Pastrami, the low-calorie treat

[Fat Guy]

The other day some friends and I were speculating about the number of calories in a pastrami sandwich from the local Jewish deli that makes obscenely large sandwiches. The sandwich contained about 12 ounces of pastrami.

How many calories do you think are in 12 ounces of pastrami? I figured about 1,200, not to mention the bread (the mustard contribution is de minimus)?

I was surprised at the results of a Google search. While there might be variations from establishment to establishment, when you check the calorie count of commercial pastrami products the numbers are surprisingly low.

So, for example, Carnegie Deli Fully Cooked USDA Choice Pastrami rings in at 40 calories per ounce. That's right, a 3-ounce serving is 120 calories. Making our 12-ounce giant sandwich less than 500 calories of meat, plus whatever the bread contributes. This number, or close to it, shows up on the various "nutrition facts" labels I was able to find online.

I'm surprised.

[Kent Wang]

I suppose it depends how fatty the cut is; but at Katz's I believe you can (and should) ask for the fatty cut?

Either way, I think pastrami is similar to beef jerky, which is also fairly low in calories.

[Toliver]

That's interesting about the caloric content. Who knew?

How does the sodium content compare? I'd guess it's higher than, say, sliced roast beef.

[scubadoo97]

I've been buying Crown brand corned beef and rubbing and smoking them to make pastrami. The Crown brand weighs in at 110 calories/4oz with 220mg of sodium per serving. I give these a day or two soak in water to significantly reduce the sodium level. If not, even at this low sodium level compared to other brands it is still too salty for me and I don't shy away from the salt shaker.