My local market sells Montreal seasoned pork, chicken, veal and beef for next to nothing, and I buy it up whenever I can.
“Oh no! Pre-seasoned food, how could you Jerry!”
Simple, because it’s incredible. But that’s not why we’re here. We’re here so that I can share their secrets with you, and you can make this yourself.
I’ve never seen Montreal seasoned anything for sale at a market other than my local Market Street. Being a military spouse pretty much guarantees that we’re not going to be here forever, and if I’m going to keep enjoying these absolutely wonderful chops, I’d have to learn to make them myself.
And I did.
The secret here lies in the fact that the meat has sat with the spices for a good amount of time. Most store meats, unless prepared by the butcher right before your eyes, have sat around a good hour or two before they hit the coolers, and then they sit for… Well, for as long as it takes.
I bought the pre-seasoned variety because I could smell the seasoning. Yup, through the plastic wrap… It permeates the air with all the lovely aroma that is a Montreal Steak seasoning blend, and after a time, the chops take in that aroma and flavor as well. (So does your fridge, so be warned!)
Making your own is insanely simple. Just take any cut of pork you please, coat liberally with Montreal Steak Seasoning, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, toss in the fridge and then walk away for a day. (If you’ve got delicate foods that you don’t want acquiring the aroma of the seasoning, you might want to put the wrapped meat in a plastic bag as well.)
I prefer mine pan-seared, but I’m sure it would be wonderful on a grill as well.
Give it a shot and enjoy!
You know, funny thing, the only meat I’ve ever seasoned like that are chicken wings, maybe I’m a bit chicken myself! Though I did learn a neat trick from my wife that the vegetable spice Vegata is very good on forequarter lamb chops.