Montreal smoked meat is Canada’s answer to the pastrami sandwich. And it is a seriously great sandwich.
I love sandwiches. And my absolute favourite sandwich is the Montreal smoked meat sandwich. Piled high on rye bread with ballpark yellow mustard and served up with a kosher dill.
Montreal smoked meat is bullet proof BBQ brisket
My second favourite thing to do with a brisket is to smoke it Texas style. BBQ brisket is one of the truly great things in this world. In my opinion anyway.
But it’s hard to nail. Really hard. Overdone or underdone it’s dry. But there’s this point where BBQ brisket just jiggles when you poke it. Where it’s so juicy and flavourful. Magic.
I’ve tried many times. Sometimes it fantastic. Sometimes it’s not. But I can make Montreal smoked meat consistently. And so can you.
Making it is a campaign. Epic really. It takes 10 days start to finish. It takes up a bunch of room in your fridge. You have to tend to it every day. Smoke it then and then steam it. Real work. But it’s so worth it. And it’s pretty much bulletproof.
Montreal smoked meat is different than BBQ
Montreal smoked meat is cured, then smoked, then steamed. Just like pastrami. It’s made with beef brisket though. Pastrami is made with the navel.
You want to find a source for a high quality, untrimmed brisket. If the fat cap is any less than 3/8 inch stay away. Fat is critical. You want it. This isn’t health food. No doubt about that.
Curing salt is key
The first step is to cure the meat. So you need to know what you are doing. There are different formulas for curing salts. It’s important to understand the differences.
This recipe uses pink salt or prague powder number 1. It’s 6.25% sodium nitrite in salt. If you use a different curing salt follow the instructions to make sure you are using the right amount.
More is not better here. You want to use what you need and no more. These are nitrates. Those scary things everyone is always worried about. Pay attention. Maybe don’t eat this everyday. But once in a while probably won’t kill you.
It’s a 8 day cure. Seems like a long time. But it works. Wrap it up. Make room in your fridge. And flip it every day. That’s it. Not hard. Just slow. The ultimate slow food.
Eight hours in the smoker comes next
This is why it’s bullet proof. You aren’t trying to hit perfectly done in the smoker. Just trying to give it some good smoky flavour and a nice bark.
Pull it after eight hours and put it back in the fridge. Don’t worry. You’ll finish it in a steamer. A big steamer.
Montreal smoked meat is finished in a steamer. For 2 to 3 hours. This is where you get that wonderful jiggly texture. That perfectly juicy beef.
Then it’s just a matter of letting it rest. Then all you need to do is slice it thin across the grain. And pile it high on good rye bread. A little ballpark mustard. Heaven.
Try this when you have a bunch of friends coming for a backyard barbecue. Tell them the good old boys from Canada let you in on their secret. Only in Montreal and your backyard…
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montreal smoked meat
Ingredients
- 12-14 lb beef brisket flat and point with fat
The curing mix
- 8 oz black peppercorns cracked
- 4 oz coriander seed cracked
- 4 oz white sugar
- 3/4 cup kosher salt
- 3 Tbsp whole cloves
- 10 dried bay leaves crumbled
- 3 tsp pink salt - prague powder number 1
The rub
- 6 oz black pepper corns, cracked
- 3 oz coriander seed cracked
Instructions
Cure the brisket
- Trim the brisket, removing pockets of hard fat and trim the fat cap (or just don't) to no less than 3/8 inch. Best to google this looking for "trim texas brisket".
- Combine all the cure ingredients and coat the brisket. You want to use all of it because you have included your curing salt in the mix and you need all of that. Wrap the brisket in plastic bags and place on a large cookie sheet. Refrigerate, turning the brisket over 2 times per day for 8 days.
- On the eighth day, soak the brisket in a sink of cool water for 30 minutes. Drain the water and refill, continuing to soak the brisket. Repeat this for 3 hours (6 water changes), dry the brisket and coat it with the pepper corn, coriander seed rub. Back into the fridge it goes.
Smoke the brisket
- On the ninth day smoke the brisket for 8-9 hours at 225-250F with maple if you have it. You may need to separate the brisket into the flat and the point to fit it onto the smoker. You should just be hitting the stall at this point. You are looking for an internal temperature of 155-165F.After 8-9 hours remove the brisket from the smoker, let cool slightly and refrigerate overnight.
Steam the brisket
- On the tenth day, set up a steamer that will fit all this wonderful brisket. Outside is better. This is going to smell. Plan for this step. You are going to need a big steamer. I use a turkey fryer with an inverted strainer and about 3 inches of water to steam my smoked meat.
- Steam the brisket gently for around 3 hours. Don't let it boil dry. You are looking for a couple things. A 195-200F internal temperature will ensure tender Montreal smoked meat every time. Probe tender is the other key indicator. Take the opportunity to figure that out by getting a feel for it when you hit 195F.
- Probe tender means when you insert your probe you don't feel any resistance in the meat. It's like pushing a hot probe through warm butter. It just slides in. This is a good to learn if you are going to do briskets or pulled pork - it's how the pros figure out what's done and what's not.
- Once you hit 195F and probe tender pull the brisket and let it cool to around 160-170F. This can take up to an hour.
- Once it's cool enough to handle slice thinly against the grain with a sharp knife. Serve a mix of the flat and the point in each sandwich. Pile it high on rye bread with yellow mustard and you'll have a sandwich worthy of any of the Montreal smoked meat shrines in Montreal.
Made a 14lb brisket according to your recipe, cured for an extra day and smoked in my Weber Smokey Mountain for 8 hours (flat finished in 4 hours, I had to cut so it would fit in smoker), and steamed in a bamboo steaming rack (like the ones they use for dim sum) on a wok and had to use the wok cover to cover the steaming rack so it fits…4 hour steam for the point to reach internal temperature of 197 and probe tender and OMG THE RESULT IS INCREDIBLE!!!! Better than Schwartz and Sumilicious (opened in Scarborough by guy who worked for 17 yrs at Schwartz.)
Thank you so much! I honestly thought that a 14lb brisket would leave tons of leftovers and I would need to hand some out but it’s so good that I’m sure my wife and kids will devour it all before the weekend arrives! Thank you thank you thank you! Will definitely be making again and again.
One quick question: Steam with fat cap up or down? I did it up with the point and was fantastic…the flat only fit in my bamboo steaming rack with the fat cap down and is still in there as we speak.
Awesome to hear! Yes, I find it goes fast too. Never much in the way of leftovers, especially if like monster sandwiches like I do.
I tend to do fat side up but I’m pretty sure it makes very little difference. There’s no science that says fat soaks into meat so…
Can I steam after I smoke or is the rest in the fridge crucial to the recipe?
It’s always a good idea to let the meat rest. I have never tried skipping this step so I don’t know what impact it would have I’m afraid.
If I had to let this cure for 11 days would it be ok?
Should be. I have always timed it to follow the recipe so I cannot say for sure as I have never pushed it.
I used your recipe and served it for some friends and family last night. It was excellent! I do recommend using a deli slicer if you have one available. I cut with an electric carving knife and wasn’t able to get the slices as thin as I would like to. I also recommend steaming the rye bread before building the sandwiches. Excellent recipe, I will make this again!
Awesome! I like my slices a bit thicker so I go with knife cut (plus I don’t have a deli slicer – just a sharp knife:-).
So, recently, my wife bought me a Weber Smokey Mountain bullet and I started out with some simple recipes like bbq chicken, ribs, smoked turkey breast etc. Two years ago my wife and I spent a long weekend in Montreal and had the most amazing time. One of the best culinary adventures we’ve had in such a short period of time. Schwartz’s, Beauty’s, St. Viateur, Jean-Talon…you name it. Ever since that trip, I’ve been craving Montreal Smoked meat. Given my ‘amateur status’ as a smoker, I thought I would totally screw this up. I followed your recipe to the tee and it came out perfectly! I’m so happy you posted this along with the amazing tips and comments following!
Now I’m thinking, “Can I do this with with a turkey breast?”
Anyway, great recipe! I encourage all who are considering making this to follow your recipe. You are my MSM guru!!
All those places have a special place in my heart – Jean Talon at the top maybe but they are all wonderful. It’s actually the most bulletproof way I know to cook a brisket. I’ve never tried a turkey breast but a short cure followed by a smoke to around 160F could work. No steam though…
You can smoke anything on a Smoky Mountain. It’s a great piece of kit…
I didn’t steam the flat, just sliced it up nice and thin deli-style and, of course sampled some.It was just as tasty as the steamed point. I vacuumed sealed the rest in sandwich-sized portions. Yesterday I dropped a pouch in hot water ( not boiling )for about 2 minutes and presto hot MSM ! But like you posted before for my next brisket I will steam the whole thing and then slice it up the next day.
excellent!!
Awesome!
Made this and it is delicious however part of my brisket the cure did not go all the way through and I have a small grey strip about the width of a pencil. Maybe I should have separated the flat and made it thinner. Is it still safe to eat?
If I made this again I would cut all the spices to about 2/3 and use the same amount of pink salt. I had a hard time keeping all the cure on the beef and the rub I probably had half to a third left.
How big was your brisket? I’ve heard this twice now. People are getting huge briskets somehow and I think an extra day of cure would fix the problem…
Hi
Thanks for your recipe.
I have some salpeter home .I would like to know if I can replace the pink salt by salpêtre and if yes what would be the quantity of salpêtre please .
Thank you
I’m afraid I can’t help you with this. I have never tried working with saltpeter (potassium nitrate). I would suggest you google and decide for yourself. Sorry I can’t be more helpful. As a rule I don’t guess on glebekitchen. Either I know or I say I don’t know. In this case I don’t know.
Hi Romain, thanks so much for this recipe. I’m reposting this message because it seems to have disappeared (but please delete it if you see it twice on your end. I’m from Montreal but have lived in Mexico for the last 6 years. Haven’t had smoked meat since…! My cure will be done on Tuesday and I can’t wait to smoke this baby.
I have 2 questions. Many recipes I found online have paprika, garlic and onion powder, dill weed, ground mustard, celery seed in the rub in addition to the coriander and black pepper (or a combination of some of those). I’m wondering if you have ever tried that, and if you think the Schwartz rub is more “simple” like yours.
2. Some recipes call for steaming like yours, other suggest steaming it in the oven over a roasting pan with a few inches of water until the meat reaches a certain temperature. What do you think? Same result probably?
I’d love the get your feedback. And thanks again for this recipe. I’ll be sure to post once I’m done.
Marc
I believe my cure to be pretty similar to Schwartz. I have a buddy who lives on the Main in Montreal who tells me this way is as good or better than Schwartz.
I haven’t tried it the oven way so I really don’t know I am afraid. Good luck and enjoy!
Quick question,
2 options.. Steam it right after smoking it
or
Steam it 3 days after smoking it…
Which one is better?
I haven’t done either. Sorry. Probably 3 days after if I had to pick. Do you have a way to cryovac the brisket?
I’m three days into the cure now. Thanks very much for the recipe and tips.
I have seen people online who end up having the center still brown (not cured).
Would it be advisable to cure for a day or two longer? I’m making a 15 and 12 pound at the same time.
I have never personally seen the brown centre but I have only ever done 12-14 lb briskets. I had someone make this with a 19 pound packer and they had that problem. I would guess the 12 lb one will be fine. The 15 lb one I’m a little less certain about. I don’t know where people are getting these monster packers. I have never even seen one over 15 lbs. I can’t really debug this as I can’t get these huge briskets…
If you were to freeze portions of the brisket, would you do it once it’s fully done (ie after it’s steamed and all) or would you freeze it after it smoked?
My thinking is to freeze after the smoke, then after I thaw it out, finish that portion with the steaming to make it “fresh”.
Never tried it that way. I have taken it all the way to fully steamed and then used my food saver to freeze small portions. Thawed in the refrigerator and steamed until warm. Has worked pretty well.
I haven’t tried this yet but I’m thinking if you have a sous vide that would work pretty well to warm it.
5 Lb Brisket Scaled-down recipe results.
Well, I just finished your recipe, however I scaled it down to a 5 lb double-cut brisket (a single hunk of the flat and point). This gave me best of both the lean and fatty “meatscape” options.
I followed the recipe to the letter with a couple exceptions:
1) I basically divided the original recipe by 3 and that was pretty much it. I was able to find me some Prague Powder #1 and kept it’s amount to the suggested amount on its packaging, which was in-line with the recipe here, and in my case it was 1 tsp per 5 lb. of meat.
2) For the curing process, I used a vacuum sealer which I felt helped keep the copious amount of curing spice rub stuck to the meat better, and made the “wrapping process” far less messy. To note, just as the author of this recipe stated above, there is an incredible amount of curing rub to use, even with a scaled down recipe, but I agree, it’s an important factor that shouldn’t be altered.
3) The final Pepper and Coriander rub. This is where I had to change course a bit. The final rub quantity is enormous and I literally had about half a container of rub remaining because there was just no room left for the rub to adhere. It would just fall off on in a pile. So I might suggest cutting the “final rub” quantity down by half and if you need more, then simply grind up some as needed.
Other than that, this was one of the most ambitious cooking projects this home cook has ever done and I couldn’t have been happier with how it turned out. I’m an avid fan of Schwartz’s in Montreal and Katz’s in NYC, and the flavour and texture I was able to obtain was spot on, if not better. It was just so damn delicious. When you do this, do it right. Seek out some very good light rye bread, deli mustard, full sour kosher pickles, and some Black Cherry Cola.
I couldn’t be happier with the results! Thanks so much!
That is just awesome to hear! And yes, a kosher pickle and black cherry coke is the way to go!
Romain,
Born in Montreal, grew up and currently live in Texas. Spent summers in Montreal and visit family often and always enjoyed the standards (St. Hubert’s BBQ, St. Viateur’s bagels, Schwartz’s, Arahova’s).
I did an Aaron Franklin brisket for Mother’s day and it turned out fantastic, then pork shoulders and rotisserie chickens (with St. Hubert’s rub and BBQ sauce) for Father’s day. My dad swore he was back in Montreal.
Saw your recipe and I’m halfway through the smoke as I type this. I have all the equipment for projects like this but I had a question.
When I pull it and chill it, should it be wrapped? I have a roll of pink butcher’s paper and “hotel” pan with a lid (like the kind they put on a buffet line). I was thinking to wrap it in the paper and put in the pan to go in the fridge. Thoughts?
Heading to Kenny and Ziggy’s New York Deli in Houston to pick up two loaves of fresh Jewish Rye tomorrow. My brother and his family heading over tomorrow as well to enjoy what I hope to be an epic sandwich. Can’t wait!
Great site! Looking to try some of your Thai recipes next.
You follow the path of the brisket:-). I had the pleasure of eating Franklin’s brisket only once in my life and it was truly incredible. Even by Central Texas standards (I’ve eaten my way through Austin and Lockhart). Still have to get to Luling though.
I’d let it cool some and then yes, a wrap and an insert pan isn’t a bad idea at all. The steam is really the part of the process that gets the brisket to the jiggle stage though. Coming off the smoker it will still be somewhere around the stall so the wrap isn’t going to make much a difference but will help keep your fridge clean.
Steaming tonight. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Wish there was a way to post pictures.
I sent you an email. If you send me a pic I will post it to the glebekitchen Facebook page.
I now live in Virginia and miss my Schwartz smoked meat. In recent years when visiting Montreal I started eating at Smoked Meat Petes in Dorion (of all places!). I believe them to be as good as the original Schwartz. I think could do a side by side taste test.
A couple of weeks ago I made my own from this recipe. Ordered my pink salt from Amazon (do not use Himalayan Pink Salt). I was unable to find a whole brisket so I settled on a large 9 pound flat. I used whole spices and “Cracked” them in my little coffee mill. A half recipe was more than sufficient. I followed the recipe exactly and was rewarded with one of the best sandwiches ever. BTW, I made my own rye bread using light rye flour. Cannot have a real smoked meat sandwich without the rye bread!
Awesome! Extra awesome you made your own rye bread. Did you get your hands on a Putter’s kosher dill and a Cotts cherry cola as well?
I haven’t made it to Smoked Petes yet but I know this recipe makes MSM at least as good as what they serve at Schwartz’s these days. I hear Smoked Petes is the new king in Montreal.
Hi Romain
As an ex-Montrealer now living in Ottawa I am craving my first try at smoking a brisket for MSM. After the smoking and leaving the brisket in the fridge overnight I wish to keep a part of the flat for slicing deli-style in my electric slicer with the rest going into the steamer. Is this OK or do I have to steam that portion as well? Many thanks for a great recipe and the blog.
Jim
I have never tried to do what you suggest so I’m not sure it would work. Brisket is typically cooked to around 185-195F to become tender. At the end of the smoke you should have been somewhere around 160-170 so not yet tender. But on a slicer I don’t know how much that would matter.
I will let you know !
Hi Romain , just to let you know how my last brisket turned out: I smoked the brisket using 2 temperature probes. The point reached 160 while the flat was at 155 degrees when I took it out. I left it in the fridge overnight, cut the brisket in half and steamed the point to 195. Delicious ! The rest of the uneaten point went back into the fridge. The next day I sliced the balance of the point on the electric slicer and vacuum sealed sandwich portions for another time. The flat got sliced very thin without steaming and vacuum packed as well for future lunches for work. It was excellent as well.I found a two-tiered lobster pot on Kijiji and it worked great for the steaming. Hope this helps others who cannot eat the whole brisket in one or two seatings lol.Thanks again for the great recipe !
Sounds like it worked really well. How will you finish cooking the flat?
Fat cap up or down, when smoking? Or flip?
I’ve always been told it doesn’t matter but I do it fat cap up anyway. If your heat source is from below (like a kamodo) maybe think about flipping it.
I’ll be using a pellet smoker with indirect heat
My full packer brisket came out almost as good as Schwartz. Definitely as good as (or better than) any other place in Montreal. Genius!!! Thanks!!!!!!!
Nice! Now you won’t ever want for MSM ever again.
Forgot to add my 5 stars!
Thanks! that’s appreciated!