Katz's Deli pastrami
Katz's Deli pastrami
Surely there are debates on best pastrami in NY, but this is the one I tried when I visited. Mouth watering goodness!
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Katz pastrami is some of the best, imo. I'm sure you can find a small Jewish deli that does a better one off the beaten path, but it's hard to beat Katz!
I didn't go to Katz myself. So I can't compare. I went to 2nd Ave Deli. The owner, a small Jewish guy, came over and chatted with me and my wife a few times, gave us free chocolate sodas, and it was the best pastrami I've ever eaten. Would highly recommend it if you want a more relaxing experience.
I'm into brisket, and pastrami is no exception to that. I've had a lot of pastrami in my life and I've got to say that Katz is fucking killer.
I like to try to replicate things I really enjoy so that I can have it at home or fuse it with other food that I also enjoy. I spent months trying to replicate theirs and couldn't do it. Unfortunately I think the issue by the 3rd batch was that I couldn't smoke it at a low enough temperature to get 3 days of smoke on it.
I'm sad that I don't make it up to NY very often anymore so I haven't had it in a few years. I'm hoping to head up there next year.
I'm skeptical they actually smoke the meat for 3 days. my understanding is anything past 3-5 hours of smoke is not doing anything for flavor, and you're better off just steaming or baking at that point. IIRC they do finish with steam even after whatever smoke process they have, which further leads me to believe they aren't smoking for 3 days.
You're probably right, but man I sure did try. And I've made pastrami since then using more traditional times. I make pretty ok pastrami, but there's something in Katz's that I just love.
they also don't use brisket exactly, it's a slightly different cut, called belly or plate. something like that. not very easy to get a hold of.
They're using plate?!? That is harder to come by, but I have a source. I may give it another shot but it's been so long that I'm not sure I could try to replicate it.
I just found out you can order their pastrami online. I may order a pound and try again. Thank you so much for the info! Now I have months worth of pastrami testing to do.
Their reuben might be the best sandwich I've ever had. Just perfect.