Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich

About This Recipe

Montreal smoked meat is a close cousin to pastrami but uses its own blend of spices, and the curing and smoking techniques are uniquely Québécois. A classic smoked meat sandwich from Schwartz's Deli features a towering pile of hand-sliced, steamed brisket on rye bread with yellow mustard — nothing else.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 2 kgbeef brisket, flat cut
• 50 gcoarse salt
• 10 gpink curing salt (Prague powder #1)
• 30 gbrown sugar
• 2 tbspcracked black pepper
• 1 tbspcoriander seeds, crushed
• 1 tbspmustard seeds
• 1 tspgarlic powder
• 1 tsppaprika
• 0.5 tspground allspice
• 16 slicesrye bread
• 4 tbspyellow mustard

Instructions

1. 1

   Cure the brisket

   Mix salts, sugar, pepper, coriander, mustard seeds, garlic powder, paprika, and allspice. Rub all over the brisket, pressing firmly. Place in a zip-lock bag or vacuum bag and refrigerate for 5–7 days, turning daily.

2. 2

   Rinse and dry rub

   Remove brisket from cure and rinse thoroughly. Pat dry. Apply a fresh coating of cracked pepper and coriander as the outer crust.

3. 3

   Smoke the brisket

   Smoke the brisket at 110°C using oak or hickory wood for 5–6 hours until an internal temperature of 75°C is reached and a bark has formed.

4. 4

   Steam until tender

   Transfer brisket to a steamer basket over a pot of simmering water. Steam for 1.5–2 hours until the internal temperature reaches 90°C and the brisket is probe-tender.

5. 5

   Slice and serve

   Slice brisket thinly against the grain by hand. Pile generously onto rye bread spread with yellow mustard. Serve with a dill pickle on the side.

Variations

• •

  Serve on a kaiser roll with coleslaw for a deli plate style.

• •

  Use the smoked meat in eggs benedict for a Montreal brunch classic.

Storage

Refrigerate sliced smoked meat up to 5 days. Freeze up to 3 months.