Canadian EGGers- ?

Gary, my old dad used to say that if you ain't got timing, you ain't got nutthin.

Montreal smoke meat (not SMOKED meat- the term is born from a Franco-English patois) devotees are fanatical to the point of being religious. I'm ridiculous about it, and I know it. MSM is a different animal from both corned beef and pastrami- in theory, at least, it's a brisket cured, smoked and then steamed just prior to service, with a cracked black pepper and coriander deckle which needs to be hand-cut (both very thin and very thick) and then stacked impossibly high on two slices of single-rye bread with mustard. The meat shouldn't be falling apart, per se, but should be tender to the point that the individual filaments of the brisket should be if not separate, then distinct.

MSM is associated and allegedly has its origins with Anglo-Jewish Montreal, although today it's crossed language and ethnic lines. Schwartz's Delicatessen is (literally) internationally famous for its smoke meat, though over the years the quality has deteriorated (in my opinion, which is of course, correct). The best smoke meat I've tasted is not actually in Montreal, but is just west of the City on Ile Perrot in the form of Smoke Meat Pete. Smoke Meat Pete (Can't Beat Pete's Meat!) isn't as much a restaurant but a religious experience. Pete's meat cures hangovers. Pete's meat solves deficit crises. Pete's meat raises the dead. It's that good.

Without even knowing what you ate (likely Dunn's or Lester's, though how the hell your cousin got meat across the border is beyond me), it was a pale imitation of the real thing. Believe me: you need to taste the real thing.

MSM is smoked with maple wood. It's viciously difficult to find recipes online.

Like I said at the beginning, your timing is excellent: as we speak, I'm in the process of my first attempt at making Montreal smoke meat for my inlaws who're actually from Montreal. I'll be updating the thread until Sunday when I plan on eating the sucker, and you can find it here:

http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=1106156&catid=1

Wish me luck,


BGM.

As a teenager living in Montreal (NDG) I recall the classified ads listing literally dozens of ads for "smoke meat cutters". Everyone sold authentic MSM or so it seemed. Ben's was one of the best places to eat it in my opinion.

Thanks for reminding me!!!!!

B.

Too true! I suported one to such an extent that the owner would gleefully shout "hear comes the rent" whenever I came in.

B.

I support this motion...

Chenoy's in the West island on St-Jean. Many of our trip to Montreal and East include a stop at Chenoy's