Marinated beef or smoked meat

Montreal’s famous “smoked meat”; the pride of “The Main,” and now popular all over Canada!

Fact is, we should not be calling it smoked meat because it is actually marinated meat to which is added artificial smoke flavouring! Beef brisket is marinated in a mixture of spices and ingredients that are kept secret by the few makers of this delicious deli meat. In the United States, the equivalent to our Montreal smoked meat is pastrami.

Montreal smoked meat is available in your METRO deli counter, sliced, ready-to-serve or vacuum-packed. If you are hosting a big party, you can even buy the whole brisket and serve it hot by steaming it slowly.

Marinated beef can be used in many more ways than simply in a sandwich… Here are a few suggestions:

The great classics… 

• Diced and added to omelettes or quiches
• Diced and sprinkled over pizza
• Served as an appetizer on small pieces of rye bread
• Chopped or cut in strips and added to cold pasta salad
• And what a treat to serve with raclette…
• Love smoked meat sandwiches? Why not turn your kitchen into a deli and prepare smoked meat with all the classic fixings: fresh rye bread, coleslaw, dill pickles, marinated sweet or hot peppers and mild mustard.

… and a few more tasty ideas!

Smoked meat for everybody!

• Bring a large quantity of water to a boil in a large casserole.
• Place a colander or sieve over the casserole and add a piece of beef brisket.
• Make sure the water does not touch the meat.
• Cover and steam for 1½ to 2 hours.
• The meat is ready when a fork slides into the meat easily.
• Cut into thin slices against the grain of the meat to preserve all its tenderness.

Marinated beef and green onion polenta

• Cut thick slices of marinated beef
• Pan-fry in a little butter. Set aside.
• Brown green onions for two or three minutes in the cooking fat.
• Deglaze with broth and bring to a boil.
• Pour over polenta semolina.
• Stir for a few minutes, until the polenta attains a nice texture.
• Serve with the pan-fried beef.