Both pastrami and corned beef are delicious cured meats, but theyre not the same. Heres the difference in origin, flavor and how to eat pastrami vs. corned beef.
You likely know pastrami and corned beef from the deli counter, where both meats are staple ingredients. In New York, hungry visitors can’t resist a colossal Reuben or mile-high pastrami sandwich! Both meats are cured with salt and spices, though there are differences between pastrami vs. corned beef that make each one ideal for certain meals.
Also, try these easy leftover corned beef recipes so you don’t have to let the tender meat go to waste.
Traditional pastrami is made with the navel end of the beef brisket. This portion has a high fat content, which adds a ton of flavor and keeps the beef juicy and moist during its long cooking time.
Making pastrami is a lengthy process, but it’s worth the effort. First, a curing brine is made with salt, sugar, pink salt (a type of salt with sodium nitrite to keep the meat pink as it cooks) and other spices. After three to five days (depending on the thickness), the meat is removed from the brine, rinsed well under cold water and patted dry. It’s best to let the cured meat rest, uncovered, in the refrigerator overnight to help the smoke adhere to the surface.
The pastrami is coated with coarsely ground black peppercorns and coriander before it’s smoked at 225°F. Then it’s transferred to a roasting pan with a rack, where water is added to the pan to create steam and the pan is wrapped tightly in foil. The pastrami will cook until it’s heated through and ready to serve.
This process isn’t something that most home cooks will tackle; fortunately, famous New York institutions like Katz’s Deli will ship pastrami anywhere in the United States.
A Reuben sandwich is typically made with corned beef. It would taste great with pastrami too, it just wouldn’t be a classic Reuben! Bottom line: You can’t go wrong with either of these flavor-packed deli meats.
Where did pastrami come from?
It’s easy to think that pastrami comes from New York, where Jewish delis have been serving it since the 1900s. However, pastrami’s roots extend far past America. Pastrami has two possible points of origin: Romania (where its predecessor, pastrama, was made with pork or mutton) or Turkey (where it’d be a descendant of pastirma, made with beef).
The recipes migrated to New York, where immigrants started using beef brisket because it was an inexpensive and readily available cut.
Where did corned beef come from?
Ireland was a major producer of salted meat going back to the Middle Ages, but it’s said that the English coined the term “corned beef” in the 1700s to describe the size of the salt crystals used to cure the meat (they were as big as corn kernels). It’s associated with St. Patrick’s Day, but not for the reason you’d think.
When Irish immigrants arrived in America, the salt pork and bacon they were accustomed to eating were expensive luxury items, so they adopted its nearest relative: corned beef. That’s why people eat corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day.
Is a Reuben made with pastrami or corned beef?
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