Pastrami vs. Corned Beef: What’s the Difference?

Pastrami And Corned Beef Sandwich

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 Reubenor 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.

What is pastrami?

Classic Pastrami On Rye With Swiss Cheese

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 225F. 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.

What is corned beef?

corned beef sandwich

Corned beef is made by curing brisket, usually the leaner flat cut. It has just enough fat to keep it moist while cooking, but the end result is a little drier than pastrami. To help break down the tough muscle proteins in the brisket, corned beef is brined with the same cure as pastrami (salt, sugar, pink salt and spices). Unlike pastrami, corned beef is boiled or steamed instead of smoked, which pulls out some of the salt from the brine.

It’s easy to make homemade corned beef, which allows you to control the ingredients as well as the sodium content. That said, you’ll find premade corned beef at the grocery store around St. Patrick’s Day. If you’re planning to boil it yourself, make sure you don’t accidentally purchase ready-to-eat corned beef, which is cured, cooked and sometimes sliced.

Pastrami vs. Corned Beef

Both pastrami and corned beef are made with beef, although pastrami uses the fattier end side of brisket while corned beef is made from the leaner flat cut. Pastrami is smoked while corned beef is typically steamed or boiled. They have a similar flavor profile, but pastrami is richer with a smoke-forward flavor while corned beef is leaner and drier (not in a bad way). You can use them interchangeably in most recipeshowever, we prefer pastrami when it’s served warm.

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.

How do you eat pastrami?

Pastrami is typically sliced thick and piled high on sandwiches, like those at Katz’s Deli. We also love using it in nontraditional recipes, like rolling it in puff pastry to make Reuben stromboli, folding it in tortillas for tacos or tossing it with potatoes for breakfast hash. Pastrami works well in most recipes that call for bacon because of its salty, smoky flavor.

Because pastrami is fattier than corned beef, we don’t recommend serving it cold. You really need heat to melt fat and add to the overall flavor.

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How do you eat corned beef?

It’s most commonly enjoyed as corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day when served with simmered carrots and potatoes. It’s also delightful when sliced thin, topped with Thousand Island dressing and sauerkraut and sandwiched between slices of rye to make a Reuben sandwich. Because it’s made with a leaner cut of brisket, leftover corned beef is tasty whether it’s served cold or hot.

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