Introduction: Smoked Meat
I’ve made pastrami before and
this time round I’m making Montreal style smoked meat starting with a 3.5 lb corned beef brisket that will probably lose 10% of it’s weight when I’m done.
Step 1: Smoked Meat
I’ve made pastrami before andthis time round I’m making Montreal style smoked meat starting with a 3.5 lb corned beef brisket that will probably lose 10% of it’s weight when I’m done.Step one will be tothoroughly wash the brisket to remove any excess salt. I have found a few times over an hour is enough. Discard any spices that came with the brisket. You’ll be using your own.
Step 2: Spices
Apply a very light coating of
olive oil to help the rub adhere to the meat.
Time to prepare the spices and coat the brisket. Here’s my rub:
4 tablespoons fresh coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
Step 3: Apply Rub
After the rub’s applied, make sure you have
covered the whole brisket, top, bottom, sides and ends, rub it in good, then wrap it in saran wrap or a baggy, put it in the fridge and say good-night for 2 days. I’ll be back in 2 days.
Step 4: In the Smoker
Time to wake up your brisket and prepare to cook it
in the smoker. If you don’t have a smoker use your grill using indirect heat with a pan filled with wood chips on the side, works almost as well. Get the smoker up to 225F then add your wood or chips, I prefer cherry but I didn’t have any so I’m using birch today. Make sure you remove any bark. Yes you do see snow, it was only 23*F today
Step 5: Finish It Off
After about 3 hours remove from the smoker andwrap it in 3 layers of aluminum foil. You now have a choice: finish it off back in the smoker or put it in the oven set a 225F in an oven proof dish, either way, same results. Cook until meat reaches 190F then it’s done. Should take about 7 hours total start to finish.Let it cool for an hour then place it in a baggy still wrapped in the foil and put it in the fridge overnight to let all those delicious juices marry.
Step 6:
By now you really want to eat this right?? This is what I do the next day since we havea slicer. Slice the meat, about 6 oz makes a great sandwich, and yes it’s still cold. Cut as much as you want at the time. No slicer, no problem, a sharp knife works’....Last step, promise. The meat has to be steamed,NOT micro waved. Steam adds moisture, microwave dries it out. We have a rice steamer, works perfect, or use a saucepan with a little water in it, cover with a piece of foil indented, and place the meat in. cover with the lid.
Step 7: Time to Eat
. Put it on rye with mustard and a dill pickle on the side. We prefer to slice all the meat at once and place 12oz of meat into individual baggies and freeze them till we’re ready for a sandwich. Yes, this seems like a lot of work, but the final product is so, so good. Just like a real deli…. This brisket will yield about 6-7 sandwiches. Considering this brisket cost $8.99 that works out to be about $1.35 / sandwich. Where as a Deli would charge about $8.00 for just one. …… Enjoy.