Time: 8 – 10 days

If you can’t get to Montreal in the middle of a pandemic, then you have to bring Montreal to you! This recipe takes over a week, but is so worth it. It is a close copy of the recipe at meatwave.com which I follow closely, other than to reduce the salt. The flavours are perfect.

Music Selection: Blue Rodeo – Montreal

Ingredients:

1 large brisket

2 – 3 baseball sized smoking wood (oak, cherry, hickory)

Dry Brine/Cure:

¾ cup salt

3 Tbsp ground peppercorns

3 Tbsp ground coriander

Optional: 1 Tbsp pink salt

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp ground bay leaf

1 tsp ground cloves

Rub:

3 Tbsp ground peppercorns

1 Tbsp ground coriander

1 Tbsp smoked paprika

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp onion powder

1 tsp dried dill

1 tsp ground mustard

1 tsp celery seed

1 – 2 tsp crushed red pepper

For Sandwich: rye bread, mustard,

Optional toppings: sauerkraut (drained), swiss cheese and dill pickles

Directions:

Day 1 – Cut the brisket in half, if it is a large brisket (over 5 lbs). Depending on how you like your smoked meat, you should trim excess fat. If you like your meat lean, trim more, but you lose some flavor.

Grind all of the dry brine/cure ingredients.  Massage it all over both pieces of meat. Wrap each meat tightly in saran wrap and place each in a large ziplock bag. Place in fridge, flipping each day for at least 7 – 8 days.

Day 8 – Remove the meat from the plastic wrap. Rinse them both of well, under running water. Then fill a large pan with water and let the meat soak in the water for 30 minutes. Throw out the water, and soak the meat in fresh water another 30 minutes. Repeat this soaking in fresh water a total of 4 times.

In the meantime, start up your smoker, using the wood chips and keeping the temperature between 200 – 220 degrees.

Pat dry the meat. In a grinder, mix all of the dry rub ingredients. Massage this onto all of the meat. Place meat in the smoker and keep at low heat until the meat reads 165 degrees. This should take 5 – 6 hours.

Remove from heat. You can either cool and wrap it up and keep in fridge until you want to eat it or you can create a steam bath and steam the meat for 2 – 3 hours to add moisture back into the meat. Make sure the meat is not submerged in the water.

Remove from steamer and while hot, slice the meat in ¼ – 1/2 inch thick slices. (sometimes my kids like it shaved, but traditionally, it is cut thick).

Montreal smoked meat is best eaten with rye bread, mustard, sauerkraut and swiss cheese, served with a large dill pickle on the side!