What the hell is this meat? does it come from a cow/pig/goat/moose? what cut of meat is it? how is it made? and where in the world did it come from?
It’s peppered beef shoulder.
I believe pastrami is basically smoked corned beef. Corned beef is beef brisket that has been cured in brine and spices. If you then smoke the beef (insert joke here) you get pastrami.
Ask not these questions, lest the demons of the deli underworld smite thee for exposing the secrets of our sacred pastrami ceremonies!!!
In the beginning, the deli was void and without form , and there was pastrami not. Because of this there was weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.
A bit later, there were delis, and knishes, and pastrami on rye, and there was much rejoicing.
Long Live The Sandwich Maker!
Beef plate or beef brisket is soaked in a brine of salt, water, garlic, and a little sodium nitrite. After about 3 days, it is taken out of the brine and rubbed with black pepper and coriander. The meat is then smoked.
The etymology of the word pastrami is English pastrami < Yiddish pastrami < Romanian pastrama < some Turkish word (probably). This is the only clue I can offer as to where the recipe comes from.
However correct you are bibliophage, I still like Wonko’s answer better.
I think you’ll find that pastrami is spiced corned beef. The meat is fairly moist, and has the green/purple sheen of a salt/nitrate cure (think supermarket bacon). The spiceing includes salt, garlic, and minimal paprika. A slice might be the size of your hand, cut bacon thick, and the spice layer is very sparse. For New York style pastrami, coriander is a dominant spice.
‘Pastrami’ probably derives from ‘basturma’ (I know of Turkish and Armenian types though there may be others. We prefer Armenian.).
Basturma is cured, smoked and dried spiced beef, with a heavy emphasis on paprika (salt and garlic still present and accounted for though). A slice would be the size of your three middle fingers, and because the flavour is so intense it is usually cut so thin it is translucent. The spice layer is dense, and perhaps 3 to 5mm high.
Basturma is wonderful in scrambled eggs:
Ingredients
about 5 thin slices basturma, 2 eggs, butter, toast, optional chives.
Procedure
Melt butter on low heat in non-stick pan, break eggs into pan, stir, add chopped basturma as eggs firm. Add chopped chives just before serving if you are trying for pretty. Serve with buttered toast. (The recipe is actually my husband’s. The National Heart Foundation has him on their ‘wanted’ list).
::dons welding mask and asbestos gloves
And you gotta love pastrami with mayonaise! Yumm!
::removes protective gear
Paprika?! You can’t handle the paprika!
We’ve got an excellent Turkish restaurant here in Arlington that serves pastirma as an appetizer, basically in the form AKAmame described. Heavenly stuff, and while eating it I wondered if there was some connection between pastrami and pastirma, since they did seem similar in preparation.
Now I know. Thanks.