The Always Satisfying Pastrami Sandwich

Meat creations born out of necessity are a great thing: Beef jerky, for instance, or SPAM. We're not exactly cracking open cans of the stuff on a regular basis, but something happens to meat during the preservation process that makes it inexplicably, addictively tasty. One of the best examples of this effect is pastrami, a tough (and therefore super-flavorful) cut of beef like brisket or round that's brined, dried, spiced, smoked, and steamed. Kind of sounds like a spa treatment we could really sink our teeth into.

You won't encounter a New York-style deli that doesn't offer a classic pastrami on rye with spicy brown mustard. You will, in your journeys, encounter high-piled pastrami burgers of Greek immigrant origin and newfangled pastrami pizza which will instill in you an inexplicable love of mustard on your pie. But if you need to spice up your lunch routine and need a nudge in the right direction, head to your nearest purveyor of sliced meats and just try to order a pastrami on rye without smiling even a little.