Sunday, May 26, 2013

Montreal Smoked Meat - Pastrami With A Twist


HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY AND THANKS TO THOSE WHO SERVE OR HAVE SERVED IN OUR MILITARY

Awhile back on the Meatwave (competition BBQ team) site, they posted a recipe for Montreal Smoked Meat which they said “is, more or less, Montreal's answer to pastrami.”  It sounded very similar to pastrami but they described it this way “In contrast to the overpowering spicy pastrami rub, the diverse Montreal seasoning created a more nuanced flavor that let the meat stand out, while still providing a robustness.”

Rather than reproduce their recipe here, which I followed except for the smoking process, please check their site for complete instructions and some excellent photos.  I used the Stumps Smoker preheated to 225*, and added the brisket fat side down - ready for the smoker.

I cooked it overnight to an internal temp of 177* using a remote probe thermometer – at this point I removed it from the smoker, sampled, let it cool, wrapped, and stuck in the fridge for use later.

During our recent RV trip, we decided to have it on a sandwich for supper one night, using bread from the Old Mill Pottery House and pickles from Brooklyn Brine Co., along with spicy mustard and Swiss cheese.  

I cut off about half of the brisket, let it come to room temperature, and steamed it for about an hour. 

I sliced as thin as I could with a dull knife, built the sandwich (except for the pickles), and fried in butter to a golden brown.  As you can see, it made a beautiful sandwich.

Unfortunately, it was way too salty even though I followed both the curing and soaking directions to the letter.  I'd hoped my salty sample at home was due to it being the thin end of the brisket.  I'm going to try soaking it again and see if it can be improved.  It’s always good to try new things, as it could have been magnificent, but I’ll stick to my old process for pastrami from here on – it was a purdy sammie though, wasn’t it? J

Sorry I'm so behind on reading and commenting on your blogs, but with readying for the wine group on last Wed and the blogger party today, it's been pretty hectic around here.  Will hopefully be better this week.

Photos best if enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

5/14//13 meal date

11 comments:

  1. What a shame it was too salty. But it was a pretty sandwich.

    Looking forward to the get-together later today. I'm still chopping pineapple...
    Sam

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  2. That sandwich looks incredible. I'm curious as why you steamed it for an hour. Was it for texture?

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  3. Been sitting here reading your blog adventures... always most enjoyable Larry! but then I'm always hungry after seeing what you post. Imagine that. ;) You clearly love your "barbequing", and using the grill here is a winter-spring-summer event. Plus, any time we "fry" fish_ not too often on the frying_ we do it on the grill sideburner.

    We hope you and Bev enjoy the new digs. Maybe one day the two of you will venture west. Have a great Memorial Day weekend and thanks for remembering the Vets. God bless us all.

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  4. Larry, It may have been too salty, but it sure is a pretty sandwich! Hot pastrami is one of our all time favorites... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

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  5. Sorry we missed the party... We're with family this weekend. The sandwich looks GREAT... YUM... We're gonna grill some steaks tomorrow and celebrate...

    Happy Memorial Day.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  6. I haven't tried the whiskey sour pickles, but I love their Damn Spicy.

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  7. What a shame that the meat was too salty...it sure was a pretty sandwich. I hope everyone enjoyed the blogging party...I'm sure they did.

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  8. Now that's my kind of sandwich... it looks excellent Larry!!

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  9. Very purdy and so is your beautiful granddaughter. Love red hair - it's my favorite. The sandwich looks fantastic and I also want to apologize for being behind on my blog reading. Getting ready for our daughters wedding in a few weeks - so much to do!

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  10. I'm a big fan of Josh's Meatwave too. I haven't tried this recipe.

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  11. Hey Larry and Bev,

    Back from the islands this past Sunday and just now catching up with reading my fave blogs. This smoked cut looks fantastic although I'm not a big fan of pastrami from being overdosed with it in my parents Italian eatery while growing up. But I bet I'd love yours!

    Roz

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