pastrami

I had been very disappointed with the quality of the pastrami that I can find in my town in the NW without paying an arm and a leg for it. I finally decided that given where I live the only solution is to take the matter into my own hands. Having no experience in making it I did a bit of research on the web. I collected the basic idea and just plunged in with both feet - few ever die because of culinary bravery. I invested in a low cost smoker.

I took the basic recipe and used my own intuition and adjusted the recipe. I refined the ingredients by taste each time until I got the taste I like.

It turned out making pastrami cannot be simpler. Patience is the difficult ingredient. Mine turned out pretty good the first time, but like anything else practice make perfect. I don't use saltpeter so it does not keep too long in the fridge.

How does mine stack up against the store bought? - just better than any that I can find in my town and I know what go into it.