Sous Vide Beef Pastrami

Ingredients:

• 1 home-cured or pre-packaged corned beef brisket (approximately 3 to 4 pounds)
• 3 tablespoons pastrami rub

Directions:

PREPARE:

1. Put the corned beef in a pot slightly larger than the meat and cover it with cold water. Refrigerate for at least 8-10 hours. This will remove the excess salt from the meat. It is best if the water is changed a couple of times; at 3 hours, and 6 hours. 
2. Prepare the Immersion Circulator for Sous Vide and set the water temperature for 65.5°C/150°F.
3. Remove the desalinated corned beef from the pot. Pat it dry with towels and place into a vacuum sealing bag, or a gallon-sized sealable freezer bag. 
4. Vacuum seal the bag, or carefully submerge the freezer bag in the water bath until most of the air has been removed before sealing the bag. 

COOK:

1. Once the bag is sealed, place it in the water bath and cook the corned beef for 30 hours.
2. Fill a large container with a 50/50 mix of ice and water. Place the bag of sous vided corned beef in the ice water for 30 to 60 minutes to quickly reduce the meat's core temperature to 1-3°C/34 to 38ºF. Place the meat in the refrigerator until ready to smoke (up to two days ahead of time).

SMOKE: 

1. Set your smoker to 107°C/225°F or prepare a grill for 2-zone cooking and get the indirect side to about 107°C/225°F. If you are using a gas grill, simply turn off the burners on one half of the grill for indirect cooking, adjust the grill temperature to approximately 107°C/225°F, then add a smoker box or smoking wood pouch according to the manufacturer's instructions for the full smoke flavor. Use lots of wood.
2. 
   Prepare the brisket again. Combine the rub ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
3. Remove meat from the vacuum/freezer bag. Trim excess fat. Pat the surface dry with paper towels and season generously all over with the dry rub mixture.
   
4. Place the meat in your smoker or on the cooler side of the grill as far from the heat source as possible. Allow the meat to smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 52°C/125°F, about 1 hour. 
5. Now, you have pastrami! The pastrami was fully cooked during the sous vide process. The goal is to convert the Corned Beef into Pastrami by adding a smokey flavor to the meat while reheating it to a temperature that is pleasant when served.

SERVE:

Remove the pastrami from the grill, wrap it in a double layer of foil, and allow it to sit for 1 hour before slicing. Slice the Pastrami against the natural grain of the meat for the best texture.