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1
Cure the brisket for 7 days
7 days
Fridge, about 4°C (40°F)
Mix 60 g kosher salt, 7 g Prague powder #1, 15 g brown sugar, 15 g crushed coriander, 15 g crushed pepper, 10 g mustard seed and 20 g minced garlic, and rub HALF of the mixture all over the trimmed brisket — reserve the other half for the rub after curing. Seal in a large bag or covered tray, weigh it down lightly, and refrigerate for 7 days, turning the meat every day so the cure works evenly. Liquid will collect in the bag — that is normal.
Keep the brisket cold the whole week: if your fridge is warmer than 4°C (40°F), do not cure meat at home.
Done when: Brisket evenly coated in cure, firming up day by day, kept cold throughout.
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2
Rinse, soak and rub
1 hour 30 mins
Room temperature, then cold water
Rinse the cured brisket under cold water, then soak it in a large pot of cold water for 1 hour, changing the water once, to pull out excess salt. Pat it completely dry. Mix the reserved half of the spice mixture with 5 g paprika and press the rub thickly all over the meat — this crust becomes the dark, spicy bark.
Taste a tiny piece of the soaked meat before smoking: if it is still very salty, soak for another 30 minutes.
Done when: A brisket coated thickly in dark spice rub, dry to the touch.
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3
Smoke low and slow
7 hours
110°C (225°F), to 74°C (165°F) internal
Smoke the brisket at 110°C (225°F) for about 7 hours, fat cap up, until the internal temperature reaches 74°C (165°F) and the outside is a deep mahogany bark. Use a mild wood such as oak or maple. Do not rush this step — the long, gentle smoke is what builds the flavour.
Keep the smoker steady: big temperature swings dry the meat out before it is tender.
Done when: Dark mahogany bark, internal temperature 74°C (165°F).
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4
Steam until falling tender
3 hours
Steaming, about 100°C (212°F), to 93°C (200°F) internal
Move the brisket to a steamer or a roasting pan with a rack and a little water, covered tightly with foil, and steam for about 3 hours until the internal temperature reaches 93–96°C (200–205°F) and a skewer slides in with no resistance. Steaming is the Montreal secret: it finishes the meat meltingly tender without drying it.
Do not let the pan boil dry — check the water level every hour and top it up with boiling water.
Done when: Meat that yields to a skewer with no resistance, internal temperature above 93°C (200°F).
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5
Rest, slice and build the sandwich
30 mins
Room temperature, meat about 60°C (140°F)
Rest the brisket for 20–30 minutes, then slice it thinly against the grain, by hand, in generous piles. Pile about 105 g of meat on a slice of rye, spread the other slice with 10 g yellow mustard, and close the sandwich. At Schwartz's the meat is ordered by fat content — lean, medium, medium-fat or fat — and medium is the house favourite.
Slice against the grain and as thin as you can: thick slices across the grain are chewy, thin slices are tender.
Done when: Thin, glistening slices piled high on rye with mustard — the sandwich should barely close.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the sandwiches immediately, while the meat is still steaming, with a half-sour pickle on the side. The classic Schwartz's meal adds fries, coleslaw and a black cherry soda.
Canada
55m
