By Rafe Calder
Montreal smoked meat is a cut of beef, a cure and a smokehouse. Nobody agrees on who started it. This is a piece about the first three and a polite look at the fourth.
What it is
Wikipedia says smoked meat is made from beef brisket, salted and dry-cured with spices, hot-smoked until cooked through and then steamed to finish. It calls the product a variation on corned beef that is similar to pastrami. It says some producers brine-cure the meat like corned beef and add spices later, though many prefer dry-curing.
The seasoning, Wikipedia says, uses more cracked peppercorns than New York pastrami, along with coriander, garlic and mustard seed. Brisket has a larger fat cap and a stringier, more fibrous texture. Pastrami, it adds, is more often made from the fattier navel or plate cut, which is more marbled and denser.
How long the cure takes
Here the two sources we read give different numbers.
| Point | Wikipedia | Eater Montréal, quoting an archivist (2009 interview) |
|---|---|---|
| Cure | Salted and dry-cured with spices, usually about a week | Dry cure, traditionally 12 to 20 days depending on thickness |
| Vessel | Not stated | Wooden barrels, briskets turned a couple of times, marinating in their own juices |
| Smoking | Hot-smoked until cooked through, then steamed | Hung on racks in a smokehouse, cooked six to nine hours depending on size |
| Loss | Not stated | A 25 per cent loss in volume from the cooking |
The words “traditionally” and “usually” may explain part of the gap. The quoted archivist is describing the older method, while Wikipedia describes the general practice. Our reading: both can be true if methods have shortened, but neither source says that.
The archivist Eater MontrĂ©al quotes in its 2009 piece adds a point about technique. Several secret formulas exist, based mainly on the salt and spice coating, and variations affect flavour. But the most important part of a good result is the cooking. In his words, “An inferior cut of beef may be improved with careful cooking.” Expert trimming by a butcher also contributes to quality.
How it is served
Wikipedia says smoked meat is served hand-sliced on seedless, light rye with yellow mustard, with a pile about 5 centimetres (2 inches) high. Customers can choose lean, medium, old-fashioned or fat cuts, or “speck”, which is only the spiced fat. Leftover pieces appear in smoked meat poutine or over spaghetti or pizza.
Four origin stories
Wikipedia lists four competing claims, all describing the makers as Jewish immigrants from Romania or Eastern Europe.
Dates in order
- 1876 (Eater, quoting Harris): earliest advertisement of smoked meats Harris knew of, not Jewish-style.
- 1884 (both): Sanft arrives in Montréal.
- 1902, 1908, 1910 (Wikipedia): competing origin claims.
- 1911 (Eater, quoting Harris): Wiseman’s advertisement.
What kind of sources these are
Wikipedia, which can be edited by anyone and cites the other claims secondhand, and a city food magazine’s article built on one 2009 interview with an archivist. We read no deli’s own history page, no newspaper advertisement, and no regulation.
Questions a buyer would ask
Is smoked meat the same as pastrami? No, according to Wikipedia: the cut and the seasoning differ. It calls smoked meat a variation on corned beef that is similar to pastrami.
Is this a winter dish? Neither source says so. Our reading: a hot sandwich is a sensible fit for the cold months, but that is ours.
What we left out
Prices, rankings of delis, line-ups, nutrition, recipes with quantities, the names of living owners, restaurant hours and addresses, and any claim that Sephari stocks, sells or ships smoked meat. We did not name delis beyond the two historic ones the sources cite for the legal story.
Quick answers
What is Montreal smoked meat made from? According to Wikipedia, beef brisket, salted and dry-cured with spices, hot-smoked and steamed.
How long is the brisket cured? Wikipedia says usually about a week. An archivist quoted by Eater describes a traditional dry cure of 12 to 20 days.
Who invented it? Sources disagree. Eater MontrĂ©al quotes an archivist who points to Aaron Sanft’s arrival in 1884.
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