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Hot Pastrami Sandwich

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sandwiches•jewish•contains meat
15 minutes•2 sandwiches•

Ingredients

  • 2 cups water
  • 16 ounces pastrami – deli-sliced
  • 4 slices seeded rye bread
  • 3 tbsp deli mustard
  • kosher dill pickles – spears (for serving)
Hot Pastrami Sandwich

Instructions

  1. 1.

    Pour the water into a pot fitted with a steamer basket and bring to a steady simmer over medium heat.

  2. 2.

    Loosen and separate the pastrami slices so steam can circulate, then place them in the steamer basket. Cover and steam until hot, supple, and glistening, 5–8 minutes, tossing once halfway; the meat should be steaming hot throughout.

  3. 3.

    Warm the rye bread until just pliable: set the slices over the steamer for 20–30 seconds, or heat in a dry skillet over medium heat 30–60 seconds per side until warmed but not crisp.

  4. 4.

    Spread the deli mustard evenly on one side of each slice of warmed rye bread.

  5. 5.

    Mound half the hot pastrami onto two prepared bread slices, piling it high and even. Cap with the remaining slices, mustard side down, and press gently to set.

  6. 6.

    Halve if desired and serve immediately with kosher dill pickle spears.

A hot pastrami sandwich is a deli icon built on contrasts: meltingly tender, spice-crusted beef piled high on warm, fragrant seeded rye with a sharp swipe of mustard. The meat is heated until supple so its peppery bark and smoky, cured interior bloom with aroma. Each bite balances warmth, juiciness, and gentle spice against chewy, caraway-studded bread.

Born of Jewish delicatessen culture, the sandwich traces to Romanian Jewish immigrants who brought cured and spiced meats to New York in the late 19th century. In delis, fully cooked pastrami is traditionally steamed to order, sliced, and stacked generously. Over time it became a staple of American deli fare, emblematic of New York’s foodways and celebrated wherever Jewish delicatessens took root.