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!)
Start with store bought corned beef*
Make our own homemade pastrami spice mix which is made with everyday spices and loads of cracked pepper
Coat beef in Spice mix, wrap in foil
Slow cook or pressure cook until tender.
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
Use the pastrami to make epic Reuben Sandwiches!
A big, juicy Hamburger recipe
Steak Sandwich – super quick
Chicken Burger – juicy seasoned chicken breast steak with the lot!
Nando’s Peri Peri Chicken Burger – chicken marinated in a homemade flavour bomb Peri Peri sauce
Cubanos – The famous Cuban roast pork sandwich from The Chef movie
Veggie Burger – Meatless made amazing. Puts those doughy bricks at the shops to shame!
Browse all Burgers and Sandwiches & Sliders recipes
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
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.
LIFE OF DOZER
Nobody wants Dozer on their team for a game of Jenga…
PS. I made my own refrigerator pickled cucumbers which were the topper to your recipe.
The crowning glory!! 🙂 N x
Awesome. Two of us. No left-overs. We did the SUGGESTED oven recipe. (A lower temperature 170 F initially – then upped to the suggested temp for 7 hours)
I work in NYC and can’t distinguish it from NYC Pastrami (Katz’s not included as I’m uptown)
I’m grateful for this hack!
Kudos
Jim
WOAH. HIGH PRAISE!!!!!
I’m very excited to be trying this on Saturday- for Sunday. Would you recommend peppercorns ground by me or will store bought coarse ground pepper work?
Hi Bryan! I use store bought coarse ground. 🙂 N x
Amazing pastrami recipe! I ran out of coriander and used cumin, what a great flavor! We had coleslaw and a homemade Russian dressing on marble rye. Excellent, thank you!
That’s terrific to hear Roberta! Thanks for sharing your feedback on this recipe – N x
Do you recommend soaking the corned beef beforehand? I’m going to try this recipe but I’ve seen a lot that recommends soaking first. Thank you!!
Hi Wade! I used to but then I stopped and I preferred the texture of the meat. Soaking is supposed to extract some of the salt but it also makes the corned beef take in more water which dilutes the flavour of the meat. So I stopped, and I prefer it 🙂
Would you recommend soaking the corned beef for 24 hours beforehand? I’m going to use your recipe but I’ve seen a lot that recommends the soaking first. Thank you!!
Love the smell of this season combination!! I’m going to cook it in the electric pressure cooker……does it still get wrapped in foil????
Yes it does! Holds all the flavour and juices in 🙂
Hi, love the sound of this recipe ….. I have one question….I’m going to use an electric pressure cooker….do I still wrap the meat in foil????
Hi – Please clarify if water needs to be put underneath the roast in the crockpot? Thanks!
Nope not for crockpot Julie! Only for stove pressure cooker 🙂 N x
If using an electric pressure cooker how long would it cook for?
Hi Nagi,
Just wanted to check, when you say “Stove top electric cooker: add 1/2 cup of water.” above, should that say Stove top pressure cooker???
About to try this with a stovetop pressure cooker.
Thx
Steve
DUH! Thanks Steve 🙂 Fixing it right now!
I thought that was the case. I went ahead and made this anyhow, but massively reduced the timing for stove top pressure cooker. I typically work with a 3:2 ratio of timing between electric P-cooker and stove top due to the pressure differences, so if electric was 100 min, that would make stove top 66min. I don’t think I’ve ever pressure cooked anything for that long. I did 35 minutes and it was pretty good.
I live on a small island in Greece and cannot get ready brined brisket. How do I brine the meat – method, quantity of water/salt etc? Any guidance woyld be very gratefully received!
You could try googling Tori Avey’s recipe for it, she goes into detail about making the brine.
Of the two options, pressure cooker or slow cooker, which do you prefer, or which do you think gives a better result?
Honestly cannot tell the difference 🙂 N x
Thank-you.
I made it, and changed these 16 things and …
Just kidding.
I made it as the slow cooker variant. The only thing I changed was to soak the corned beef in water for 24 hours.
I had made “faustrami” before, but this version was much better and I really enjoyed it. And ate far too much.
We love the pastrami made by a New York Deli inspired cafe here in Auckland and this was a good approximation. If you are ever across here and want to try it, the Federal Delicatessen by teh SkyCity casino. Amazing reubens.
Is the stove top electric cooker the same as a crock pot? If not, what would you need to do for a crock pot?
Hi Dorothy! Crockpot is what I use, it’s just another name for a standard slow cooker so just follow the recipe as is! N x
Thank you for that! My question exactly!
First time I made this the pepper seemed a bit strong.
Second time round I made it with just 2 1/2 tbs of pepper also I sprinkled liquid smoke over the meat then sealed it in the foil.
My god it was so delicious we could have eaten the whole thing but kept rest for sandwiches.
You can’t go pass this recipe it is the best out there.
I’m so pleased you were able to amend the spicing to your taste Carol!! I think homemade pastrami can seem like it’s stronger than store bought depending on how thick you slice it 🙂 If sliced thinly, there’s not much pepper on each slice! N x
Are you sure about the coriander? I made this and it is overpowering. Perhaps 2 teaspoons instead of 2 tablespoons?
Hi Dennis! I can’t distinguish the flavour individually once mixed with the other spices and cooked. If you do’t like it please adjust to your taste! N x
I HAVE to try this!! Try putting coleslaw on that sandwich – yum
Thank you so much for this recipe. I think I’ve nailed it! 😀 The first time I made it, I found it incredibly salty and really couldn’t eat it. But I made it again and this time, I soaked the salt beef (I’m in the UK, so salt beef, not corned beef, LOL) for 24 hours first. Bingo! Perfection. And it’s SOOOOO moist. Absolutely delicious. Thank you.
WHOOT! You Pastrami Queen, you!!!
This is delicious BUT – you DO need to add liquid for it to work in an Instant Pot. I tried it both ways. I added 1 cup of beef broth and it came to pressure and cooked beautifully. I then decided to try it as written, without the liquid added. It didn’t come to pressure, didn’t seal, and didn’t cook. The countdown started but nothing was happening inside, when I took the lid off there was no liquid in there at all after well over an hour of the countdown. Add the 1 cup of beef broth and you will be golden – the drippings will still taste fabulous. I also upped the cooking time by 15 min because I felt it could have been a bit more tender after the first round.
Cooking issues aside, this is a great recipe. For the record, I have been to Katzs in NYC and Greenblatt’s in LA so I have had some amazing pastrami-gasms in my time. This obviously won’t match that, but on some homemade rye with swiss and pub mustard…yum. A solid replacement if you, like me, happen to live in a pastrami wasteland!
The second time I made this I added 1 teaspoon of chilli seeds to the spice mix. Wow, I reckon it tasted even better. Wrote that tip on my printed recipe, so I can do it again.
Love hearing that Gaye! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed this – with your special touch! N x