Cold-Smoked Turkey Pastrami

Name: Truthahn-Pastrami Kaltgeräuchert
Total time: 3 d
Ingredients: 28 g Nitritpökelsalz (NPS); 15 g Brauner Zucker; 12 g Schwarzer Pfeffer, grob gebrochen; 8 g Koriandersamen, grob gemahlen; 4 g Knoblauchpulver; 5 g Paprikapulver, geräuchert; 3 g Senfkörner, gemahlen

Pepper CrustPoultryCold SmokingMedium3–4 daysN/Abelow 20 °CCherry + Hickory

Turkey breast is cured in the traditional pastrami style with a bold pepper crust and then cold-smoked. The result resembles classic beef pastrami but is lighter and more delicate in flavor. Perfect for sandwiches or as a cold cut.

Ingredients(for 1 kg)

Curing salt (NPS)28 g

Brown sugar15 g

Black pepper, coarsely cracked12 g

Coriander seeds, coarsely ground8 g

Garlic powder4 g

Smoked paprika powder5 g

Mustard seeds, ground3 g

Instructions

Curing

48–72 hours

Mix curing salt, sugar, garlic powder, and paprika. Rub into turkey breast, vacuum-seal, and cure at 2–4 °C. Turn daily.

Applying Pepper Crust

15 minutes

Rinse and pat dry the cured meat. Mix pepper, coriander, and mustard seeds and coat the meat completely. Allow to dry on a rack for 2 hours.

Cold Smoking

5–7 hours

Cold-smoke the turkey at under 20 °C with cherry and hickory wood for 5–7 hours. Temperature control is essential.

Resting

12 hours

Rest in the fridge wrapped in butcher paper for 12 hours. Then slice thinly and serve.

Pro Tip

For an authentic pastrami texture, briefly steam the turkey breast after smoking to an internal temperature of 72 °C if raw consumption is not intended.

Save this recipe to your smoking journal?

With Curination you can scale recipes, track projects, document by voice and browse over 1,269 recipes.

Try for free