Homemade New York Style Pastrami on Rye (No Smoker Required)

Steps

1. 1
   Start with two roughly 2.5 lb pieces of store-bought corned beef, using the leaner flat cut of the brisket.
2. 2
   Toast the coriander seeds and peppercorns in a dry pan over medium-low heat for about 3-4 minutes until fragrant and lightly smoking.
3. 3
   Transfer the toasted spices to a blender, cover with a paper towel under the lid, and pulse for about 25 seconds until medium-coarse ground.
4. 4
   Move the ground spices to a bowl and mix with sugar, garlic powder, and chili flakes to make the rub.
5. 5
   Evenly coat and press the spice rub onto all sides of both pieces of corned beef, aiming for near-full coverage.
6. 6
   Refrigerate the rubbed meat uncovered for 12-24 hours to develop a sticky pellicle, which helps the smoke adhere and keeps the spices from falling off.
7. 7
   Set up the gas grill with one burner on high holding a smoker box with wood chips, and the other side off to hold the meat; preheat with the lid closed for about 20 minutes until chips are smoldering.
8. 8
   Place the meat on the unlit side of the grill, close the lid, and smoke at about 225-250°F for a total of 90 minutes, replenishing wood chips every 20-35 minutes.
9. 9
   After smoking, wrap the meat tightly in a double layer of foil to trap moisture and simulate steaming.
10. 10
    Slow-roast the foil-wrapped meat in a 300°F oven for about 4-5 hours total, checking partway through that internal temp reaches around 205°F and testing with forks until the meat is tender but not falling apart.
11. 11
    Let the meat rest about 45 minutes to cool and firm up (or for best results, chill overnight and reheat in a 350°F oven to 135°F the next day), then slice against the grain into quarter-inch thick slices.
12. 12
    Spread spicy brown mustard evenly on both slices of rye bread, shingle the sliced pastrami evenly across, top with the second slice, press gently to compact, then cut and serve.