Montreal-style smoked meat, main dish from Canada: what it is and how it is eaten

Montreal-style smoked meat is a seasoned and smoked beef brisket, sliced and served hot in a sandwich on rye bread with yellow mustard. It is a specialty of Montreal, rooted in the Jewish community, and is often enjoyed as a main meal in delis and diners across Canada.

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Hand-sliced brisket is served hot in rye bread sandwiches
Spice blend features peppercorns, coriander, garlic, and mustard seed
Linked to Jewish immigrants from Romania and Eastern Europe
Fat content can be chosen from lean to fatty cuts
Broken bits are used in poutine and other dishes

What is Montreal-style smoked meat?

Montreal-style smoked meat is made from beef brisket that is seasoned with a mix of spices, then smoked and steamed until tender. The meat is sliced by hand and served hot, most often in a sandwich on light rye bread with yellow mustard. The brisket has a fibrous texture and a cap of fat, giving it a distinct mouthfeel compared to similar meats like pastrami. The spice blend usually includes cracked peppercorns, coriander, garlic, and mustard seed, creating a savoury and aromatic flavour.

Where does Montreal-style smoked meat come from?

The exact beginnings of Montreal-style smoked meat are debated, but it is widely linked to Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, especially Romania and Lithuania, who settled in Montreal. Several stories credit different individuals and delis in the city with introducing the dish in the early 1900s. Some accounts mention Benjamin Kravitz, who opened Bens De Luxe Delicatessen & Restaurant in 1910, while others point to Herman Rees Roth or Itzak Rudman. The tradition likely draws from Romanian pastrama and similar cured meats.

How is Montreal-style smoked meat made?

To prepare Montreal-style smoked meat, beef brisket is coated with a dry rub of salt and spices and left to cure for about a week. After curing, the brisket is smoked to develop its flavour and then steamed to achieve tenderness. The whole brisket is kept warm by steaming and sliced by hand when ordered, which helps the meat keep its shape. The hand-cutting process also produces small bits that are sometimes used in other dishes.

How and when is Montreal-style smoked meat eaten?

The classic way to eat Montreal-style smoked meat is in a sandwich: slices of the hot meat are piled high on seedless rye bread and topped with yellow mustard. Diners can request their preferred level of fattiness, from lean to fatty cuts. The meat is always sliced to order, and the sandwich is usually served as a main meal at lunch or dinner. Broken pieces of smoked meat are also used in poutine, on pizza, or with pasta.

Kinds of Montreal-style smoked meat

Montreal smoked meat varies by the amount of fat in the cut, with options from lean to fatty, and even just the spiced fat called speck. Some places use brine-curing, but most stick to dry-curing with spices. Besides sandwiches, the meat appears in local dishes like smoked meat poutine and as a topping for pizza or spaghetti. Each deli may have its own spice blend and curing method.

What Montreal-style smoked meat means

This dish is a symbol of Montreal's food culture and is closely tied to the city's Jewish community, though most delis serving it are not kosher. Smoked meat sandwiches are found in diners and fast food spots across Canada. The name 'smoked meat' has become so established in Quebec that it is legally recognized in both English and French. Montreal smoked meat is often mentioned alongside bagels as an iconic local food.

Questions people ask about Montreal-style smoked meat

What is Montreal-style smoked meat made from?

It is prepared from beef brisket, which is seasoned with a blend of spices, smoked, and then steamed until tender. The main ingredients are beef brisket, spice, salt, mustard, and rye bread.

Where did Montreal-style smoked meat originate?

It comes from Montreal, Canada, and is associated with Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, especially Romania and Lithuania, who brought their traditions of curing and seasoning meat.

How is Montreal-style smoked meat served?

The meat is sliced by hand and served hot, usually in a sandwich on light rye bread with yellow mustard. Diners can choose how fatty they want their meat.

What makes Montreal smoked meat different from pastrami?

Montreal smoked meat uses brisket, which has a fibrous texture and a fat cap, and is seasoned with more peppercorns and savoury spices. Pastrami often uses a fattier, marbled cut and has a denser texture.

Can you find Montreal smoked meat outside of sandwiches?

Yes, broken pieces of the meat are served in dishes like smoked meat poutine, on pizza, or with pasta in Montreal and other parts of Canada.

Good reading and sources

Where this page comes from

The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Montreal-style smoked meat", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Thali rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

It may contain mistakes, and it is not dietary or allergy advice: recipes differ from cook to cook. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.

Montreal-style smoked meat