Smoked Pastrami

Traditional pastrami is made from the beef navel plate, a fatty cut from the underside of the animal near the brisket. Many commercial and home preparations substitute beef brisket, particularly the flat or point, because navel plate can be harder to source.

Both meats are brined in a similar salt-and-spice cure, but pastrami is additionally coated with a dry spice rub—typically black pepper, coriander, and garlic—and smoked before being steamed. Corned beef is usually boiled after curing and lacks the pepper-coriander crust and smoky flavor that define pastrami.

Steaming the pastrami after smoking breaks down the remaining connective tissue and collagen, making the tough brisket or navel cut tender and sliceable. The target internal temperature for properly tender pastrami is typically around 200°F (93°C), which ensures the meat is fork-tender without drying out.

Pastrami descends from Romanian pastramă, a technique of curing and air-drying meat that Jewish immigrants brought to North America in the late 19th century. It became a signature product of New York City's kosher delicatessens, with establishments like Katz's Delicatessen on the Lower East Side serving hand-carved pastrami since the late 1800s.