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allspice, mustard seeds, mustard powder, coriander, cumin, paprika, peppercorns, fennel, celery, garlic, brown sugar, brisket, red wine, bacon
Category
Sandwiches and Burgers
Cook Time
270 minutes
On founder Dana’s first visit to Montreal, she totally gorged on poutine—French fries drowned in gravy, topped with cheese curds and meats. She even had “gourmet” poutine, which was topped in foie gras. But their Smoked Meat Sammies, she decided, were THE BEST.
There are three ways to make this recipe. If you have a smoker, you’re set and can use the dry rub in the ingredients below. If you have a grill, you can smoke the meat with wood chips over indirect heat for a while and also use the dry rub. And if you have only a crockpot, that’ll work too!
Ingredients
1 teaspoon allspice
1 ½ teaspoons mustard seeds
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 ½ teaspoons cumin seeds
1 ½ tablespoons smoked paprika or plain paprika
2 teaspoons peppercorns
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 ½ tablespoons celery seeds
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
3 pounds beef brisket, with the fat on
1 cup red wine
6 slices bacon, preferably smoked
2 cups wood chips (such as apple, cherry, or maple), soaked in water for 30 minutes
Spice Rub
For Montreal Smoked Meat
Directions
Over medium heat, and preferably in a cast iron skillet, toast the seeds, allspice, peppercorns, coriander, cumin, fennel, and mustard seeds, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. You do not need to put any oil in the skillet to do this. You will know you’re near done when the spices become very aromatic.
Once the spices are toasted, grind them using a mortar and pestle or a food processor.
Combine the ground spices with the remaining spice rub ingredients, stir, and set aside.
To Make Montreal Smoked Meat
First, vigorously rub half of the spice mixture all over the brisket. Let the brisket marinate for at least an hour, but ideally overnight.
When it’s time to cook, preheat your oven to 250 degrees F.
Place the brisket on a roasting pan rack and add the wine to the roasting pan. Cover the brisket with slices of bacon. Use foil to cover the meats and slow cook for 3 hours or until meat is tender.*
Remove the brisket from the oven and remove the bacon. Sprinkle the meat with the rest of the spice mixture.
Smoke the brisket with the wood chips in a smoker over low flame for about 20–30 minutes.*
Once smoked, place the brisket (fat side up) in the center of the grill over a drip pan. Grill the meat—without turning—until your meat reaches an internal temp of 180 degrees F. (Cooking time here really depends on the charcoal and grill size. Just note, this could take about an hour or more.)
When it’s done, remove the brisket from the grill and let rest 20 minutes.
Shave the meat into thin slices. Pile the meat generously high between two slices of rye bread slathered in yellow mustard. Serve with a bowl of pickles and some of your favorite potato chips.
Recipe Note
Pro Tip 1:
If you want, you can do this step in a slow cooker. It’ll give you the same results. Just do not overcook it as we don’t want the brisket falling apart—yet.
Pro Tip 2:
If you don’t have a smoker, you can do this on the grill. Place the wood chips that have been soaked in water directly on the gray-ashed charcoal, if using a charcoal grill. If you have a gas grill, you would use your smoker box.