Pastrami is one of the most popular types of deli meats you can find at a Jewish delicatessen. It is made from the navel cut of beef or beef brisket and is cured with a spicy brine mixture before being smoked for a specific time with a dry spice rub.
Jewish delis in New York City are famous for the pastrami curing and smoking processes that produce the country’s most flavorful and juicy pastrami. Pastrami in Jewish delis is served fresh and can be paired with rye bread and other condiments like mustard, pickles, coleslaw, etc.
If you are a New Yorker who is nostalgic for the delicious texture and spicy taste of pastrami in another state or just someone craving some high-quality pastrami in your sandwich, you need to check out some of the most popular pastrami brands available in supermarkets and grocery stores.
Many of these pastrami brands offer smoked and cured pastrami online, which can be purchased directly from their store’s website. Although they don’t carry the same juiciness and flavor of fresh pastrami, they are delicious in their own way and can be enjoyed in several ways. You can add these brands of pastrami to a sandwich, burger, or salad, or enjoy them on their own with a few condiments of your choice.
Here are our top picks for the best pastrami brands in the USA that produce great smoked and seasoned pastrami for all:
The Best Pastrami Brands You Need to Try
1. Boar’s Head First-Cut Pastrami Brisket
Boar’s Head is one of the best brands that serve premium quality deli meats, cold cuts, charcuterie meats, sausages, and so much more. The company also offers excellent recipes that can be tried with their products for a delicious and filling meal.
If you want to try a premium quality pastrami, you need to try Boar’s Head First-Cut Pastrami Brisket. This flavorful pastrami is coated with a traditional blend of spices and smoked slowly for perfection.
Each slice of the Boar’s Head First-Cut Pastrami Brisket is well-seasoned and delightfully moist and juicy. If you are looking for an authentic New York deli peppery pastrami, you would love this large tender piece of Boar’s Head First-Cut Pastrami Brisket that is free of MSG, gluten, and milk ingredients.
You can slice the brisket to your preference (thin or thick) and enjoy the fresh taste and texture along with rye bread, Russian dressing, sauerkraut, pickles, or mustard.
The nutritional value for 2 ounces of Boar’s Head First-Cut Pastrami Brisket is given as follows:
| Calories | 90 |
| Total Fat | 4 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1.5 g |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 2 g |
| Fiber | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 30 mg |
| Sugar | 0 g |
| Sodium | 670 mg |
| Carbohydrates | 2 g |
| Iron | 8% |
| Protein | 12 g |
2. Prima Della Delicatessen Pastrami
Walmart offers a great line of cold cuts and deli meats made from exceptional quality ingredients called Prima Della. The products from the Prima Della range include Black Angus Roast Beef, Angus Corned Beef, Beef Pastrami, and so many more. This Prima Della line is only available at Walmart’s supercenter stores, where you can easily purchase your choice of deli meat.
Prima Della pastrami is one of the most delicious types of packaged pastrami you will ever try. The brand nails the smoky and salty texture of pastrami with a mouth-watering spice rub on its exterior. Aside from that, the pastrami is quite lean yet not completely dry, making for a bold and intense meaty flavor. Fans of the Prima Della pastrami love the soft and sweet taste of the meat and have praised how it makes the pastrami taste even fresher and more delicious.
You can easily enjoy Prima Della pastrami on a Reuben sandwich, burger, salad, or with your favorite type of cheese. For a serving size of 2 ounces, the Prima Della pastrami has the following nutritional value:
| Calories | 90 |
| Fat | 3.5 g |
| Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Sodium | 460 mg |
| Carbohydrates | 0 g |
| Protein | 15 g |
3. Trader Joe’s Uncured Pastrami
Just like Walmart, Trader Joe’s also offers a range of cold cuts and deli meats at its stores, and one of the most prominent products from their range is Trader Joe’s Uncured pastrami.
Similar to Prima Della pastrami, Trader Joe’s uncured pastrami has great pastrami flavor owing to the delicious seasoning on its edges. Although it is a bit drier than Prima Della, it has a richer beef taste due to the meat’s slight marbling.
Pastrami aficionados would love a pastrami sandwich containing Trader Joe’s uncured pastrami with some mustard on top with delicious rye bread. Aside from that, Trader Joe’s pastrami offers an excellent value for price and smoky flavor that can be enjoyed at family gatherings, placed on a sandwich board, or taken on camping trips to the mountains.
For a similar serving size of 2 ounces, Trader Joe’s pastrami has the following nutritional value:
| Calories | 80 |
| Fat | 2 g |
| Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 0 g |
| Sodium | 340 mg |
| Carbohydrates | 2 g |
| Protein | 13 g |
4. Columbus Naturally Smoked Pastrami
Columbus Craft Meats is a food processing company in America that has been making cold cuts, deli meats, charcuterie meats, and more for almost 100 years. Their experience can be noted by the range of products they offer customers and the high-quality ingredients used in their pastrami, roast beef, and salami.
Columbus Naturally Smoked pastrami is one that comes closest to tasting like the pastrami available fresh at the deli. It is not for the faint-hearted since it is quite salty and has a variety of seasonings on its edges. Nevertheless, it is wonderfully aromatic and has been called the perfect blend of fat and lean meat.
The Columbus Naturally Smoked pastrami goes along well in a sandwich with mustard, sweet relish, and other classic condiments. You can enjoy it with a cold glass of beer or soft drink to balance out the saltiness of the pastrami.
For two ounces of Columbus Naturally Smoked Pastrami, the nutritional value is as follows:
| Calories | 80 |
| Fat | 2.5 g |
| Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Sodium | 390 mg |
| Carbohydrates | 1 g |
| Protein | 12 g |
5. Saag’s Pastrami
Saag’s Artisan Meats offers a wide variety of cured, smoked, and canned meats. They mainly serve customers in the USA and have products containing beef, chicken, turkey, and pork products. Pastrami is not recommended for people who have blood pressure problems or who are watching their sodium levels. The brining process used to cure pastrami contains a lot of salt, and even if you use organic meat for the pastrami, it is bound to be very unhealthy for you.
Saag’s pastrami is a great option if you are looking for a healthy pastrami option. It contains low amounts of fat, lesser calories, and more nourishing proteins. Aside from that, Saag’s pastrami is made from Choice beef, which is one of the better cuts of meat available.
For two ounces of Saag’s pastrami, the nutritional value is as follows:
| Calories | 80 |
| Fat | 3 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 0 g |
| Sodium | 560 mg |
| Carbohydrates | 1 g |
| Protein | 12 g |
Pastrami Brands – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is a Reuben sandwich made from corned beef or pastrami?
Typically, a Reuben sandwich is made from corned beef, sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing, or Russian dressing on top of plain or marble rye bread. Nevertheless, you can substitute corned beef with pastrami as well for a more flavor-rich experience. Although it wouldn’t be a classic Reuben sandwich, it would taste just as fantastic as the real deal.
Is Boar Head’s pastrami beef or pork?
Just like traditional pastrami available at Jewish delis, Boar Head’s pastrami is made from premium quality beef.
What is the healthiest pastrami to eat?
The healthiest type of pastrami you could eat is Turkey pastrami. Turkey pastrami is a healthier substitute for fatty and sodium-laden beef pastrami since it contains less saturated fats and lower calories.
The Best Lunch Meat to Buy at The Grocery Store…And What to Avoid!
Even though lunch meats are processed, you can still find some really high-quality ones; it’s all about reading the ingredients, as usual. You should do your best to look for turkey, chicken, or even ham that contains minimal added ingredients and is free of preservatives.
Applegate is often considered the best when it comes to the lunch section aisle, but Oscar Mayer Naturals also offers decent lunch meat. You can also consider the meat from ALDI, and Trader Joe’s. Most deli meats are full preservatives that shouldn’t be a part of your regular meals as they contain large quantities of salt/brine, and fillers. Buy the best quality lunch meat you can find; it’s worth putting good ingredients in your body!
Summary
There is a large variety of pastrami brands you can try from your nearest stores if you are looking for the same fresh taste of pastrami from Jewish delis.
Although packaged pastrami might not taste exactly like the one available fresh at an NYC deli, the smokiness and delicious flavor would definitely delight your tastebuds.
Taste some pastrami from the brands mentioned above with rye bread and a few classic condiments to satisfy your cravings.
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My name is Jay and I started this website to share my love of Deli Food. I am Jewish with Italian ancestry and grandparents who emigrated to the US from Poland, Russia and Turkey. This website is my celebration of the delicious flavors of international deli culture. Please feel free to send me your suggestions and feedback through the contact form.
