Recipe byThe ZestyPlate Kitchen
Beef brisket dry-cured with spices, smoked low and slow, then steamed until meltingly tender. A deli icon, best piled on rye with mustard.
Montreal smoked meat is one of the great deli dishes: brisket cured in spice, smoked low and slow, then steamed until it gives way at the touch of a fork. Piled onto rye with mustard, it holds its own against any smokehouse. The process runs to several days, but the peppery, smoky payoff earns every hour.
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Prep 60 min
Cook 480 min
Total 540 min
Hard
Scale:
- 1 Beef Brisket
- 3 tbs Salt
- 1 tbs Sugar
- 1 tsp Bay Leaf
- 1 tsp Cloves
- 3 tbs Black Pepper
- 1 tbs Coriander
- 1 tbs Paprika
- 1 tbs Garlic
- 1 tbs Onion
- 1 tbs Dill
- 1 tsp English Mustard
- 1 tbs Celery Salt
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
Tags:
Speciality Snack StrongFlavor
Preparation
- For the cure, mix the salt, pink salt, black pepper, coriander, sugar, bay leaf and cloves in a small bowl. Coat the whole brisket with the cure, seal it in an extra-large resealable bag, and cure it in the coldest part of the fridge for 4 days, flipping it twice a day.
- Take the brisket out and rinse off as much cure as you can under cold running water. Put it in a large container, cover with water, and soak for 2 hours, changing the water every 30 minutes, then pat it dry.
- For the rub, mix the black pepper, coriander, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dill, mustard, celery salt and red pepper flakes, then coat the brisket all over.
- Bring a smoker or grill up to 225°F, adding wood chunks once it is at temperature. When the wood is producing smoke, lay the brisket in fat-side up and smoke until an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest part, about 6 hours.
- Move the brisket to a large roasting pan fitted with a V-rack. Set the pan over two stovetop burners, add an inch of water, and bring to the boil over high heat. Drop to medium, cover with foil, and steam until the thermometer reads 180°F in the thickest part, 1 to 2 hours, topping up with hot water as needed.
- Transfer to a board and let it cool slightly, then slice and serve, ideally on rye with mustard.
Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen
- Cure the brisket for the full time, turning it regularly so it takes the cure evenly throughout.
- Soak the cured meat well afterwards to pull out the excess salt before it goes near the smoker.
- Smoke low and slow at around 225°F to get meat that is tender and deeply flavoured.
- Don't skip the final steam. That stage is what turns the brisket fork-tender and juicy.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a curing salt (sodium nitrite) that preserves the meat and gives smoked meat its pink colour and characteristic flavour. Measure it exactly as directed.
They are close cousins. Montreal smoked meat uses its own spice blend and cut of brisket, with a peppery, less sweet character than New York pastrami.
A smoker gives the truest flavour, but you can get close with a grill set up for indirect smoking and a handful of wood chips.
The classic way is piled on rye with yellow mustard. Slice it against the grain for the most tender bite.
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