Jack’s Deli brings Montreal’s iconic smoked meat sandwich to Northeast Ohio

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio — A Northeast Ohio restaurateur’s decades-old food memory is coming home.

Thirty years ago, while visiting Montreal’s famed Schwartz’s Deli, Brad Friedlander tasted his first Montreal smoked meat sandwich — hand-sliced, spice-cured and smoked brisket layered between slices of rye and brushed with yellow mustard. The experience left an indelible mark.

Starting Wednesday, Oct. 15, he’s bringing the sandwich to Jack’s Deli in University Heights. They will be available until the day’s supply runs out.

The menu addition is crafted in-house by Chef Julian Kuczma, who follows the traditional Montreal method. He uses a secret spice rub, then smokes the brisket with applewood and finishes by steaming. The meat is so tender it must be sliced by hand.

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