Who doesn't crave a good pastrami sandwich? It's a deli
staple, maybe the reigning monarch of high deli, but it can be hard to find one
that's perfect - juicy, tender, and warm (and not full of weird chemicals that
you worry will take up permanent residence in your body fat). The quest for the
best is something we foodies can understand, but for the quest to become the
basis of a full-blown mid-life crisis, for that you'd have to be crazy. Or be
Dan Estridge, of Westford, MA, president of NYDP, the New York Deli Patrol, who
has spent the last three years perfecting artisan pastrami worthy of the Golden
Age of New York deli meats.
How did deli become your life? I was in high tech
for years, but food was in my blood. My grandfather used to drive a horse-drawn
carriage delivering meats to Barney Greengrass - even then it was
considered the best deli in New York. My father used to drive me all over the
Lower East Side, visiting delis. "Taste this," he'd say. "Smell that." A few
years ago, I became aware that it wasn't just that it was hard to get a good
deli sandwich. Deli food was going away! No one knew how to cook it anymore.
Real pastrami, real corned beef could disappear forever! I had to stem the tide
of the disappearance of these great foods.
What's so hard about pastrami? It isn't just
about getting the right high-quality beef or finding the right pink salt. It's
a delicate cooking process, and to get it right - tooth tender like a beef
carpaccio - requires a long cooking process. The problem is that so many people
have had mediocre pastrami that they have no idea how good it can be.
How do I tell good pastrami from a mediocre one?
Pastrami should never be rubbery, or taste waterlogged, or overly salty. It
should be juicy, succulent, and tender, and you should be able to taste the spice.
No one tastes a NYDP pastrami and just says, "It's okay." I brought a sample to
Alan Dershowitz at his office, and he loved it. Now there's "The Dersh"
sandwich on the menu at The Bleacher Bar at Fenway.
What's the future for pastrami? I think it's bright.
But people have to value it like any other artisanal, local product - as an
indulgence, like an oyster or a really great smoked salmon, not as a
supermarket commodity. People think nothing of paying $40 for a pound of
truffles or $15 for a hand-crafted cheese; we need to get them to think of
excellent deli the same way. Not as a commodity. Pastrami isn't only for big
meaty sandwiches. We like to serve it sliced it in one long piece, so thin you
can see through it, with toast points and crème fraîche. It blows their minds.
What are your other food pet peeves? Well, we
also make roast beef, corned beef, and turkey. You wouldn't believe what most
supermarkets sell for roast turkey! Look at the size of those slices of turkey
breast. What animal did they come from? A pterodactyl?
-Louisa Kasdon
For more information about where to
find NYDP meats, visit moreflavorperpound.com.
