate from the salt content, but some recipes, I will go from 1% sugar to 2%. For this recipe I am going to stick with 1%. Calculate exactly how much salt, sugar, and curing salt you need. Precisely weigh these ingredients and set aside for the brine. In a small bowl, combine peppercorns, cloves, allspice, and mustard seed.

In the dutch oven begin heating the water. When it’s warm and steamy, just before the boil, add the vinegar, cure mix, spice mix, and garlic. Stir until cure mix has completely dissolved in brine. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature. Add brine to large container with brisket. Make sure to allow any air pockets to escape. Use all of the brine. Add water if necessary to completely submerge brisket. Cover and refrigerate for 5-7 days.

After the brine, it’s almost ready the smoker. Begin by grinding down a bunch of peppercorns. Cover the corned brisket in pepper. Let set for half an hour before putting in smoker. Next, combine all the ingredients for the mop sauce in a spray bottle for easy application.

Smoke the pastrami at 225 degrees F. until it reaches internal temp of 165. Spray with mop sauce every hour. Then wrap in foil and continue to smoke until 203 degrees F. Let rest one hour before slicing.

Butter rye bread and toast on one side. Sandwich is built with bread, horseradish mustard, and pastrami. Enjoy!