OK, I have a gas grill. I bought a smoker box, and some wood chips (apple). I got a small Corned Beef Brisket. I soaked it for 3 hours to remove excess salt, dried and rubbed with Olive Oil and Steak Seasoning. Cranked up the grill, with the smoker box at 275 and left on for 4 hours, internal temp of 165. Wrapped in foil and left for another hour. Sliced, cross grain very thin and made sandwiches with mustard and swiss cheese on toasted buns. The taste was.....meh. Let the comments begin! What did I do wrong?

Brisket not corned beef brisket

I tried corned beef once. I don't know what I was thinking. Now, just brisket on the smoker is delicious. I was actually thinking of making one tomorrow. Corned beef is good with cabbage, that's about it.

Technically, what you get when you smoke a corned beef brisket is Pastrami. I've done homemade Pastrami before, and I even did it at of all places, a NASCAR race. Imagine that, a Yankee dish down in Alabama; yet everybody at our campsite absolutely raved about it. I started with a corned beef brisket, and I soaked it for 24 hours, changing the water every 6 hours or so, to draw out as much brine as possible. Then I patted it dry; then made a rub consisting of black pepper, dry mustard powder, coriander, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. (Recipe for Pastrami rub? Google is your friend...)At the same time, I marinated a second "regular" (non-corned) brisket in store-bought brisket marinade, and then rubbed it with a store-bought bbq rub. (I was brining the regular brisket, while "un-brining" the corned beef.)I put them both in a vertical box smoker, and smoked them with pecan wood. I smoked them both overnight for 12 hours.The next day, I carved them both up, and served the traditional brisket on pistolette rolls with bbq sauce, horseradish sauce and banana peppers; while the corned beef Pastrami went on rye bread, with Thousand Island dressing, brown mustard, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese. Both got totally devoured; but the Pastrami was the first to go completely.

Pepper it and call it pastrami. Yes, that is what pastrami is, smoked, peppered corned beef.

Just like ScottBob said --- here's the recipe I use PastramiI also use Pecan, but found that it's fine after about 4 hours in the smoker. Longer and it's too smokey for my taste-- but I typically put on a heavy smoke at the start.

Smoked Corned Beef | Good Sam Community

darsben1
Explorer
Jul 10, 2016
Brisket not corned beef brisket
is_it_friday_ye
Explorer
Jul 10, 2016
I tried corned beef once. I don't know what I was thinking. Now, just brisket on the smoker is delicious. I was actually thinking of making one tomorrow. Corned beef is good with cabbage, that's about it.
ScottBob
Explorer
Jul 10, 2016
Technically, what you get when you smoke a corned beef brisket is Pastrami. I've done homemade Pastrami before, and I even did it at of all places, a NASCAR race. Imagine that, a Yankee dish down in Alabama; yet everybody at our campsite absolutely raved about it.

I started with a corned beef brisket, and I soaked it for 24 hours, changing the water every 6 hours or so, to draw out as much brine as possible. Then I patted it dry; then made a rub consisting of black pepper, dry mustard powder, coriander, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. (Recipe for Pastrami rub? Google is your friend...)

At the same time, I marinated a second "regular" (non-corned) brisket in store-bought brisket marinade, and then rubbed it with a store-bought bbq rub. (I was brining the regular brisket, while "un-brining" the corned beef.)

I put them both in a vertical box smoker, and smoked them with pecan wood. I smoked them both overnight for 12 hours.

The next day, I carved them both up, and served the traditional brisket on pistolette rolls with bbq sauce, horseradish sauce and banana peppers; while the corned beef Pastrami went on rye bread, with Thousand Island dressing, brown mustard, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese. Both got totally devoured; but the Pastrami was the first to go completely.
AJBert
Explorer
Jul 10, 2016
Pepper it and call it pastrami.

Yes, that is what pastrami is, smoked, peppered corned beef.
JoeH
Explorer III
Jul 10, 2016
Just like ScottBob said --- here's the recipe I use Pastrami

I also use Pecan, but found that it's fine after about 4 hours in the smoker. Longer and it's too smokey for my taste-- but I typically put on a heavy smoke at the start.
Happytraveler
Explorer
Jul 10, 2016
Corned Beef makes delicious jerky. Our friend bbq and smoked thin strips of corned beef with pepper and pepper & cayenne pepper. It was so good. Don't know the recipe because he use to do the BBQ cooking contest and won't give out recipes, LOL .
3_dog_nights
Explorer
Jul 10, 2016
Happytraveler wrote:
Corned Beef makes delicious jerky. Our friend bbq and smoked thin strips of corned beef with pepper and pepper & cayenne pepper. It was so good. Don't know the recipe because he use to do the BBQ cooking contest and won't give out recipes, LOL .

So he sliced first, then smoked? Sure would cut down on the cooking time..
mowin
Explorer
Jul 10, 2016
I do the same as Scott, but I take my CB/pastrami to 165*, then I put it on a rack in a aluminum pan with some beef broth. Wrap tight with foil and steam to a internal of 195-200*. So tender and tasty.
Happytraveler
Explorer
Jul 11, 2016
3 dog nights wrote:
Happytraveler wrote:
Corned Beef makes delicious jerky. Our friend bbq and smoked thin strips of corned beef with pepper and pepper & cayenne pepper. It was so good. Don't know the recipe because he use to do the BBQ cooking contest and won't give out recipes, LOL .

So he sliced first, then smoked? Sure would cut down on the cooking time..

Yes
Super_Dave
Explorer
Jul 11, 2016
3dn,
The biggest mistake you made was pulling it at 165 and slicing. Pull at 165 and wrap in foil with some apple juice. Put back in the heat until 195 and start checking with a toothpick for doneness. It isn't done until the toothpick goes in and out with no resistance. Once that happens, remove from heat and allow to rest for a minimum of an hour.