Acoording to the Epicurious Food Dictionary, this deli favorite is: A highly seasoned beef made from a cut of plate, brisket or round. After the fat is trimmed, the meat's surface is rubbed with salt and a seasoning paste that can include garlic, ground peppercorns, cinnamon, red pepper, cloves, allspice and coriander seeds. The meat is dry-cured, smoked and cooked. A great column from Howstuffworks.com answers your very question and elaborates a bit more on the process of making pastrami. The site points out that pastrami is really corned beef that's been smoked. Some helpful links are included in the article
along with two recipes for making your own pastrami. True pastrami is made of beef, but turkey is a popular alternative. As one commercial site explains, turkey pastrami, along with turkey bologna and turkey salami, is often less expensive and more nutritious than the beef version. We also found recipes for making venison pastrami, salmon pastrami, and seitan pastrami (a vegetarian version).
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