Pastrami
I’ve always had a thing for BBQ. At one point, I even dreamed of turning the trunk of a finned Cadillac into a traveling smoker—something I could tow around to friends, serving up amazing BBQ from one seriously cool car. That is to say, BBQ and I go way back.
During Covid, while I was running the cafeteria at Kaiser, I decided it was finally time to buy a smoker. Enter Big Red: an 800-pound beast that “slept” conveniently by the door, only because it didn’t really move. In reality, it lived full-time in the hospital’s courtyard.
By the time Big Red arrived, I was no stranger to the ups and downs of BBQ. I’d already ruined more briskets, ribs, and pork butts than I care to admit. But with those failures came hard-earned lessons. When Big Red rolled in, I’d hit my stride—I was confident enough to call myself a good BBQer. Big Red could handle 100 lbs of meat at a time, so there was never a shortage of BBQ . . . which meant I quickly discovered there’s only so much smoked meat one person (namely, me) can eat. The solution? Pastrami. BBQ taken to another level.
Can I eat more pastrami than regular BBQ? Maybe not. But give me a Reuben stuffed with my smoked pastrami, and I’ll happily rise to the challenge.
Making a great pastrami was its own learning curve. I tried beef, duck, turkey—just about anything you could cure and smoke. With Big Red, I finally dialed in my process. First, I’d soak the meat in a special brine (no added nitrites or nitrates) for 11 days. It worked beautifully, but I soon realized, it was unsustainable for a business. Everything changed when our spice guy sent me a photo of a brine injector. Picture a pronged fork attached to a pressurized bottle: it injects brine right into the meat and cuts the cure time from 11 days down to just 2.
When it came time to open Bubbala’s, the smoker decision was huge. Big Red, as much as I loved it, didn’t make the cut. Instead, we invested in the Cadillac of electric smokers. It quickly became my favorite “employee”—hardworking, reliable, and (best of all) requires only a one-time payment.
Here’s how we make our pastrami: after curing, we add our secret rub and smoke the meat at 250°F for six hours, then at 160°F for another four. After cooling it overnight, we slice it thin, then steam to order. It’s a lot of work—and that’s exactly why we’re so proud of it.
In a moderately busy week, we go through about 100 lbs of pastrami. Why is ours the best? Unlike Katz’s in New York (they use plate, the cow’s bacon), we use brisket, which means less fat. Our spice blend is a house secret. And because we make smallish batches compared to their 15,000 lbs a week, every brisket gets the care it deserves. We slice it thin, against the grain, then pile it on stellar rye from our friend Alex at Fire Swamp Provisions. A swipe of spicy brown mustard, and you’re set.
Drop by and taste the difference—our pastrami is worth it!