Homemade Pastrami Rub

Next time you want to make delicious pastrami or corned beef brisket try using this homemade pastrami rub. The toasted coarsely chopped spices add so much flavor to your meat.

What is pastrami

Pastrami is beef that undergoes three stages of cooking. First, it’s cured in a salt water corned beef brine. Then, it’s seasoned with a pastrami rub, and then it’s smoked.

If you skip the smoking stage, it’s technically just corned beef. The smoke is what makes it smoked pastrami.

Pastrami is known for its pinkish hue. That comes from the prague powder used during the curing stage. It’s also known for its spicy crust or bark.

It’s not spicy like a hot chili pepper. Instead, its flavor is full of warm, earthy spices often used by Eastern Europeans that are coarsely ground and combined with just a touch of sweetness.

Use this rub to make traditional beef pastrami or try it on something new like pork or even salmon.

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• Yellow Mustard Seeds: Mustard seeds are the dried seeds from the mustard plant that are commonly used to make mustard. For this recipe, we start with the whole seeds and grind them for a coarse texture.
• Coriander Seeds: Coriander seeds are the seeds used to grow cilantro. Unlike cilantro, they don’t have a soapy flavor. Instead, the seeds taste warm and citrusy.
• Black Pepper: Use coarse-grain. I like 16-mesh. If you can’t find that, you can use whole black peppercorns and grind them with the seeds.
• Smoked Paprika: Paprika is a combination of ground chile spices. Smoked paprika is made by smoking those chiles prior to grinding them. If you can’t find smoked paprika, chili powder is a decent substitute.
• Coconut Palm Sugar: This sugar is more granular than white sugar. It’s made from the sap of coconut palm trees. If you can’t find it, you could substitute brown sugar.
• Garlic: If you’ll be using the rub right away, use fresh garlic cloves. If you plan to store it, use dried minced garlic or garlic powder.

PRO TIP: This recipe does not include any kosher salt, because it's most likely going to be used on meat that has already been cured in a salt brine. Therefore, no additional salt is needed.

See the full recipe card below for servings and a full list of ingredients.

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1. STEP ONE: Start by toasting the coriander and mustard seeds along with the ground black pepper in a medium skillet over medium heat. Toasting the seeds for 1-2 minutes will release their essential oils, which enhances the flavor of this pastrami rub recipe.

2. STEP TWO: Place the toasted spices along with the remaining ingredients in a spice grinder or Ninja Foodi Blender. Pulse it a few times to blend everything together.

If you don’t have a blender or spice grinder, you can place the ingredients in a sealed plastic bag and break them up with a rolling pin.

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Storage

Once your pastrami spice rub is combined, transfer it to a small bowl, if you’re going to use it right away. To store it, pour it into a small mason jar with a lid or another airtight container.

If you made your rub with fresh garlic, store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you used dry minced garlic, store it at room temperature with your other spices, preferably in a cool, dark place like a pantry. It should last a good six months.

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How to use pastrami rub

The most popular use for pastrami rub is to sprinkle it on salt-cured meats like corned beef brisket.

Once you remove the meat from the brine, rinse it, pat it dry with paper towels and then sprinkle the rub all over the meat.

Once you smoke the meat, you have homemade pastrami, which is great on rye bread as a pastrami sandwich with Russian dressing.

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More Rub Recipes

• All-Purpose BBQ Rub
• The Best Steak Rub
• Smoked Turkey Rub