One of the most iconic rom-com movie scenes of all time in “When Harry Met Sally,” filmed at the iconic Katz’s Deli. While you might be familiar with Meg Ryan’s compelling and order-inspiring performance, you might be less familiar with just how much prep goes into making what is arguably the historic delicatessen’s signature offering. Believe it or not, the pastrami-making process takes almost a solid month, and Katz’s goes through anywhere from 40,000 to 70,000 pounds of the treasured cured meat each week.
Day in and day out, crowds line the block at the corner of Houston and Ludlow Streets in Lower Manhattan, waiting, perhaps for what feels like a month, for their moment to be ushered inside and handed a ticket so they can shimmy up to the counter to order one of the restaurant’s massive sandwiches. Not all cured deli meats are created equal, and if you aren’t familiar with the differences between pastrami and corned beef, the short answer is that while both are made from beef brisket, corned beef is simply brined and boiled, while pastrami is brined, covered in spices, and then smoked. Katz’s sandwiches are so sizable, a good 12 ounces of meat each, that a running joke is that a whole family could practically share one.
The lengthy pastrami process in use since 1888
Katz’s makes its famous pastrami with the navel end of the brisket, which fifth-generation owner Jake Dell says is as much for tradition as for the integrity of the final product, thanks to its unctuous middle layer of fat (via YouTube). The meat is cured in pink salt for two to four weeks before being coated in a spice rub that creates an enviably dark, garlicky, and peppery exterior. The category-defining wood smoke comes next, followed by a boil that breaks down the connective tissue further until it jiggles. Finally, the powerfully seasoned hunks of beef make their way to the steamer behind the meat counter, where they’re sliced and doled out in stacked slabs to drooling diners.
It’s no wonder that people are more than happy to wait in line for a towering sandwich of such beefy goodness. While Los Angeles may lay claim to being the pastrami capital of the United States, OG NYC classic Katz’s is hard to beat. If you do make it to New York City for this bucket-list meal, don’t just order one, but do order judiciously so that you still have room for the coleslaw, pickles, and maybe even a potato pancake. Wash down that meaty, month-long labor of love with a Dr. Brown’s soda or a frothy egg cream, and whatever you do, don’t lose your ticket, or you’ll have to pay a hefty lost ticket fee before security will let you leave…