Montreal Smoked Meat

Name: Montreal Smoked Meat
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 7 h
Total time: 7 h 30 min
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 300 g beef brisket; 15 g coarse kosher salt; 1.5 g curing salt #1; 8 g dark brown sugar; 1 tbsp coriander seeds; 1 tsp black peppercorns; 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds; 1 bay leaf; 1 clove garlic; 1 tbsp coarsely cracked black pepper; 2 slices rye bread; 1 tsp yellow mustard; 2 handfuls maple or hickory wood chips

The deli classic of Montreal's Jewish delicatessens: beef brisket dry-cured for days with salt, garlic and pickling spice, crusted with cracked pepper and coriander, smoked over hardwood and then steamed until meltingly tender. Hand-sliced and piled on rye with yellow mustard.

Lunch & dinner 25g+ protein 8g+ fibre

450 min30 prep · 420 cookHard772 kcalper serving

Method

Crush 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp black peppercorns and 1 tsp mustard seeds coarsely in a mortar — cracked, not powdered. Mix them in a bowl with 15 g coarse kosher salt, 1.5 g curing salt #1, 8 g dark brown sugar, 1 bay leaf crumbled small and 1 clove garlic, grated to a paste.
Pat 300 g beef brisket dry and massage the cure over every surface, working it into the meat side. Seal in a zip bag or small non-reactive dish, press out the air and refrigerate for 5 days, turning it and redistributing the liquid that draws out once a day.
Rinse the cured brisket well under cold running water, then soak it in a bowl of cold water for 2 hours, changing the water once — this pulls the surface salt back so the finished meat tastes seasoned, not briny. Pat completely dry and leave uncovered in the fridge for 1 hour to form a tacky pellicle.