You can create the complex flavors and tender texture that will bring kudos from others at the dinner table while you get deeper in touch with your inner chef.

The first time you make corned beef or pastrami from scratch, you may want to rely on a kit of ingredients and instructions that walks you through the process of curing and cooking a brisket (the base of corned beef and pastrami). Even professional chefs use this Corned Beef & Pastrami Kit from Leener’s.

The kit comes with everything you need except the brisket: Morton Tender Quick, a very effective meat tenderizer, curing salts, plus spices, wood chips and a tenderizing tool. While you can certainly come up with your own tenderizer, black pepper, garlic powder, mustard seed, paprika and and other spices, this Make It kit is a turnkey cookbooks with simple instructions.

There’s enough in each kit for up to 10 pounds of brisket. The only caveat is that you need to cure the seasoned meat in the fridge for five days per each inch of meat thickness. In our packed apartment-size fridge, we’d have to toss all the condiments to make space!

It took Leener’s, which specializes in “Make It” kits, six months to perfect the Corned Beef and Pastrami Kit. “We tried many recipes and methods of making corned beef and found that the traditional brine method produces the highest quality corned beef possible,” says company president Jim Leverentz. “Our goal is to bring back the old-fashioned goodness and flavors of a more patient time along with the satisfaction of making it yourself. You will be enjoying the best corned beef and pastrami sandwiches you have ever eaten.” (EDITOR’S NOTE: Although it goes without saying, you also need a top-quality brisket.)

In fact, the company also makes kits for the other ingredients of a Reuben sandwich: an Artisan Bread Kit to make deli-style rye, a Sauerkraut and Dill Pickle Kit, a Deluxe Cheese Kit for the Swiss cheese and a Mustard Making Kit. Pair the Reuben with your choice of brews from Leener’s Home Brewery System.

The Corned Beef & Pastrami Kit is sold in a four-pack for $32.95, or $8.00 and change per brisket. You can give any extra kits to people who invite you over for barbecue or other meat-centric meals. Kits are also fun gifts for anyone who likes to cook.

Get your kits now.
BRISKET 101: A beef brisket consists of two parts, the flat and the point. Traditionally the flat is used to make corned beef for slicing. The point, while cured in the same way, is smoked to make pastrami.
  

[1] Grilled catfish with ancho-chile rub and lemon-cayenne white wine sauce. The recipe follows (photo: The Nibble).

[2] Ancho chiles are dried poblanos (photo © Rancho Gordo.).

[3] Poblano chiles (photo © Rio Luna).

[4] Ancho chile powder (photo © Savory Spice Shop).

[5] A simple preparation: Parsley leaves, cherry tomatoes and lime juice make a salad topping for catfish. You can do a mixture of parsley and cilantro, and/or add a bit of EVOO, as well (photo © Whole FoodsMarket).

[6] Crunchy and delicious: pretzel-crusted catfish. Here’s the recipe (photo © Taste Of Home).

Updated June 2026

Chefs nationwide are adding catfish dishes to their menus today, June 25th, National Catfish Day.

The catfish, one of the world’s least attractive fishes, gets its name from the long barbels (feelers) hanging down from around its mouth, which resemble a cat’s whiskers (but far less cute). Catfish are found worldwide: Most catfish are freshwater, though there is also a saltwater variety found on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

The majority of catfish sold today in the U.S. are farmed in ponds in the Mississippi Delta.

Looks apart, a catfish is a tasty fellow, low-fat with firm, mild-flavored flesh (though the tough, inedible skin must be removed before cooking). Catfish is versatile, and suited to most manners of preparation, including soups and stews. Much of the time, it’s filleted and fried, grilled, or sautéed.

A Southern Tradition

Fried catfish in a deeply traditional dish in the American South, traditionally served with hush puppies (small cornmeal fritters), coleslaw, collard or turnip greens, and a choice of condiments: hot sauce, tartar sauce, or malt vinegar (photo #7 below).

But we’ve elevated the experience for you, thanks to Executive Chef Sandy Ingber of the famous Grand Central Oyster Bar, located “below sea level” at Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

He shares his National Catfish Day recipe so you can whip it up at home.

Sweet tea, beer, and Coca-Cola are traditional Southern beverage pairings, but we recommend a crisp Sauvignon Blanc or an unoaked Chardonnay.

Below:

> Recipe: Grilled Catfish With Espresso Ancho Rub & Lemon-Cayenne Sauce.

> Recipe: Espresso-Ancho Rub.

> Recipe: Lemon Cayenne Vin Blanc Sauce.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The different types of fish and seafood: a photo glossary.

> The different types of chile peppers: a photo glossary.

> The history of chile peppers.

> The year’s 56 fish and seafood holidays.
 

[7] The traditional fried catfish and hush puppies. Here’s the recipe (photo © Taste of Home).
 
 
RECIPE #1: GRILLED CATFISH FILET WITH ESPRESSO-ANCHO RUB & LEMON CAYENNE SAUCE

For sides, serve the catfish with brown rice and cornbread—both whole grain foods (especially stone-ground cornmeal), and a side salad.

For some green elegance, add a few spears asparagus or broccoli rabe.

Ingredients For 6 Servings

 
Preparation

1. Rub all catfish filets with the espresso-ancho rub (below). Shake off excess.

2. Heat grill to medium hot. Dip rubbed filets into a small amount of oil and place them on the grill. Cook fairly slowly until browned on one side, about 5 minutes, being careful not to burn.

Flip over and repeat. Catfish should be cooked all the way through.

3. Put on a plate and serve with 2 ounces of sauce per person.
 
 
RECIPE #2: ESPRESSO-ANCHO RUB

Ingredients

 
Preparation

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. The rub can be made up to one week ahead, covered, and stored at room temperature.

Vin blanc is one of the mother sauceswe presented a few months ago. It’s a key ingredient of Coquilles St. Jacques and Oysters Rockefeller. After you make it the first time, you’ll find many ways to use it with fish, seafood, and poultry. This recipe makes about 1-1/3 cups.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. Combine the wine and shallots in a saucepan and bring to a full boil. Reduce by half. Add the water, cream, and bouillon and return to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until it smells toasty, about 1 minute. Don’t let the flour brown. Now you have a roux (pronounced ROO).

3. Add about half of the liquid and stir well to dissolve the roux. Stir in the rest of the liquid and bring to a simmer.

4. Add cayenne pepper, which you liquefy with 1 teaspoon of water. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Finish with the lemon juice. Strain the sauce through a fine strainer.

Let us know if you think it’s the cat[fish]’s meow.
 

[8] Classic fried catfish with ancho aïoli. Here’s the recipe (photo © Taste Of Home).
 
 

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“Summertime is about simplicity,” says TV chef and “Chopped” judge Alex Guarnaschelli, as she shared these summer dessert ideas with us (originally published in The Daily Meal).