Has anyone ever tried making homemade pastrami that doesn’t involve a smoker?'I am craving it so badly since moving from NY and there are no Jewish Delis here in Seattle area where I could buy some.
@CCE seems to have tried his hands at it some time ago. Maybe he’s got some input 
While I know you’re asking about making your own pastrami, wouldn’t Dingfelder’s Deli work for you? Owner was born and raised in NYC and his parents were restaurant owners there, and he’s been in the food service business for a long time.
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My advice is to buy a corned beef and put your own pastrami crust on it and then steam and slice. I have brined and smoked a lot of pastrami in my time and it is a special thing to make your own from the cure all the way through, but a good commercial corned beef with pastrami seasoning crust is also exceptional.
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And this is certainly the right time of year to find corned beef everywhere!
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If you wait at least two weeks, they’re usually cheaper!
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[My advice is to buy a corned beef and put your own pastrami crust on it and then steam and slice.
Usually what I do!
This one started sous vide
.. but both involved smoking. The best thing about moving here from New York is I get to have a smoker! Okay maybe not the best part, but definitely top ten.
Worst part is I need to have one. 
Several years ago I made pastrami starting with corned beef using inspiration from both Serious Eats and Meathead, but I finished it in my smoker. I did like the result, but I’m not sure I’ll do it again. We just don’t eat that much red meat at the ricepad pad, so I froze most of it, and it took about five years to go through it.
ETA: Isn’t smoking pretty much a requirement for pastrami?
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Pastrami is smoked, but “Pastrami” isn’t always very smokey. I prefer it more like Montreal Smoked Meat. But, I think with enough garlic, pepper and coriander wrapped around it, you would still get a pretty delicious slab of sandwich goodness without smoking it. It wouldn’t be 100% ‘authentic’. FWIW I am particularly fond of dry cured Corned Beef for Pastrami.
A smoker is one of an Onion’s most useful toys, IMO! At this moment, I have 20 lbs of pork butt chugging away, which I’ll pull and freeze in 1 lb packages for later use (tacos, enchiladas, PP sandwiches, etc).
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A few times when I’ve made a fully homemade corned beef (from scratch, dry cured with pink salt/spices) I’ve added a good amount of smoked paprika to the mix. If you’re using the flat the smoke flavor will absorb pretty well. Someone mentioned sous vide above, and I found that I really like it cooked 48h at ~64C. This will produce a smoky tasting “pastrami-esque” thing, especially with the added spice bark/crust recommended above, that definitely beats anything you can get in a local grocery store…but it’s not really in the league of some real-deal NYC stuff.
I think it might be easier just to book a flight to LA. Lots of good delis there!
Still “lots”? And that would mean renting a car and driving. I had some delivered to my hotel from Langer’s once, but the hours seem pretty limited. I’ll be back next week! Any suggestions for GrubHub (or similar) delivery after 7?
Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that I’m at all an expert on the delis in LA. Have eaten at some good delis there on various visits, and I remember reading an article a few years ago arguing that LA is a far better deli town than NYC. Figured same coast, easy flight..? 
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No worries. I was just hoping for a convenient lead!
