Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich

About This Recipe

Montreal smoked meat is a spiced, brined and smoked beef brisket, sliced thick by hand and piled generously between two slices of light rye bread with nothing more than yellow mustard — a deliberately simple presentation that lets the meat itself do all the talking. Brought to Montreal by Eastern European Jewish immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it developed its own distinct identity from New York pastrami through a different spice rub, heavier on black pepper and coriander, and a longer, gentler smoke. The brisket is brined for a week or more, coated in a cracked pepper and coriander rub, then smoked low and slow before being steamed to finish, a two-stage process that keeps it moist while still developing a firm, dark, peppery crust. Delis like Schwartz's slice it to order, cutting fatty or lean depending on the customer's preference, and pile it absurdly high — a proper Montreal smoked meat sandwich should barely close. Home versions can't replicate a week-long brine and commercial smoker overnight, but a shortcut version using a pre-brined brisket or corned beef, heavily re-seasoned and smoked or slow-roasted, gets remarkably close to the real thing.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 2 kgbeef brisket(or pre-corned beef brisket)
• 3 tbspcoarsely cracked black pepper
• 2 tbspcoriander seeds(crushed)
• 1 tbsppaprika
• 1 tbspbrown sugar
• 2 tspgarlic powder
• 1 tspmustard powder
• 12 sliceslight rye bread
• 0.5 cupyellow mustard

Instructions

1. 1

   Rub the brisket

   Combine cracked pepper, coriander, paprika, brown sugar, garlic powder and mustard powder. Rub thoroughly over the whole brisket, pressing it into the surface.

2. 2

   Smoke or slow-roast

   Smoke at 110°C (225°F) for 5-6 hours, or slow-roast covered in an oven at the same temperature, until internal temperature reaches 90°C and the meat is fork-tender.

   The heavier pepper-and-coriander crust is what distinguishes Montreal smoked meat from New York pastrami — don't skimp on it.

3. 3

   Steam to finish

   Wrap the brisket in foil with a splash of water and steam over a pot of simmering water (or in a covered dish in a low oven) for 45-60 minutes to soften further.

4. 4

   Rest and slice

   Rest 15 minutes, then hand-slice against the grain into thick slices.

5. 5

   Assemble the sandwich

   Spread yellow mustard generously on rye bread. Pile the smoked meat high — at least 200g per sandwich — and close.

Variations

• •

  Use a pre-made corned beef brisket as a shortcut base, re-seasoning it heavily and smoking for 2-3 hours instead of brining from scratch.

• •

  Ask for 'medium fat' at a real deli, or leave some fat cap on your homemade version — it's what keeps the meat from drying out.

• •

  Serve with a side of dill pickles and fries, the classic Montreal deli combination.

Storage

Refrigerate sliced smoked meat up to 4 days. Reheat gently by steaming over simmering water for a few minutes to restore moisture; microwaving dries it out.

Frequently Asked Questions