G
Guest
Guest
Hi,
The best smoked meat I have ever tasted in my life was in Montreal, Canada at a restaurant called Schwartz's Delicatessen. It looks like a small shop on St. Laurent Boulevard near Rachel. Don't be fooled by the "greasy spoon" image. This place packs them in from miles and continents around. At lunch time the line extends around the block. Even though there is only one small door and elbows are touching almost all the time whether you find a table or you are waiting for takeout, you keep coming back because the meat is awesome !
I used to work for the NDG meat market when I was 17 and I would unload an econoline van a day of briskets that came from New Zealand. BTW this meat was not injected with any saline brew or anything. I know, I used to do the injecting for some customers. 2 flights of stairs with an average of 70 lbs cardboard box on my shoulder with blood dripping. It took all morning but in the end I got a free sandwich with a cherry coke and that was fair.
My point is, how do you make real good smoked meat. No insult meant to anyone, but even people from Ontario Canada can't find decent smoked meat <and that's just 300 miles away from Montreal>. Nothing even comes close in California restaurants.
I love Montreal, where I am from, but there must be a way to make smoked meat that way here in the USA. Any ideas ???
I appreciate your ideas and if you are ever in Montreal, make sure to stop there for a sandwich. Tell them that Marc from the NDG meat market sent you <it's been closed for 15 years>. They'll pretend to remember and give you a free pickle BTW those pickles are excellent.
Read this and tell me if I can do the same with my Weber. Hope so !!!
http://www.montrealfood.com/restos/schwartzs.html
Here's the text and there is no lie!
Montreal does not have barbecue. Not like the South has barbecue or Texas has barbecue or Florida has barbecue. Down south the arguments are about dry and wet or pork and beef or pulled or sliced or off the bone. Montrealers don't argue about these things because we do not have barbecue. We have no barbecue culture and you do not get great food without a culture that goes with it. You need long slow outdoor cooking for great barbecue and hickory or mesquite or whatever. Great barbecue does not go with seven months of winter and indoor cooking. That is why we have smoked meat.
Thank god for Rumanians. They brought over brined and smoked pastrami recipes. The great meat palaces of Montreal were once East European and Jewish. Moishe's—of great steak fame—was originally Moishe's Rumanian Paradise and almost next door was Schwartz's Hebrew Delicatessen and next to that was Kravitz's (cousin of Ben's Delicatessen downtown). There are lots of great places for smoked meat left in town but the soul of the brisket—Montreal soul food if you will—is at Schwartz's.
Ask for medium. The fat feeds the flavour. Ask for some of the best fries in town.An order of pickles, and of course Cherry Cola, the only drink you should get.
Forget dessert. There isn't any. Order, eat, enjoy...Get up and make room for the next person in line..< I love this line >.
When you are standing at the counter waiting for a seat (no one gets an entire table, be happy for the seat), glance over your shoulder to the cutting counter. Look for a plate of ends to sample—smoked meat, maybe some smoked turkey or a piece of karnatzle, slightly spicy Rumanian sausage.
The charcoal grilled steaks are good—great for the price, but you've had better. The liver is excellent. But you came here for smoked meat. Black, peppery and crusty. Sliced thin. Stacked fist-high on fresh rye. Maybe the platter for those who crave a little bit more. Maybe a grilled hot dog on the side. It is hard to pay more than $10 a person.
There are tourists who hear of Schwartz's when they plan their trip to Montreal. There are Montrealers who moved out of town and dream of coming to this place as soon as they get off the plane. And then there are the rest of us and we're just smiling, or licking the tastiest grease in the world off our lips. When you come into this town remember two things: Montreal bagels and Schwartz's smoked meat. That's all. They are never as good anywhere else.
That's true also...You just can't beat Montreal Bagels. New York tries, but no chance.
Hope you enjoyed this, please let me know your smoked meat recipes !
Cheers !
Marc
The best smoked meat I have ever tasted in my life was in Montreal, Canada at a restaurant called Schwartz's Delicatessen. It looks like a small shop on St. Laurent Boulevard near Rachel. Don't be fooled by the "greasy spoon" image. This place packs them in from miles and continents around. At lunch time the line extends around the block. Even though there is only one small door and elbows are touching almost all the time whether you find a table or you are waiting for takeout, you keep coming back because the meat is awesome !
I used to work for the NDG meat market when I was 17 and I would unload an econoline van a day of briskets that came from New Zealand. BTW this meat was not injected with any saline brew or anything. I know, I used to do the injecting for some customers. 2 flights of stairs with an average of 70 lbs cardboard box on my shoulder with blood dripping. It took all morning but in the end I got a free sandwich with a cherry coke and that was fair.
My point is, how do you make real good smoked meat. No insult meant to anyone, but even people from Ontario Canada can't find decent smoked meat <and that's just 300 miles away from Montreal>. Nothing even comes close in California restaurants.
I love Montreal, where I am from, but there must be a way to make smoked meat that way here in the USA. Any ideas ???
I appreciate your ideas and if you are ever in Montreal, make sure to stop there for a sandwich. Tell them that Marc from the NDG meat market sent you <it's been closed for 15 years>. They'll pretend to remember and give you a free pickle BTW those pickles are excellent.
Read this and tell me if I can do the same with my Weber. Hope so !!!
http://www.montrealfood.com/restos/schwartzs.html
Here's the text and there is no lie!
Montreal does not have barbecue. Not like the South has barbecue or Texas has barbecue or Florida has barbecue. Down south the arguments are about dry and wet or pork and beef or pulled or sliced or off the bone. Montrealers don't argue about these things because we do not have barbecue. We have no barbecue culture and you do not get great food without a culture that goes with it. You need long slow outdoor cooking for great barbecue and hickory or mesquite or whatever. Great barbecue does not go with seven months of winter and indoor cooking. That is why we have smoked meat.
Thank god for Rumanians. They brought over brined and smoked pastrami recipes. The great meat palaces of Montreal were once East European and Jewish. Moishe's—of great steak fame—was originally Moishe's Rumanian Paradise and almost next door was Schwartz's Hebrew Delicatessen and next to that was Kravitz's (cousin of Ben's Delicatessen downtown). There are lots of great places for smoked meat left in town but the soul of the brisket—Montreal soul food if you will—is at Schwartz's.
Ask for medium. The fat feeds the flavour. Ask for some of the best fries in town.An order of pickles, and of course Cherry Cola, the only drink you should get.
Forget dessert. There isn't any. Order, eat, enjoy...Get up and make room for the next person in line..< I love this line >.
When you are standing at the counter waiting for a seat (no one gets an entire table, be happy for the seat), glance over your shoulder to the cutting counter. Look for a plate of ends to sample—smoked meat, maybe some smoked turkey or a piece of karnatzle, slightly spicy Rumanian sausage.
The charcoal grilled steaks are good—great for the price, but you've had better. The liver is excellent. But you came here for smoked meat. Black, peppery and crusty. Sliced thin. Stacked fist-high on fresh rye. Maybe the platter for those who crave a little bit more. Maybe a grilled hot dog on the side. It is hard to pay more than $10 a person.
There are tourists who hear of Schwartz's when they plan their trip to Montreal. There are Montrealers who moved out of town and dream of coming to this place as soon as they get off the plane. And then there are the rest of us and we're just smiling, or licking the tastiest grease in the world off our lips. When you come into this town remember two things: Montreal bagels and Schwartz's smoked meat. That's all. They are never as good anywhere else.
That's true also...You just can't beat Montreal Bagels. New York tries, but no chance.
Hope you enjoyed this, please let me know your smoked meat recipes !
Cheers !
Marc
