Food - Drink
Is There A Nutritional Difference Between Pastrami And Corned Beef?
By LAUREN CAHN
Pastrami and corned beef both consist of cuts of beef that are dry-brined and seasoned before they are cooked and sliced, and these cuts can be found at most well-stocked American delis. However, these sandwich staples are not as similar as they seem, both in terms of preparation and nutritional content.
After pastrami is done brining in salt, the meat is dried, rubbed with more salt and spices, smoked, and steamed, while corned beef's brine is rinsed off before the meat is boiled. This means that pastrami is higher in sodium (630 mg per 2 oz.) than corned beef (490 mg per 2 oz.), according to nutritional facts from food market H-E-B.
Pastrami can be made from various types of meat, but most pastrami in the U.S. is made from beef brisket, the same cut used for corned beef. However, brisket is actually composed of two distinct cuts of meat, with one being richer than the other, so fat and protein content in a brand's corned beef versus its pastrami can vary.
If we narrow it down and only examine H-E-B's products, pastrami has more fat at 3 grams per 2 oz. serving, while corned beef has 2.5 grams of fat, but 5 mg more cholesterol. Another difference is that corned beef contains no sugar, while the pastrami has 1 gram of added sugar, likely because its spice rub includes sugar.
