ottawa foodies

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So why is it exactly that smoked meat can't be translated into a supermarket version easily? Or is there some supermarket version available somewhere that does actually resemble real smoked meat in any way. I can't think of another product that is SOOO off the mark as this one.

This is one of the great mysteries of the Canadian food world for me. Why can't businesses replicate Montreal smoked meat? The failure of an Ottawa businessman to open a proper smoked meat joint here is bizarre.

My Montreal background causes me to view this with horror, tho i remain open to the possibility it may not suck. eventually. oh, who are they kidding...

As for the failure of most 'proper smoked meat joints' in Ottawa, well, Nate's stuck around for ages and just re-emerged and while Shawartz's and the Main remain my go-tos, it's decent. Duun's has never left tho that's seriously stretching the definition of 'proper'. And 'smoked meat'.

If you mean Grand Central, that failed because, imnsho, it delivered Dunn's quality at NYC prices and even Ot-town, notoriously tolerant tho we may be, was smarter than that.

If Dunns and Nates can't do the smoked meat sandwich justice in Ottawa. Wishful thinking that a supermarket would be able to solve the mystery. Heck Ottawa can't even do pastrami right. Katz's Deli now ther is a sammy worth clogging the heart with

Don't get me started on Katz's (or Carnegie or 5th ave for that matter) or we'll derail this thread straight into Times Square...

The problem with a "proper" smoked meat place is you have to have a steaming brisket going at all times. Most places I assume don't have the demand for this and sink to boil in bag and microwave tactics. Schwartz's and the Main have the constant business to keep up with the steaming briskets.

Glad I live in Montreal now, ever since Kardish closed in ottawa, the smoked meat game hasn't been the same there.

I wouldn't even try the stuff in the supermarket.

Also, I was just thinking of what I was going to eat for lunch on Friday in Montreal. Thanks for the timely post!

“I could feel my foreskin growing back.”
Classy.

This thread caused me to make a stop by the main last night on the way home. so good.

hate you.

If someone is doing a run to Shawartz's let me know..

Smoked Meat Pete's is way better...

Tree Pug can you get meat sliced to go at Smoke Meat Pete?

You can get meat sliced to go at Pete's. They have the usual combo available (lb of meat, loaf of bread, containers of pickles and slaw) for $20ish. Sadly, I was disappointed as it was just OK. Maybe it has something to do with the "steaming brisket" mentioned above. I did notice there was an extra charge of at least a few dollars for Hot meat, compared to cold. Maybe the hot is better, but since I was taking it home, I opted for the cold. Typical lengths of meat, a bit rubbery, none of that flakiness / chunky fall-apart bits that you want. Could have had the same at Dunn's, Chenoy's, Nate's etc. The pickles were good, the slaw was very oily and soggy. Too bad, cause being on this side of MTL and just off the highway, I had entertained thoughts of after-work 80 minute road trips for some Pete's... That's no longer in the plans.

If you're in the Plaza St. Hubert area (near Beaubien and J-T metro stops) you wanna try le Roi du Smoked Meat, on St. Hub at St.Zo. Actually, go there even if not in the area.

Corner St. Denis and Mount Royal, I liked Fameux back in 2011. Fameux gets blasted on RestoMontreal but none of the reviewers had the smoked meat. Then go to Bily Kun a few doors down on Mt. Royal, and have a drink with the ostrich heads.

I come from Montreal to Ottawa quite often and could bring back Schwartz's sealed packs from the actual deli anytime i'm coming down.

I'm coming down tommorow actually and staying near lynx stadium if anyone is interested. send me a message.

Schwart's is overated. If you want good montreal smoked meat to bring home go to "Les produits de viande fumee du Quebec" (aka: Quebec Smoked Meat) on rue Centre in the Pointe (St-Charles) district of Montreal and not very far from the Marche Atwater. They cure and sell the whole briskets. They are vac packed whole and all you have to do is steam them and slice from the proper corner of the brisket. This is the stuff that is supplied to most of your great hole-in-the-wall smoked meat joints in Quebec. IMO the closest I've come to that in this area is the Lexus in Orleans. My father-in-law introduced me to that place 25 years ago and I have been buying it from them ever since. They also have a great selection of cold cuts. Cash only. I highly recommend dropping in if you're in Mtl.

I often eat at Pete's and then get some meat to go. To say the in store version is better than take home is a given. The two will never compare. To say that Pete's take home smoked meat is no better than Dunn's etc , is completely false. I once got a lean lb of smoked meat to go that was a bit rubbery but this was the exception and I had forgotten to specify medium fat. I have brought back Pete's, either by the pound or in whole brisket form, and have received nothing but praise for this delectable treat. Bacon, I will check out le Roi next time I am in the area but for now, Pete is king.

I will go to the main every day over Schwartz but they don't offer vac pac stuff that is easy to keep. I'll be heading over to this Quebec smoked meat place for sure at some point to try it out.

Pete's is also on my list to try but is a bit for for a quick bite from downtown montreal.

I far from think Schwartz's or the Main are overrated, but i've done the Quebec Smoked Meat brisket steamed at home thing and i have to say it's pretty damn close.

Thanks to Slow I received a couple of packs of vacum packed sliced Schwartz smoked meat and a loaf of rye.

Steamed a pack by putting the opened pack san plastic packaging into the steamer basket on top of pot of boiling water. Steamed it for 5 mins and it does not look completedly done so steamed a couple more mins. Put them with a little bit of whole grain musterd between slices of rye and it was pretty good. Not as good as the restaurant but better than any in Ottawa.

Glad you enjoyed. I forgot to mention you can grab a whole chunk of brisket. Steaming it would probably be closer to restaurant taste albeit with a bit more work involved in serving.

would be fairly easy to steam a chunk of it in a chinese steamer

If you get it pre-sliced it has a tendency to dry out a bit even when you steam it (believe it or not). If you can get it by the slab, steam it, then slice it you'll find it's more like the restaurant style. That's been my experience.