Name: Pastrami Spice Mix
Ingredients: 3 tbsp whole black peppercorns; 4 tbsp whole coriander seed; 1 tsp whole dill seed; 2 tsp brown mustard seed; 2 tsp yellow mustard seed; 1 tbsp long pepper (@10), crumbled (or add an extra 1 tbsp of black peppercorns); 2 tsp grains of paradise; 1 tsp whole fennel seed; 1 tsp whole cardamom seed; 1 tsp aleppo or urfa biber pepper flakes, or substitute 1/2 tsp cayenne; 2 tsp smoked paprika; 6 whole juniper berries

CategoryPantry

Every spice that could possibly enhance a pastrami, in one blend.

Yields1 Serving

Ingredients

3 tbsp whole black peppercorns

4 tbsp whole coriander seed

1 tsp whole dill seed

2 tsp brown mustard seed

2 tsp yellow mustard seed

1 tbsp long pepper (@10), crumbled (or add an extra 1 tbsp of black peppercorns)

2 tsp grains of paradise

1 tsp whole fennel seed

1 tsp whole cardamom seed

1 tsp aleppo or urfa biber pepper flakes, or substitute 1/2 tsp cayenne

2 tsp smoked paprika

6 whole juniper berries

A Few Words

This has every spice Poppa Larry has encountered over the years that he thought might go well with pickled beef. That said, the basic flavor that says "pastrami" is that of black peppercorns and coriander seed. You could start there and add whatever other ingredients are on hand before you start ordering up some long pepper (which does add a nice chocolate pungency) or grains of paradise (spicy, with citrus notes; famously used in Samuel Adams Summer Ale). This makes enough for a full-on, 10 - 12 pound brisket, so you don't have to worry if you're going whole herd.

Directions

Mix together all the whole seeds, blend very coarsely in a large mortar and pestle, then stir in the pepper flakes and paprika. Less ideally, you can do this in two phases in a coffee mill or (distant third choice) a blade-type spice grinder: crack the peppercorns, coriander and juniper berries in phase one, then use a finer setting that will coarsely grind the other, smaller seeds.

pastrami spice in mortar