Pastrami is a type of smoked beef and a delicious charcuterie meat. It is typically made from the animal’s belly, but also more commonly from beef brisket today. It can sometimes be made with lamb or turkey, too. Pastrami is often compared to corned beef as they are both brined, but they are very different due to the spice rub used. Pastrami originates from Romania and Turkey where the meat is rubbed in a spice mix and smoked. Corned beef generally originates from the British Isles, is mildly spiced and then slowly simmered. This smoky charcuterie item is an emblem of a time where creative solutions for meat preservation through salting and spicing resulted in delicious results. 

At Meatsmith, we use Blackmore wagyu brisket for our house made pastrami. We start by brining the meat and then rubbing it with a house blended spice mix of paprika, ground coriander, ground mustard seeds and a few other secret spices. The meat is then put in the smoker and slow cooked for 14 hours before hitting our charcuterie cabinet to be sliced for your platters and Reuben sandwiches.

Pastrami is delicious on its own, as part of a charcuterie board, in sandwiches or served with a celeriac remoulade. As the meat is already cured and cooked, it is ready to eat as soon as you pick up a few slices from our stores. 

Pastrami has a distinctive, savoury depth of flavour. Ours is smoky with a tinge of aromatic spice deriving from black pepper and coriander.