Pastrami on Rye

Ingredients

• 2 lb sliced pastrami, cut 1/8 inch thick
• 8 slices seeded rye bread
• 1/4 cup deli-style brown mustard
• 8 half-sour pickle spears, for serving
• 1 tbsp caraway seeds, optional

Before you cook

• Separate the pastrami slices so they are not stuck together in a brick, which keeps the steam moving through them.
• Set up a steamer basket over an inch of water in a wide pot.
• Lay the rye slices out in pairs.

Steps

1. Bring the water in the pot to a simmer over medium heat.
2. Pile the pastrami loosely in the steamer basket, keeping it fluffy rather than packed.
3. Cover the pot and steam the meat for 5 minutes, until it is hot all the way through and the fat has turned translucent and soft.
4. Lift the lid and check that a slice tears easily when pulled, then steam 2 minutes longer if it still feels firm.
5. Toast the rye bread lightly, just until warm and barely colored, since heavy toasting fights the softness of the meat.
6. Spread brown mustard on one slice of each pair, going all the way to the crust.
7. Lift the hot pastrami out of the steamer with tongs and stack half a pound of it on each plain slice, folding the slices over themselves so the pile stands tall.
8. Sprinkle a few caraway seeds over the meat if you like.
9. Close each sandwich with the mustard slice and press down just enough to hold it together.
10. Cut each sandwich in half and serve with a half-sour pickle spear.