Traditional pastrami comes from the "beef navel". Despite the tradition, most pastrami that you see these days is made from brisket and mostly the flat, which is really, really lean in comparison to the point and especially the navel. The navel appears closer to pork belly than brisket when talking about meat and fat distribution.

I am sure there are butcher shops that offer the fresh navel pastrami but you won't find it in your traditional supermarket. The beef navel packs the flavor due to the interwoven fat tissue. It is a beautiful cut of meat.

The curing process used in prior versions of pastrami is no different. The navel was brined for 4 days, dried for one, rolled in coriander, black pepper, and pimenton, and, on a day when the temps never reached 20 degrees, smoked for nearly 6 hours. With temperatures so low, the navel never reached the desired temp of 160 degrees, but peaked at just under 150 degrees. The benefit of this is that the pastrami was exposed to a great deal more smoke without rendering a great deal of the fat. After the smoking period ended, the pastrami was chilled and sliced.

If you want to taste real beef plate flavor you've got to try pastrami that was cut from the navel.