During the last year, our little family has rediscovered the joy of a good deli sandwich. We’ve hit Schwartz’s in Montreal, Caplanksy’s in Toronto and Toojay’s in Palm Beach. While we’ve had some good sandwiches and yummy pickles, we’ve also realized that we don’t know as much about deli meat as we thought. For instance, what is the difference, Martin and I debated, between pastrami, corned beef and Montreal smoked meat?
Here’s what we learned when we went back to the books:
Pastrami is from beef brisket or round that has been well-trimmed of fat, the raw meat (often pre-brined) is rubbed all over with a paste made from salt, garlic, ground peppercorns, cinnamon, red pepper, cloves, allspice and coriander seeds. The meat is dry-cured, smoked and then braised. Montreal smoked meat is, essentially, pastrami, by the way.
Corned beef on the other hand, is made from the same cuts of beef but is seasoned in a brine which is sometimes injected right into the raw flesh so that it fully penetrates the meat. After brining for about three weeks, it is well rinsed and then braised, skipping the smoking process used when making pastrami.
And that, my sandwich-loving friends, is the difference between corned beef and pastrami/Montreal-smoked meat. Do you have a favourite between these? And, if you are a deli sandwich fan, do you go for the lean cut or the fatty one? I prefer the richer, fattier cuts myself – so much better with mustard and pickles!
