SMOKING CORNED BEEF TO MAKE HOMEMADE PASTRAMI

Here's how I smoke corned beef to make homemade pastrami:

4 lb to 6 lb corned beef brisket ( Walmart usually has them in stock. )
2 Tablespoons prepared yellow mustard ( like French's )
1/4 cup Barbecue rub ( your favorite or you can use the recipe below )

a couple of cups of hickory wood chunks and chips (for smoker)

Take the corned beef brisket and soak it in cold water in the fridge 12 to 24-hours, changing water several times to leach out excess salt. This is a required step or the finished pastrami will be much too salty.

Discard the spice packet that comes with the corned beef brisket (or save it for something else). Coat corned beef brisket well with your favorite barbecue rub (go easy on the salt). Massage well into the meat. I rub on yellow mustard first so the barbecue rub will stick. I use a homemade barbecue rub that has plenty of black pepper in it.

Smoke at 225 F - 275 F (smoker temperature) with hickory chips until internal corned beef brisket temperature reaches 190 F. Mine took about 7 hours in my Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker.

Remove from heat and wrap in aluminum foil. Let rest 1-hour before slicing. If its not allowed to rest a lot of the juices will run out.

Slice into thin pieces and enjoy the Pastrami.

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Here's my homemade BBQ rub. It's my adaptation of BBQ chef Ray Lampe's Big Time BBQ Rub.

HOMEMADE BBQ RUB
Makes about 2 cups.

1/2 cup kosher salt (leave out or use a lot less on corned beef)
1/2 cup turbinado sugar (substitute more brown sugar if you can't find turbinado)
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated garlic powder
1 tablespoon granulated onion powder
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper (reduce amount to 1/2 tsp for a milder rub)
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (reduce amount to 1/4 tsp for a milder rub)
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Combine ingredients in bowl, mix well. Store in an airtight container.

Rub a tablespoon or two on pork, chicken or beef before cooking.