Learn how to make pork pastrami with pork shoulder. Brine, season and smoke it for juicy pulled pork pastrami sandwiches.
Quick Start Guide
- Time Needed: 5 day brine + 1 day dry cure + smoke day
- Temps: Smoke 275F, wrap at 150F, finish at 195-205F
New to pastrami? Download the 1-Page Pastrami Game Plan
(Brine → Season → Smoke)
Perfect for sticking on the fridge
For more tips, check out my Ultimate Pastrami Guide.
Table of Contents
Is pastrami beef or pork?
Pastrami can actually be made with any type of protein. Most of the time, pastrami is made with beef, usually brisket or beef naval.
But pastrami can also be made with different pork cuts, like pork shoulder, pork loin and pork belly. I like using shoulder and belly because they’re fattier.
Pastrami Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 10 lb pork shoulder
- 2 cups Girls Can Grill Pastrami Brine
- 16 cups water, 1 gallon
- 1/4 cup Girls Can Grill Pastrami Rub
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1-2 tbsp honey
Instructions
- Brine: Mix the Pastrami Brine with water and let it cool. Place the pork in a Meat Prep Bag. Cover with prepared brine. Remove the air. Close the bag. Refrigerate 5 days.
- Season: Remove the cured pork from the brine. Rinse. Season all over with Pastrami Rub. Place on a rack on a baking sheet. Refrigerate uncovered for 1 more day.
- Smoke: Heat the smoker to 275F degrees. Place the pork on the smoker, fat side up, over indirect heat. Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 150-160F degrees, around 4 hours.
- Wrap: Place the pork butt, fat side up, on top of two sheets of foil. Top with the brown sugar, butter, honey and another sprinkle of Pastrami Rub. Wrap tightly.
- Finish Cooking: Place the wrapped pork butt back on the smoker and continue cooking to an internal temperature of 195-205F. This will take another 3-4 hours.
- Rest: Remove the pork butt from the smoker and rest for at least 30 minutes.
- Shred: Place the meat in a large bowl, pan or pot. Remove the bone and shred the meat. Toss with some of the juices from the foil.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What you’ll need
- Pork Shoulder: You’ll find this in the meat section. It is also sometimes called pork butt or Boston butt.
- Girls Can Grill Pastrami Brine
- Water
- Girls Can Grill Pastrami Rub
- Brown Sugar
- Butter
- Honey
See the full recipe card above for servings and a full list of ingredients.
How to make pork pastrami
When making pork pastrami, plan ahead. You’ll need 5 days for the brine and 1 day for curing. Plus a full pork shoulder takes about 8 hours to cook.
Step 1: Brine
Mix the Pastrami Brine with a gallon of water. Simmer over medium heat to dissolve the salts and sugar, and let it cool.
Place the pork in a Meat Prep Bag. Cover the meat with the cooled brine. Remove the air. Close the bag. Refrigerate for 5 days.
PRO TIP: I like to place the bag in a large pot or bowl. This helps make sure that the meat is fully submerged in the brine.
Step 2: Season
Remove the cured pork from the brine. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
Season all over with Pastrami Rub. Place on a rack on a baking sheet. Refrigerate uncovered and dry cure for one more day.
Step 3: Smoke
Heat the smoker to 275F degrees. Place the pork on the smoker, fat side up, over indirect heat. Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 150-160F degrees. This will take around 4 hours, depending on the size of your pork butt.
Step 4: Wrap
Place the pork butt, fat side up, on top of two sheets of foil. Top with the brown sugar, butter, honey and another sprinkle of Pastrami Rub. Wrap tightly.
Place the wrapped pork butt back on the smoker and continue cooking to an internal temp of 195-205F. This will take another 3-4 hours.
Step 5: Rest
Remove the pork butt from the smoker and rest for at least 30 minutes.
Place the meat in a large bowl, pan or pot. Remove the bone and shred the meat. Toss with some of the juices from the foil.
How to serve pastrami pulled pork
Pulled pork pastrami can be served as a main course with some traditional sides like smoked mac and cheese or baked beans.
But it also makes great pork pastrami sandwiches. Pull the meat and layer it on slider rolls or buns. Top with coleslaw, mayonnaise and yellow mustard or whole grain mustard.
Storage
Leftover pork pastrami can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. You can also freeze it for several months.
GCG Pro Pitmaster Tips
- Brine for at least 5 days
- Don’t forget the cure
- Wrap with a bit of sugar and butter to speed up the cooking process
- Cook until probe tender
Frequently Asked Questions
Pastrami brine is a special mixture of kosher salt, brown sugar, pickling spices and pink curing salt.
Girls Can Grill Pastrami Rub is a salt-free blend that includes ground spices like black peppercorns, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, sugar, paprika and garlic.
When using larger cuts of pork, like an 8-10 lb pork butt, you should soak it in pastrami brine for 5-6 days.
If using thinner cuts, like pork tenderloin, 3-4 days is usually plenty.
There is both pink salt #1 and pink salt #2. They are also sometimes referred to as Prague powder.
Pink salt #1 is sodium nitrite, which is used to make pastrami, bacon and lunch meat. Pink salt #2 is sodium nitrate and is used to cure meats like salami and pepperoni.
