This is an easy homemade Pastrami for all the poor sods like myself who don’t live around the corner from a New York Jewish deli. Tender, juicy and with the signature pastrami spice crust, this is astonishingly straight forward to make – and is outrageously good!
Use it to make giant pastrami sandwiches on rye, or Reuben sandwiches!
Homemade Pastrami recipe
If Katz’s Deli isn’t my first stop when I land in New York, it’s my second or third stop – and probably only because I had a prior dinner commitment.
Yes, I’m that obsessed with pastrami sandwiches.
Let’s be clear about one thing here – this is not a pastrami sandwich as many people know them here in Australia. The pastrami piled high in these sandwiches are light years away from the cold, slippery cuts we get over the counter at delis.
The pastrami you get at Jewish delis in the States is tender, juicy, fall apart and loaded with that wonderful earthy spice flavours of the pastrami crust with the obligatory black pepper kick.
It’s outrageously good. OUTRAGEOUSLY!!
I have searched high and low, but the sad fact is that there is simply nowhere in Sydney that has pastrami that is anywhere near Katz’s. So I decided to take matters into my own hands and make my own pastrami.
Real pastrami is smoked for days. Days, my friends. I’ve read that the Katz’s smoker is the size of an apartment. Pastrami is serious business!
Mine is a somewhat more achievable home version – made in the slow cooker or pressure cooker.
How do I make pastrami? (The easy way!)
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Start with store bought corned beef*
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Make our own homemade pastrami spice mix which is made with everyday spices and loads of cracked pepper
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Coat beef in Spice mix, wrap in foil
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Slow cook or pressure cook until tender.
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Cool for ease of slicing before baking briefly just to seal the crust, then slice thinly, and pile high on rye bread.
* Corned Beef is beef that’s been brined, either brisket or silverside beef cuts. An economical cut sold in the fresh meat section of supermarkets. It’s called Salt Beef or Pickled Salt Beef in the UK.
Here are the spices you need for pastrami. You can buy coarsely ground cracked pepper but it’s better to grind your own if you can.
Is it as good as Katz’s?
No. And no homemade version ever will be.
But it is so darn good. So SO good. A billion times better than the stuff you buy over the counter at everyday delis. This pastrami that money can’t buy – certainly here in Australia at least, except at speciality stalls at some weekend markets.
So when you need a pastrami or Reuben sandwich fix, this will go a long way to curb your craving – until your next trip back to NYC! – Nagi x
PS If you’d like to try your hand at a real pastrami made in a smoker, I recommend this one from my friend Kevin at Kevin is Cooking.
How to make a Pastrami sandwich
Lightly toasted dark rye bread slathered with butter then mustard then piled high with lots of thinly sliced homemade pastrami. Melted cheese is optional (mandatory in my books!).
More Burgers, Sliders and Sandwiches
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Use the pastrami to make epic Reuben Sandwiches!
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A big, juicy Hamburger recipe
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Steak Sandwich – super quick
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Chicken Burger – juicy seasoned chicken breast steak with the lot!
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Nando’s Peri Peri Chicken Burger – chicken marinated in a homemade flavour bomb Peri Peri sauce
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Cubanos – The famous Cuban roast pork sandwich from The Chef movie
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Veggie Burger – Meatless made amazing. Puts those doughy bricks at the shops to shame!
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WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Homemade Pastrami Without a Smoker
Ingredients
- 4 lbs / 2kg good corned beef, with a thick fat cap (Note 1)
Spice Mix:
- 4 tbsp fresh coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 1/2 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp liquid smoke (optional)
Instructions
- Mix Spice Mix and spread out on a tray. Pat beef dry then roll in Spice Mix, coating well all over. Sprinkle with liquid smoke it using (I rarely use this).
- Place beef fat cap side down and wrap in a large sheet of foil. Repeat again with another sheet of foil and flip the beef so the fat cap is on the top.
- Place rack in slow cooker (Note 2), place beef on rack. Slow cook for 10 hours on low or electric pressure cook for 1 hour 40 minutes (see notes for oven).
- Remove beef, cool then refrigerate for 6 hours +. Reserve juices in slow cooker.
- Unwrap beef. Place rack on tray, place beef on rack. Bake 30 minutes at 180C/350F until spice crust is set.
- Remove from oven, slice thinly - pastrami will be tender. Place some pastrami in a dish, spoon over a bit of reserved juices. Cover and microwave to warm (I like to add a slice of Swiss cheese).
- New York Deli style Pastrami Sandwich: Pile high on toasted rye bread slathered with plenty of mustard of choice. Serve with pickles on the side! Plus plain potato crisps (for the full deli experience!)
- Rebuen sandwiches - see this recipe.
Recipe Notes:
Electric Pressure Cooker -you don't need to add liquid because corned beef is plump with extra liquid it has absorbed from the brining process so it drops liquid as it heats up, and it's that liquid that creates the steam that creates the pressure cooking environment. If for some reason it doesn't come to temperature (ie that whistling noise never occurs, pop in 1/2 cup of water - but I've never had to do this). You end up with the same amount of liquid at the bottom of the pot whether you slow cook or pressure cook.
Stove top pressure cooker: add 1/2 cup of water.
Oven - I haven’t tried this myself, but this is what I would do: wrap with foil one extra time, add 1/2 cup water in pan, put wrapped beef on rack in pan, cover pan tightly with foil. Recipe I reference (see below) says 110C/225F for 6 hours which sounds about right compared for the slow cooking time I use. 4. General notes: The slow cooking part tenderising the meat and allows the spice flavours to infuse. The cooling in the fridge makes it easier to slice thinly - if you try to slice hot corned beef, it crumbles. The baking seals the crust - it doesn't heat through, you want the centre cold for easier slicing. 5. SERVINGS: The corned beef will shrink by about 30%, so 2kg/4lb yields about 1.4kg/2.8lb cooked meat. Allow 300 g / 10 oz per serving for large pastrami sandwiches, as pictured. 6. Recipe loosely guided by this Allrecipes.com pastrami recipe. 7. Store leftovers for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Reheat slices per recipe. Originally published May 2014, recipe updated June 2018 with a more streamlined, better recipe.
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Love your recipes!!! I doubt there would be leftovers, however, if there are any how long would you say would last in the refrigerator and/or freezer? This may have been asked already however I don’t see a search bar so asking,
I just have to say that curing a fresh brisket and smoking it and steaming it can get you very very close to Katz’s
Made this the other day and it was wonderful and so quick to put together! My husband loved it and wants me to make again!
After seasoning and wrapping my meat in foil, I realized that I purchased brisket, not corned beef!! Instead of panicking, I decided to sear the meat, then place it (without foil) on a cooking rack in my pressure cooker. I added water with worsestershire sauce at the bottom and pressure cooked for 1.5 hrs. It turned out delicious!
Absolutely delicious sandwich, couldn’t fault it.
Will be following you and making more recipes 😋
This pastrami recipe was a huge hit. I was wondering if I could use any other cut of meat. A bit weary about using processed meat too often. Thanks.
I’ve made this so many times and now my husband enjoys coking it as he eats the most ofit. Very tasty and you can have it as spicy as you like it or cut back if spice is not your thing..
Wow, made this the other day. Fantastic,tasty. Russian dressing easy to make. Don’t think we could eat a Reuben anywhere else.., but home.
Tried this when it was cooked and the heat was overpowering. Too much black pepper, I thought. Tried it on a slightly modified Reubens sandwich, I didn’t have any sourcraut and don’t put a lid in it but what a difference. The Russian mayonnaise and the cheese were a game changers. Really nice and heat disappeared. I’ve never had a Reubens sandwich but I would if it was as nice as this was.
Making this today in my Crockpot Express electric pressure cooker. Hasn’t cooked a lump of meat in it before so followed your instructions not to add water. I never thought to look up the manual. I kept getting an E6 error. When I looked it up, this cooker requires a minimum of 1 cup of water or it gets an overheating heating error. Might pay to add in your notes to check the manual for your cooker before starting. It may seem obvious in hindsight but I just assumed it would work as per the instructions. Looking forward to the end product now the pressure cooker is working.
Tried this when it was cooked and the heat was overpowering. Too much black pepper, I thought. Tried it on a slightly modified Reubens sandwich, I didn’t have any sourcraut and don’t put a lid in it but what a difference. The Russian mayonnaise and the cheese were a game changers. Really nice and heat disappeared. I’ve never had a Reubens sandwich but I would if it was as nice as this was.
I am using a 2 lb brisket, so cooking times will vary but I am guessing I am still looking for an internal temp of about 200-205°? Would I be correct?
Hi,
When making no smoker pastrami, is it ok to leave in fridge overnight instead of 6 overnight once cooked in slowcooker please?
WOW!!!! You did it again Nagi! First time, fabulous. Not a corned beef lover, but this is gorgeous. Juicy. Flavour. Crusty. My husband made this in slow cooker, finished in airfryer. Reuben’s for lunch. Can’t wait. Thank you again Nagi. 💓
this looks amazing. there’s no halal corned beef available to me in the UK – is there a chance you could give information on how best to brine the meat Nagi? This looks amazing!!! Recipes I find online are a bit complicated & I’m not sure if I’m using too much/little salt/water.
Thank you!
I know this recipe was posted a while ago but we made it yesterday & today. Amazing! Absolutely amazing.
I made this the first time and all the juices pooled in the tin foil, steaming/boiling the meat. It still tasted good but the spice coating totally fell off. The second time I poked holes in the tin foil at the bottom with a toothpick. It came out perfect, and the juices all drained out into the slow cooker.
It’s now one of my most oft-requested meals from my regular dinner guests, and was a major major hit at Xmas with three different groups of dinner guests. Win win win!
The best use I’ve found hands-down for my corned silverside.
I agree, I love this, however, I don’t like cooking in alfoil, so I wrap in baking paper. Came out superb, but still need drain holes.
Rats, sorry, forgot the star rating. Six out of five! 😀
Hi Nagi,
Looking forward to trying this.
Quick question…
If I double wrap corned beef in aluminum foil and suspend it above bottom of crockpot, how do the juices get out? Should I perforate the foil?
Wow 🤩 amazing 😻 will never have normal silverside again 💚💚💚💚💚
This is a family favorite! Could I make a couple and freeze one?
I am blown away with this recipe! Just made the pastrami this weekend following your slow cooker recipe to the teaspoon. And wow!! The pastrami was amazing – tender, juicy, and delicious. It was eye-popping lay good. Absolutely as good as Katz’ when you can’t be in NYC. Even my adult son who has lived in New York and ordered Katz’ pastrami regularly agreed. Thank you for sharing this incredible and easy recipe and for enabling me to recreate such a delicious NYC deli experience right here at home in Pennsylvania. I can’t wait to make it again.