Montreal smoked meat arrived with the Jewish immigrants who settled in the city from Romania and elsewhere in Eastern Europe from the late nineteenth century. Who sold it first is a question every deli in town will happily answer, each slightly differently: some histories point to Aaron Sanft, the city's first kosher butcher, others to Benjamin Kravitz of Ben's, or to Reuben Schwartz, whose Hebrew delicatessen opened in 1928 and remains the most famous name of all. What nobody disputes is the result: a whole brisket, cured for days with salt, black pepper, coriander, garlic and mustard seed, then smoked and steamed until tender.

It is a cousin of New York pastrami, but a more rugged one, with a heavier hand on the pepper and a whole brisket rather than a leaner cut, so every sandwich carries its share of soft, melting fat. At the counter you order it lean, medium or fat; medium is the answer most regulars give. Hand sliced, piled on light rye with a smear of yellow mustard and eaten with a half sour pickle and fries, it is as essential to Montreal as the bagel, and the obvious thing to put on the table for the Canadian Grand Prix weekend.

The cure

Ingredients

• 4 lb (1.8 kg) beef brisket flat
• 1 1/2 oz (45 g) kosher salt or coarse sea salt
• 4.5 g pink curing salt No. 1
• 1 tablespoon (15 g) light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
• 4 garlic cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Method

1. Set the bowl on the scale and weigh in the kosher salt, the curing salt and the brown sugar. Add the cracked pepper and coriander, mustard seeds, garlic, bay and cloves, and rub everything together with your fingertips so the curing salt is spread evenly through the mixture.
2. Pat the brisket dry with paper towels and set it in the bag or container. Rub the cure all over every surface, including the edges and the fat side, pressing it in with your palms. Tip any cure left in the bowl over the top.
3. Press the air out of the bag and seal it, or close the container. Refrigerate for 7 days. Once a day, turn the brisket over and massage the liquid that gathers back into the meat through the bag.
4. On cooking day, take out the brisket, rinse off all the cure under cold running water, and soak it in a large bowl of fresh cold water in the fridge for 2 hours, changing the water once after the first hour. This draws out excess salt. Pat it very dry.

Smoking and steaming

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
• 4 cups (1 liter) hot water

Method

1. Mix the cracked pepper, coriander, paprika, garlic powder and mustard seeds. Press the mixture firmly onto every side of the dry brisket.
2. Light the smoker or set up the kettle grill for indirect cooking, with the coals on one side and a drip pan on the other, and bring it to a steady 225°F (107°C). Add two fist size wood chunks or a handful of soaked wood chips to the coals.
3. Put the brisket fat side up on the grate away from the heat, insert the probe thermometer into the thickest part, close the lid, and smoke for 4 to 5 hours, adding a little more wood in the first 2 hours and fuel as needed to hold 225 to 250°F (107 to 120°C).
4. Heat the oven to 275°F (135°C). Put the rack in the roasting pan, pour in the hot water and set the brisket on the rack above the water. Cover the whole pan tightly with two layers of foil, crimping the edges to trap the steam. Steam in the oven for 2 to 3 hours.
5. Lift the brisket onto the board and rest it, loosely covered, for 15 minutes. Find the direction of the grain, then slice across it about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick, using long strokes of the slicing knife. Keep the slices together so they stay warm.

The sandwich

Ingredients

• 16 slices light rye bread
• to taste yellow mustard
• 8 half sour or garlic dill pickles

Method

1. Spread one side of each slice of rye thinly with yellow mustard. Pile about 5 oz (140 g) of warm sliced meat onto half the slices, stacking it loosely rather than pressing it flat. Top with the remaining bread, mustard side down.
2. Cut each sandwich in half with a single firm stroke of a serrated knife, holding the top down lightly with your other hand. Serve at once with a pickle on the side.

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