Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich
Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich Say it: mahn-tree-AWL smohkt MEET
Montreal smoked meat is brisket cured with salt, curing salt and pickling spices, smoked until mahogany-dark, then steamed until it turns silky and sliceable. It is the city's deli signature, piled warm on rye bread with yellow mustard and a dill pickle. The flavour is peppery, gently smoky, garlicky and rich but never harsh, with a pink cure running right through the meat. It takes a week of patience, but the result is a sandwich that tastes like Montreal itself.
Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich
Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich
Pronounced mahn-tree-AWL smohkt MEET
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 5 hr 30 min
- Total
- 6 hr
- Level
- Advanced
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, mustard. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the cure
For the rub, smoking and steaming
To serve
Method
Mix the salt, Prague powder, brown sugar, cracked pepper, coriander, mustard seeds, bay leaves, allspice, cloves and garlic powder in a small bowl until evenly combined and evenly red-flecked.
Pat the brisket dry, then rub the cure over every surface, pressing it into the meat and working it well into the fat cap. Seal in a zip-top bag or a snug lidded container and set it on a plate in the fridge.
Cure for 5 to 7 days, turning the brisket and rubbing the cure back over it once a day. It is ready when the meat feels firm to the touch and a slice cut from the centre is rosy pink all the way through, with no grey core.
Rinse the brisket under cold water, then soak it in a bowl of cold water for 1 hour, changing the water once. Pat dry, cut off a thin sliver, fry it and taste it; if it is too salty, soak for another 30 minutes.
Coat the brisket all over with the 2 tbsp cracked pepper and 1 tbsp cracked coriander, pressing the rub in so it clings to the damp surface.
Heat a smoker to 225°F (110°C) with the soaked oak or hickory. Smoke the brisket fat side up for 3 to 4 hours, until the surface is dark mahogany and the meat reads 165°F (74°C) at the thickest point.
Set the brisket on a rack in a roasting pan, add the pickling spice to 2 inches (5 cm) of simmering water below it, cover tightly with foil and steam over low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until it reaches 200°F (93°C) and a skewer slides in with almost no resistance.
Rest the meat for 20 minutes, then slice thinly across the grain, keeping some of the fat with each slice and trimming away only the hardest bits of bark.
Pile the warm slices high on rye bread, spread the top slice with yellow mustard, close the sandwich and serve with dill pickles.
Regional variants
Deli counters sell the sandwich as lean, medium or fatty depending on the cut of brisket used, and a modern Montreal version tops fries with curds, gravy and chopped smoked meat for smoked meat poutine.
Cook's notes
- Always fry and taste a sliver after soaking; saltiness varies with the salt you use and how long you cured it, and a longer soak is the easy fix.
- Slice firmly across the grain, not along it, or the sandwich will be chewy no matter how long you steamed the brisket.
- Keep the slices warm in a little of the steaming liquid while you slice the rest, so the meat stays glossy and soft.
Serve with
Light rye bread, yellow mustard, a dill pickle and a black cherry soda or a cold beer.
Make ahead and storage
The brisket can be cured up to 7 days ahead, and smoked a day before serving; cool it, refrigerate, then steam to reheat. Leftover sliced meat keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes well for 2 months.
