MOOSE PASTRAMI
A smoked classic made with North America’s largest ungulate
Servings
8-10
Ready In:
5 days
Calories:
150 per serving
Good For:
Dinner
About this Recipe
After my wife got into making sourdough, I set about searching for the perfect compliment to the flaky loaves of bread that were coming out of the oven. This smokey moose pastrami sliced thin and topped with pepper jack cheese, pickles, and some stone ground mustard is just the thing.
From what reading I’ve done on pastrami, I’ve learned that this style of cured meat originates from Romania, and similar to corned meat, was created prior to the advent of refrigeration as a means of preservation. The name itself likely comes from the Romanian “a păstra”, which simply means “to preserve” or “to keep”, and ultimately from the Turkish “pastirma”. As immigrants came to the United States in the late 1800s, the term was anglicized to “pastrami” as an imitation of “salami”, which was an already popular dish.
Today, the preparation is enjoyed in a number of dishes such as my aforementioned sandwhich, breakfast hashes, and even in upscale “pastrami-style” preparations of salmon, beef belly, or even some veggie based alternatives.
- 3-5lbs moose roast or brisket
- 5tbsp sugar based curing mixture (such as Morton Quick Cure)
- 3tbsp brown sugar, or as needed
- 2tbsp paprika
- 1tbsp crushed bay leaf
- 1tsp ground allspice
- 1/2tsp garlic powder
- 4tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 2tbsp coriander
- 1tsp mustard powder
Step 1
Whisk together curing mixture, brown sugar, pepper, paprika, bay leaf, allspice, and garlic powder in a bowl. Rub mixture over moose roast, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Place roast in a bowl; refrigerate for 5 days.
Step 2
In a bowl, mix the black pepper, coriander, mustard powder, 1tbsp brown sugar, and 1tbsp paprika to make your dry rub. Alternatively, a coffee rub goes very well with this recipe as well.
Step 3
Remove roast from the refrigerator and rinse thoroughly to remove the curing mixture. Cover with the dry rub.
Step 4
Put on smoker at 200-225 degrees until internal temperature reaches 145. (About three hours)
Step 5
Place meat on rack over pan of water and wrap in foil. Put in oven at 275 degrees for one hour.
Step 6
Remove from oven, let cool, slice, and serve.
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