Now,when you say round,you mean just take bottom round steak,brine and make pastrami from that?
Not steaks, a roast. An eye of round cut in half length-wise will work nicely, or a bottom round roast.
There are recipes for dry-rub cures, or you can brine. Either way will work and there are pro's/con's with each method.
Brining - Advantages: you don't have to measure everything according to weight (because it works off of equalization). As long as the meat is totally immersed and has room to move it will work. It's easier to get a lower-salt product (this is why I prefer brining - I find it much easier to control the initial salt intake).
Disadvantages: It requires more of each ingredient, and more room in the fridge
Dry-rub Cure - Advantages: Requires less of each ingredient (slightly lower cost) and it takes less room in the fridge.
Disadvantages: You must be precise and scale the ingredients according to meat's weight. Usually produces a saltier product (you can soak in water to reduce salt).
If you decide to brine, here's the brine recipe I use:
Corned Beef/Pastrami Brine Solution:
Enough to do up to 7 lb meat.
1 Gallon filtered water
1 1/4 Cups Pickling Salt
9 tsp. Cure #1 (Prague Powder #1, InstaCure #1, etc.)
1/3 Cup Sugar
4 TBS Pickling Spice
Simmer the pickling spices in some water for about 10 minutes or so, let cool then add enough filtered water to it to make 1 gallon. Add the salt, Curing Salt #1 & Sugar then stir until dissolved. Completely submerge the beef in the brine (use a small plate to weigh down if needed). Cover and allow to brine for 7 - 10 days (depending on thickness) in the refrigerator, flip/rotate the meat every couple days to ensure even brining.
Note: When corning beef it may take on a grayish color on the outside, this is normal, and will not affect the final outcome.
