The basics
Project details
- Cook date
- March 16, 2026
- Temperature progression
- 180°F → 225°F → 300°F
- Finish
- Probe tender
- Video published
- April 13, 2026
What I can confirm
The facts I have right now.
- The cook happened on March 16, 2026.
- The brine ingredients are documented, but the exact measurements and curing time are not.
- The smoker moved through 180°F, 225°F, and 300°F. The time spent at each temperature is not documented.
- The brisket was cooked until probe tender. An exact final internal temperature is not documented.
- The finished video was published on April 13, 2026.
Cooking log
How the cook came together.
Verified from my notes
- Brine ingredients
- Salt, curing salt, brown sugar, black pepper, cumin, mustard seed, paprika, pickling spice, and garlic
- Smoker fuel
- Kirkland Premium Blend pellets
- Temperature progression
- 180°F → 225°F → 300°F
- Finish
- Cooked until probe tender
Not documented
- Exact brine measurements
- Exact curing duration
- Time spent at each smoker temperature
- Exact final internal temperature
- Taste and texture notes
Why I made it
I wanted to make the pastrami, not just smoke something already cured.
The idea was to make smoked pastrami brisket for St. Patrick’s Day while combining the curing side of pastrami with the barbecue techniques I already use. I wanted to understand the transformation by doing the whole process myself.
Brine
The brisket started changing before it ever reached the smoker.
I made a seasoned curing brine with the ingredients listed below. I do not have the exact measurements or curing time documented, so I am leaving those out instead of guessing.
Mixing the seasoned curing brine.
After curing
Getting the cured brisket ready for smoke.
After the curing stage, I prepared and seasoned the brisket for the smoker. The footage shows the cured color and the seasoning going onto the surface.
The cured brisket during final seasoning.
Smoking
180°F, then 225°F, then 300°F.
I used Kirkland Premium Blend pellets and raised the smoker temperature in stages through the cook. I do not have verified times for each stage, so the progression is documented without turning it into a fixed schedule.
Seasoned and ready for the pellet smoker.
How I called it done
I cooked it until it felt probe tender.
I do not have a final internal temperature documented well enough to publish it as fact.
The whole pastrami after the smoking and finishing stages.
Final result
Slicing showed the full transformation.
The finished brisket had a dark seasoned exterior and the cured pink interior shown in the footage. The slices are the clearest record of what the whole process produced.
Slicing the finished pastrami.
From the project
Photos and videos.
The finished pastrami sliced and ready to serve.
Tools used
- Pellet smoker
Materials
- Salt
- Curing salt
- Brown sugar
- Black pepper
- Cumin
- Mustard seed
- Paprika
- Pickling spice
- Garlic
- Kirkland Premium Blend pellets
Final result
The current result.
The brisket went from a whole raw cut through curing, seasoning, staged smoking, and slicing. The finished footage documents the dark exterior and pink sliced interior without filling in taste or texture details I did not record.
Skills I used
What this one called for.
What I’d do differently
Changes I would make next time.
- Use better lighting when filming the cook.
Along the way
Updates and lessons.
Made pastrami brisket for St. Patrick’s Day
I made the pastrami brisket on March 16, 2026.
Published the pastrami brisket video
I published the video from the pastrami brisket cook.
Watch the video ↗Connected work
Other versions and related projects
CompletedCooking & Content · Mar. 3, 2026
Smoking Pulled Pork for a Crowd
I made pulled pork for roughly 30 people at a work potluck. I kept the pork savory, built the flavor around smoke, bark, and seasoning, and served sauce on the side for anyone who wanted it sweeter.
Read the project →On video
Videos from this project.
▶Build Video · Apr 2026
I Turned a Whole Brisket Into Smoked Pastrami
My video from the pastrami brisket cook.