Pastrami substitutes

The closest widely available option, because pastrami and corned beef start from the same brine cure on the same part of the animal. What corned beef lacks is the pepper and coriander crust and the smoking, so it tastes cleaner, saltier and more purely beefy, and the sandwich reads simpler and less aromatic.

Best for

Reuben and Rachel sandwiches, rye sandwiches with mustard, hash, sandwich platters

To close the gap, press coarsely cracked black pepper and crushed coriander seed in roughly equal parts onto the slices, then warm them in a dry pan for a minute a side. A drop of liquid smoke or a pinch of smoked paprika in the dressing adds the missing smoke. A corned beef Reuben is a classic sandwich in its own right, so you are not making a mistake here.

Essentially the same idea executed differently: brisket brine-cured with more coriander and less sugar, then smoked and steamed. It is often fattier and more peppery than New York pastrami and many people prefer it. In a sandwich it tastes slightly less sweet and more aromatic.

Best for

Reuben and Rachel sandwiches, rye with mustard, anywhere pastrami is called for

Ask for the medium or fatty cut rather than lean, which is the same advice as for pastrami. Steam or microwave the slices briefly, since like pastrami it is meant to be served hot.

Right smoke and right fat, wrong cure. Barbecue brisket is dry-rubbed rather than brined, so it tastes sweeter, more of paprika and smoke and less of the tangy salt-cure that gives pastrami its bite. Sliced very thin against the grain it makes an excellent sandwich, just one that reads as barbecue rather than deli.

Best for

hot sandwiches, Reuben-style sandwiches, hash and eggs, when a good barbecue place is closer than a deli

Skip any added salt in the sandwich, because barbecue rubs are already heavily salted. Slice as thin as you can manage while it is cold, then warm the slices, which is much easier than trying to slice it hot.

Turkey pastrami gets the cure and the pepper crust and only misses the beefiness, which makes it the best of the poultry options. Plain peppered smoked turkey is a step further away. Both are much leaner, so the sandwich is noticeably drier and less satisfying, and mustard and dressing taste sharper without fat to soften them.

Best for

lighter sandwiches, leaner eating, kosher-style and pork-free menus, when a deli only has turkey

Add an extra tablespoon of Russian dressing, mayonnaise or butter to the sandwich to make up for the missing fat, and use slightly more meat than you would pastrami, since it eats thinner.

The British and Jewish East End version of the same cure, sold in Jewish delis and often labelled salt beef. It is very close to corned beef, mild, salty and tender, with no pepper crust and no smoke. On rye with hot mustard it is excellent, and simply less aromatic than pastrami.

Best for

rye sandwiches with English mustard and pickles, Reubens, sandwich platters, salt beef bagels

Warm the slices in a little of their own liquor or steam them, since salt beef dries out fast at room temperature. Press pepper and coriander onto the slices if you want it closer to pastrami.

The honest weakest option and worth understanding before you try. Bresaola is air-dried beef, so it is intensely lean, dense and concentrated with no smoke at all, and peppered salami is fatty, fermented and tangy. Both are much stronger than pastrami by weight and neither can be piled high, so a sandwich made with them is a completely different sandwich.

Best for

antipasti and boards, small sandwiches, salads, when a deli case has no cured beef at all

Use half as much as the recipe says or the sandwich will be overpowering, and skip any added salt. Bresaola is best served at room temperature and does not benefit from warming, unlike pastrami.