Simple and delicious, this pastrami sandwich with spicy sauerkraut is destined to be a crowd-pleaser in your house. Past Featured Chef Carley Smith (aka Fairy Gutmother) shares this mouth-watering Pastrami recipe with 100% grass-fed beef brisket. Starting with the cleanest, most nutritious ingredients sets you up for a great-tasting surprise. We are telling you, in three days, you are going to be craving this recipe, so start now and get to pickling the brisket!
After pickling in the refrigerator for three days, season the brisket and bake in a roasting dish tray liner above bone broth that adds flavor and moisture to the pastrami. Serve this flavorful meat with rye bread, mustard, grass-fed baby swiss, and homemade spicy slaw.
Classic Pastrami with Spicy Sauerkraut Slaw
Recipe & Photos by Carley Smith | Fairy Gutmother
USWM Shopping List: Beef Brisket, Bone Broth
Ingredients
- Beef Brisket
- Bone Broth
- Brine:
- Water
- Sea salt or kosher salt
- Pink curing salt
- Sugar (try coconut sugar for a paleo option or monk fruit for a sugar-free option)
- Honey
- Basic pickling spice blend
- Meat seasoning, about a tablespoon of each:
- Smoked paprika
- Mustard seed
- Sugar
- Coriander
- Black pepper
- Fennel seed
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Optional: Spicy Sauerkraut Slaw:
- Cabbage, shredded
- Green apples
- Sauerkraut
- Radish, shredded
- Jalapenos, diced
- Cilantro, chopped
- Oregano
- Sea salt
- Lime juice
- Optional: Sandwich ingredients
- Rye bread, sliced
- Mustard
- Swiss cheese, sliced
Instructions
- Make a brine: add water to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Then add sea salt or kosher salt, pink curing salt, sugar, and honey. Stir all ingredients together until nice and dissolved, allowing it to cool.
- Prepare the meat: in a glass or food-grade plastic bowl, add the brisket and pour in enough brine to cover the meat. Add in a basic pickling spice blend and then refrigerate for three days.
- After three days, rinse the brisket and pat it dry with a paper towel.
- Prepare a seasoning blend with about a tablespoon of each: smoked paprika, mustard seed, sugar, coriander, black pepper, fennel seed, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- Coat and press the slab of meat with the seasoning blend, and then transfer it to a rack inside a baking dish. The brisket should not touch the bottom of the pan.
- Pour a couple of cups of bone broth into the pan that will help to lock in moisture as the brisket cooks.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and place the dish in the oven for 3 hours at 300°F.
- While the brisket is cooking, make the Spicy Sauerkraut Slaw: combine shredded cabbage, green apples, and sauerkraut into a bowl. Add shredded radish, diced jalapenos, chopped cilantro, oregano, seas salt, time juice, and mix until ingredients are well-combined.
- Remove the pastrami from the oven and slice it for sandwiches.
- Serve with rye bread, mustard, Swiss cheese, pastrami, and the spicy, probiotic-filled slaw. Enjoy!
Browse more delicious, crowd-pleasing recipes on our Discover Blog!

Carley Smith
Carley Smith, aka The Fairy Gutmother, is a Nutritional Therapist and Certified GAPS Practitioner with a passion for helping others improve their gut & immune health. Carley was diagnosed with Lyme disease and practiced the ancient art of healing through food. Please visit Carley’s Featured Chef page and Fairy Gutmother for more information.