Aha: so this is the difference between pastrami and corned beef

If you feel like a meat sandwich and, for example, don’t want ham or chicken breast, a pastrami or corned beef sandwich is a great choice. We’ve already written about the pastrami sandwich: this is a super-sexy sandwich. And then there’s the crazy-delicious corned beef, which we often see shining on a Reuben sandwich (this Reuben recipe is heavenly!). But what is the actual difference between these types of meat?

Don’t they look incredibly similar? It turns out the difference is quite significant, especially when you look at how they’re prepared.

This is corned beef

Corned beef is also known as salt-cured beef. It is brisket that has been cured in salt and pickling spices, such as peppercorns, mustard seeds and bay leaves. The meat is then boiled. Sometimes it is canned. According to many enthusiasts, that looks considerably less appetizing than when it’s fresh at the butcher’s.

This is pastrami

Pastrami is also cured and cooked meat. It originally comes from Romania, where they mainly used mutton and lamb. Pastrami is cured and cooked, then rubbed with a mixture of pickling spices. It is cooked again, then smoked for at least a day and steamed afterward. So it involves a more extensive process than corned beef.

Difference in flavor

Pastrami and corned beef are similar, but they differ fundamentally in how they are prepared. This also applies to the flavors of the meat. Both pastrami and corned beef are unmistakably salty because of the curing process. But if you compare their flavors more closely, corned beef mainly has a tangy, salami-like flavor. Pastrami, on the other hand, is instantly recognizable by its dominant smoky, spicy flavors. For that reason, some enthusiasts find pastrami slightly richer and more complex in flavor than corned beef.

Pastrami and corned beef sandwiches: the difference

Do you want to eat pastrami and corned beef in the usual way? The way the meat is most often eaten (and may even owe its fame to)? There’s a difference there, too. You eat pastrami on rye bread, with a smear of mustard and a pickle on the side. This is how it has been sold in delicatessens for years. Corned beef is most often found on the Reuben sandwich. The sandwich you read about in the intro. Besides corned beef, it’s made with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing.

Also read:

• 15 brilliant sandwiches from around the world
• Time for a new image: corned beef can actually be delicious
• Recipe: hummus with Turkish pastrami by Karsu

Source: The Kitchn