Slow Cooker Pastrami
No Comments May 29, 2024
Updated Mar 07, 2025
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Our Slow Cooker Pastrami is made with corned beef, a variety of seasonings, a light beer, and liquid smoke for a delicious meal everyone is sure to love. Grab your crockpot and get ready to make a meal that’s low maintenance but high in flavor!
Table of Contents
Making home pastrami sandwiches is easy peasy and quick to whip up. You’ll also enjoy the versatility of this meal. If someone doesn’t want it on sandwiches, it can be served alongside mashed potatoes or even on top. Lay the slices on top of a salad for a healthy meal option, too! This is a meal your whole family will love.
What you need:
- Corned Beef: I suggest purchasing a flat cut 4 lbs. corned beef. It will yield enough for several sandwiches and leftovers. You can use any cut of corned beef such as point cut. This is the same meat I use in my Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe.
- Spice Packet: Keep the spice packet that comes with the corned beef.
- Seasonings: Onion powder, brown sugar, ground black pepper, whole peeled garlic cloves, and hickory liquid smoke make the perfect spice mixture.
- Beer: You can use any beer but I prefer to use a light beer.
- Water: Adds to the cooking liquid. (The full recipe is below the photos on the recipe card.)
How to Make Pastrami in a Crockpot:
Step One – Rinse the corned beef VERY well and place it in the slow cooker. Add the spice packet, onion powder, brown sugar and black pepper over the corned beef. Then place the garlic cloves on top.
Step Two – Next add the beer, water and hickory liquid smoke.
Step Three – Cover and slow cook on LOW for 7-8 hours.
Step Four – Remove the corned beef onto a cutting board. Let rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice thinly with a knife. Place the sliced beef back into the crockpot to keep warm. Serve the slow cooker pastrami sandwiches with sides of your choice and enjoy!
Variations:
Here are some simple ways to tweak the flavors to suit your taste:
- For a sweeter pastrami, double or triple the brown sugar.
- If you are a garlic lover, increase the garlic to 8 cloves (keep them whole).
- Beer can be skiped, use broth or additional water instead. A splash of whiskey can be added instead for added flavor.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve this meal sandwich style on marble rye bread topped with thousand island dressing, swiss cheese, and sauerkraut – making it into a Reuben sandwich. It can also be served on a hoagie roll.
- As for sides, these sandwiches pair perfectly with a handful of chips, French fries, or a nice helping of mashed potatoes.
- For low carb, skip the bread and serve over coleslaw or steamed vegetables.
- Use the leftover pastrami in a hash for breakfast. Or make my crockpot corned beef hash.
Recipe FAQs
Place any remaining beef in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
I like flat cut for it’s usually a larger piece of meat, but point cut works just as well.
Yes! There is a slime on the meat that is full of too much sodium for this recipe. Rinse under running water, and pat dry.
More St. Patrick’s Day Recipes
- A festive way to celebrate the day is with my bold Guinness Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe!
- A unique cozy recipe we love to make is creamy corned beef and cabbage soup!
- My special recipe for Maple Mustard Corned Beef is sweet and savory, great over Slow Cooker Colcannon potatoes.
- If you love the flavors of a Reuben, try my Slow Cooker Reuben dip, or this lighter recipe for Chicken Reuben Casserole.
Slow Cooker Pastrami Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 lbs. corned beef, I use flat cut
- spice packet that comes with the corned beef
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled, but left whole
- 12 oz. beer
- 3 cups water
- 1 tsp. hickory liquid smoke
For serving
- marble rye
- thousand island dressing
- swiss cheese
- sauerkraut
Instructions
- Rinse the corned beef VERY well. This will get a lot of the salt off of it.
- Add the corned beef to the slow cooker.
- Add the spice packet, onion powder, brown sugar and black pepper over the corned beef. Add the garlic cloves.
- Next add the beer, water and hickory liquid smoke.
- Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours.
- Remove the corned beef onto a cutting board. Let rest for 5-10 minutes. Cut with a knife and serve!
Sarah’s Notes
- Nutritional values do not include bread or toppings, it’s just for the pastrami.
- Rinsing the corned beef is necessary, it takes the excess sodium out of the meat.
- Place any remaining beef in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- I like flat cut for it’s usually a larger piece of meat, but point cut works just as well.
- For a sweeter pastrami, double or triple the brown sugar.
- If you are a garlic lover, increase the garlic to 8 cloves (keep them whole).
- Beer can be skiped, use broth or additional water instead. A splash of whiskey can be added instead for added flavor.
- Serve this meal sandwich style on marble rye bread topped with thousand island dressing, swiss cheese, and sauerkraut – making it into a Reuben sandwich. It can also be served on a hoagie roll.
- As for sides, these sandwiches pair perfectly with a handful of chips, French fries, or a nice helping of mashed potatoes.
- For low carb, skip the bread and serve over coleslaw or steamed vegetables.
- Use the leftover pastrami in a hash for breakfast.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
