Vulcan’s Smokehouse recreates New York-style pastrami

A longstanding passion for New York-style pastrami has led Anton Douglas to start Vulcan’s Smokehouse, his own small food business, in Dromore, county Down.

Anton (29), a graduate in art and music, has just set up the smoker to specialise in pastrami sandwiches.

Anton, who has vast experience in managing tourism destinations in many parts of France, Spain and Italy over the past five years, says he has “always wanted to do something innovative in food here” and decided to explore opportunities when the coronavirus pandemic closed tourism in Europe and he returned to the family home in Dromore.

Anton’s time in Europe included advising tourists on food eateries. “The opportunities to sample the various cuisines also increased my desire to develop my own small food enterprise,” he explains.

Influenced by his experience of New York’s colourful homemade pastrami houses, Anton set out late last year to investigate how he could set up his own small food business producing the popular cured beef sandwich that has long been a feature of the US city’s culinary traditions.

Anton continues: “While pastrami has its origins in Romania as cured beef, New York eat-on-the-go outlets like Katz’s has created a unique and great tasting sandwich,” he says. “The classic New York deli meat is made from cured, smoked, and spiced beef from Romanian immigrants who came to the United States in the late 19th century. It’s a peppery, spiced sandwich usually made using beef brisket.”

The distinctive flavours of pastrami, he continues, are smoke and spicy black pepper with the sweet citrus tang of coriander. “The deli-style beef pastrami we know is made by curing beef in a brine of salt, sugar, and spices for up to a week, then it is often seasoned with a dry spice rub and allowed to sit for several days before being smoked over the course of several hours,” he explains.

He acquired a small smoker and began researching where to source the beef to provide the distinctive flavours for his own pastrami. “My research found that the best beef for the pastrami flavours I sought came from Hereford or Black Angus cattle. I found that the brisket provided by some butchers here is really best for pot roast. I wanted something quite different,” he adds.

His extensive research led him to Corrabach Farm, near Enniskillen, which rears Herefords. The farm’s brisket proved to be just what Anton wanted for his curing and smoking.

Anton Douglas of Vulcan’s Smokehouse