Smoked Meat Croquettes

Excerpted from Joe Beef: Surviving the Apocalypse

Smoked Meat Croquettes

Yield: 30 Croquettes

When you’re doing two hundred covers per night, it’s imperative to have a winner in your arsenal, one that is all prep and little cook time during service. At home, well, this is the least healthy but the most rewarding of all “night-after” cures. 

For our American readers, Montreal smoked meat is dry-cured beef brisket. It resembles pastrami the way that a Montreal bagel “resembles” a New York bagel. 

You will need:

  • Food processor 
  • Digital scale (optional) 
  • Deep fryer or heavy pot 
  • Deep-frying thermometer 

For the Filling

  • 1⁄4 pound (113 g) cheese curds
  • 1⁄4 pound (113 g) smoked Cheddar, cubed
  • 1⁄2 pound (225 g) Montreal smoked meat (lean), shredded
  • 1⁄2 cup (30 g) sauerkraut, drained and finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Montreal steak spice
  • 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
  • 1⁄2 cup (120 ml) Béchamel Rapide (recipe follows)
  • 2 quarts (2 l) canola oil for deep-frying

For the Breading

  • 1 cup (75 g) flour
  • 4 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup (130 g) rye bread crumbs or plain bread crumbs mixed with 1 teaspoon ground caraway seeds
  • Salt Water
  • Yellow mustard (optional)
  • Thousand Island dressing (optional)
  • 1 kosher pickle, thinly sliced

Béchamel Rapide

  • 2 cups (500 ml) whole milk, cold
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1⁄2 cup (65 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1⁄4 cup (60 g) cold unsalted butter, diced

Cheese Curds Smoked Cheddar Cheese Montreal Smoked Meat Sauerkraut Montreal Steak Spice Mustard Canola Oil All-purpose flour Eggs Bread Crumbs Caraway Rye Bread Salt Water Thousand Island Dressing Pickles

  1. Add the cheese curds and smoked Cheddar to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until evenly crumbled. Transfer to a large bowl.
  2. Now pulse the smoked meat in the food processor until it looks like hamburger meat. Transfer to the cheese bowl.
  3. Add the sauerkraut, steak spice, mustard, and béchamel, and using a spatula or gloved hands, mix well.
  4. Use your hands to shape 30 cylinders into the size and shape of a wine cork. Transfer to a parchment- lined sheet pan as you work. Refrigerate the croquettes for 30 minutes to help them retain their shape.
  5. To bread the croquettes: Set up three bowls, one with the flour, one with the eggs, and one with the rye bread crumbs. Dip each croquette into the flour, then the egg, then the bread crumbs. Set aside on a small tray.
  6. Pour the canola oil into a deep fryer or heavy pot. The oil should be 350 ̊F (180 ̊C).
  7. Fry the croquettes in batches of 5 or 6 for 21⁄2 minutes, until golden brown. Keep an eye on the thermometer and adjust your heat up or down accordingly so that the croquettes don’t brown too quickly: you want them to be hot in the center. Using a skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel–lined plate.
  8. Serve with your choice of yellow mustard or Thousand Island dressing and slices of kosher pickle.

Béchamel Rapide

  • In a tall jar or container, combine the cold milk, nutmeg, and flour with an immersion blender.
  • Transfer to a small saucepan, and bring to a slow boil over medium heat.
  • Whisk in the butter: Whisk, whisk, whisk until well incorporated and the sauce visibly thickens—about 4 minutes. Cool to lukewarm, then stir into the croquettes filling.
    • Note: To make your own rye bread crumbs, process several slices of very dry rye bread in your food processor. Spread the fresh crumbs out on a sheet pan to stale completely. Process again until fine, pass through a sieve, and keep in an airtight container until ready to use.