I've been fascinated with Montreal Smoked Meat since I first saw it in a segment on Meat & Potatoes w/ Chef Rahm Fama (Food Channel) when he visited Mile End Deli in Brooklyn. While searching for recipe info, I came across this thread and the Mr BBQ article
http://www.mrbbq.ca/2010/01/sm...mi-beef-brisket.html. So I went for it with a 6.5# flat (I selected one with even thickness from Sam's Club), trimming the cap to 1/8". My procedure follows...
Overview:
Montreal smoked meat is wet-cured in brine for 2 days, rubbed in seasonings and marinaded for 8-10 days, smoked for 6-8 hours, then steamed for 2-3 hours.
Brine:
* 1/2 gallon water
* 3 ounces kosher salt
* 1 ounce Prague powder
* 1 ounce powdered dextrose [corn sugar]
* 1 ounce pickling spices, plus 1-1/2 teaspoons ground pickling spice
Combine and add with meat in doubled 2 gal ziplock bags. Store in fridge for 2 days, turning once.
Once brined, partly dry the meat (I did not rinse).
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Smoked Meat Rub:
Ingredients: [used 1/2 batch]
* 4 tablespoons kosher salt
* 4 tablespoons smoked paprika
* 3 tablespoons coriander seeds
* 3 tablespoons brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
* 2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
* 1 tablespoon white peppercorns
* 8 cloves garlic, minced
* enough red wine to make slurry [1/2 cupish]
* 1 oz pickling spices, as is - do not grind
Preparation:
Lightly toast and then combine coriander seeds, peppercorns and mustard seeds in a spice grinder. Grind coarsely. Add in remaining ingredients and mix well.
* Put marinade back in the doubled ziplock bag, add brined meat and refrigerate to marinade and cure for another 8 days, turning over daily.
* Rinse off marinade well and soak in water for 1 hr, changing water once.
* Rub with CA's Pastrami Rub [3 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper, slightly coarse grind; 1 teaspoon freshly ground coriander seeds, slightly coarse grind; 1 teaspoon granulated garlic]
* Now cured, marinaded & rubbed, the briskets are placed in a smoker (22 WSM) for 6-8 hours. [I used 8 small oak barrel chunks saved from a bag of JD briquets]
* Cook @ 220-240F (1.5 hours/pound) until brisket reaches internal temperature of 175F. [My 6.3# 'skit took 9 hrs]
[At this point, I refrigerated for 2 days, as I had intended to prepare this meat ahead of time, to be served at a weekend party.]
* Before serving, the brisket is placed in a steamer for 2-4 hours. [I steamed the meat on a rack over an inch of waterin a foil pan, covered tightly w/ foil, in a 275F oven for 4 hrs]
* Slice & serve.
I loved this meat! It sliced nice and easy. Was red, not gray. Very moist, with just enough saltiness. Peppery, coriandery, with a hint of pickling spice. I will make this forever, knowing that I need 2 weeks to prepare it!
