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September 16, 2025
Easy Homemade Pastrami (No Smoker) Recipe
That is a simple selfmade Pastrami for all of the poor sods like myself who don’t stay across the nook from a New York Jewish deli. Tender, juicy and with the signature pastrami spice crust, that is astonishingly straight ahead to make – and is outrageously good!
Use it to make large pastrami sandwiches on rye, or Reuben sandwiches!
Do-it-yourself Pastrami recipe
If Katz’s Deli isn’t my first cease once I land in New York, it’s my second or third cease – and possibly solely as a result of I had a previous dinner dedication.
Sure, I’m that obsessive about pastrami sandwiches.
Let’s be clear about one factor right here – this isn’t a pastrami sandwich as many individuals know them right here in Australia. The pastrami piled excessive in these sandwiches are gentle years away from the chilly, slippery cuts we get over-the-counter at delis.
The pastrami you get at Jewish delis within the States is tender, juicy, collapse and loaded with that fantastic earthy spice flavours of the pastrami crust with the compulsory black pepper kick.
It’s outrageously good. OUTRAGEOUSLY!!
I’ve searched excessive and low, however the unhappy reality is that there’s merely nowhere in Sydney that has pastrami that’s anyplace close to Katz’s. So I made a decision to take issues into my very own arms and make my very own pastrami.
Actual pastrami is smoked for days. Days, my mates. I’ve learn that the Katz’s smoker is the dimensions of an residence. Pastrami is severe enterprise!
Mine is a considerably extra achievable house model – made within the sluggish cooker or stress cooker.
How do I make pastrami? (The straightforward means!)
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Begin with retailer purchased corned beef*
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Make our personal selfmade pastrami spice combine which is made with on a regular basis spices and a great deal of cracked pepper
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Coat beef in Spice combine, wrap in foil
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Sluggish prepare dinner or stress prepare dinner till tender.
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Cool for ease of slicing earlier than baking briefly simply to seal the crust, then slice thinly, and pile excessive on rye bread.
* Corned Beef is beef that’s been brined, both brisket or silverside beef cuts. A cheap minimize bought within the contemporary meat part of supermarkets. It’s referred to as Salt Beef or Pickled Salt Beef within the UK.
Listed below are the spices you want for pastrami. You should purchase coarsely floor cracked pepper nevertheless it’s higher to grind your individual in the event you can.
Is it nearly as good as Katz’s?
No. And no selfmade model ever can be.
However it’s so darn good. So SO good. A billion instances higher than the stuff you purchase over-the-counter at on a regular basis delis. This pastrami that cash can’t purchase – actually right here in Australia not less than, besides at speciality stalls at some weekend markets.
So whenever you want a pastrami or Reuben sandwich repair, this may go a protracted method to curb your craving – till your subsequent journey again to NYC! – Johnsat x
PS If you happen to’d wish to attempt your hand at an actual pastrami made in a smoker, I like to recommend this one from my good friend Kevin at Kevin is Cooking.
The right way to make a Pastrami sandwich
Frivolously toasted darkish rye bread slathered with butter then mustard then piled excessive with a lot of thinly sliced selfmade pastrami. Melted cheese is optionally available (obligatory in my books!).
Extra Burgers, Sliders and Sandwiches
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Use the pastrami to make epic Reuben Sandwiches!
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A giant, juicy Hamburger recipe
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Steak Sandwich – tremendous fast
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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 selfmade flavour bomb Peri Peri sauce
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BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders and Sloppy Joes!
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Cubanos – The well-known Cuban roast pork sandwich from The Chef film
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Veggie Burger – Meatless made wonderful. Places these doughy bricks on the retailers to disgrace!
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Browse all Burgers and Sandwiches & Sliders recipes
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 4 lbs / 2kg good corned beef, with a thick fat cap (Note 1)
- 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.
Notes
1. Because this is an easy Pastrami recipe, I start with a store bought corned beef. This is beef that’s been brined and is sold vac packed, and it’s an economical cut.
Note for UK: The corned beef used in this recipe is called Salt Beef or Pickled Beef in the UK. In the UK, corned beef is like beef SPAM sold in cans. Do not use that in this recipe!
2. Or use scrunched up balls of foil to elevate off the base (otherwise bottom of pastrami cooks in liquid = uneven cooking)
3. COOKING METHODS: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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