Smoked Lamb Pastrami (Recipe)
Homemade lamb pastrami is delicious, and something anyone can make with a smoker. There’s just something about how the smoked meat combines with the brine, and the crunchy, slightly spicy coating of coriander and black pepper on the outside that just makes it so irresistible.
Fresh from the smoker, still warm and dripping delicious juices, I’d be hard pressed to tell you there isn’t a better smell in the world.
Pastrami is typically made from beef brisket. A leg will also work and contains more meat. Doing a pastrami from the shoulder makes for a slightly more challenging piece of meat to slice, but cooking it on the bone keeps the meat tender and juicy, just like a bone-in ham. Whatever cut of lamb or goat you choose (venison is good too), the proportions in my recipe and knowledge of the basic preparation will give you a good starting point.
How to Make Lamb Pastrami
Just like corned beef (or corned lamb) you start by boiling a brine. After the brine is cooled, you put the lamb shoulder in the brine and allow it to sit for 5 days. After brine curing, you take the shoulder from the brine, coat it completely in crushed peppercorns and coriander, and smoke it nice and slow. After it’s smoked, I like to chill the pastrami before slicing, but there’s nothing wrong with cutting a few slices off hot from the grill, and I recommend it as there’s something really special about meat straight out of the smoker.
You can do all kinds of things with a smoked lamb pastrami, but as it’s a special product, I like it the best simply by itself, warmed up and added to things like breakfast, although it does make a killer sandwich.
This recipe is by Chef Alan Bergo, the Forager Chef, a chef from Minnesota and author of The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora. Learn more about Chef Alan and his hunt for mushrooms, wild and obscure foods at foragerchef.com.
Related Posts
Smoked Lamb Pastrami (Recipe)
Equipment
- Smoker
- large stock pot
Ingredients
For the brine
- 3 quarts water
- 260 grams salt roughly 1 cup + 2 tablespoons
- 1 oz pink curing salt sodium nitrite
- 3 Tablespoons pickling spice
- 2 cups dark brown sugar
- 1 large yellow onion sliced
- 3 dried bay leaves
- 1 bulb garlic halved horizontally
Spice coating
- 1/4 cup coriander seeds
- 1/4 cup whole black peppercorns
Instructions
Brining
- Combine the ingredients for the brine and bring to a simmer in a stock pot. After the mix boils, chill completely, then immerse the lamb in the brine and weight it down in a container large enough to fit the ham. Keep the shoulder in the brine for 5 days, then remove.
Smoking
- Transfer the lamb to a 250F smoker for 2-2.5 hours or until it reaches an internal temperature of 150F. From here, the ham can be chilled until the day it will be served, and will keep refrigerated for 5 days.
- To make slicing easier, cut the whole muscles off the bone.
- To serve, using a sharp, long knife, cut thin slices of the pastrami. Heat the pastrami in a pan for sandwiches, serving alongside eggs, or whatever else you like.