I made beef brisket for the first time last night. The whole process seemed to be a big folly, and I still can't decide what I think of the final product. We bought a 6.4 lb. slab on Saturday with the idea that I would have all day on Sunday to cook it. We forgot that we had thawed meatballs and gumbo and that we already had way too much food for the weekend. I had extra hours this pay period, so I thought that I could just leave at 3pm yesterday and easily get it in the oven by 4pm. At 4:15pm or so, I pulled the meat out of the fridge and realized that I really had no idea what I was doing (and knew that it should sit out for a little while). The recipe that I picked (see below) said to trim the excess fat, but I worried that I would lose too much flavor. I also had no idea which knife to use. I googled "trimming brisket" and found several dozen websites with youtube videos of rednecks trimming big hunks of meat (hungry yet?). After my research, I pulled out my 10 inch chef's knife and hacked off most of the fat, reminding me why I usually pick cuts of meat that don't need to be trimmed (or at least I can get away with not trimming). When I went to grab our 9 1/2 quart Le Creuset dutch oven I realized that it was in the fridge holding the ham that Pres cooked on Saturday (and was going to cook down for red beans). We have a second large dutch oven, but it's round and a few inches shorter. I didn't want to ruin Pres's plan for red beans, so I cut off a few inches of the brisket and started on the recipe. A little frazzled, I sauteed the onions and garlic and started adding the tomato sauce. While looking at the ingredient amounts for the sauce, I realized that the recipe called for a 3-4 lb. piece of meat. I knew that I could just double the sauce but had no idea how long it would have to cook for. I looked through all of our cookbooks to see if I could find a non-grill/non crock pot recipe for a 6 lb brisket. No luck. I also checked online-- I think it is the only bit of information not online. I finally popped it in the oven around 5:30pm and then emailed a few friends who I knew had brisket experience. The general consensus was to follow the recipe's instructions for cooking it at 300 degrees and wait longer than three hours (the recipe's directions for the smaller piece) for it to be done. By 9:30pm or so the meat seemed to be falling apart. The consistancy was much more similar to pot roast than other briskets I had eaten, mainly because the pot was pretty much filled with liquid. The sauce was okay. Yeah, just okay. When I was putting it away, I had one more piece, and the flavor had improved dramatically. I'm hoping that the leftovers will be much better as some of the reviewers suggested. Regardless, I'm going to try a dry rub recipe next time (and going to make sure that I have the right size cut of meat and the right pot).
Recipe #109: Sweet and Sour Brisket
from Ellie Kreiger
1 (3-pound) beef brisket, first-cut or flat-half cut, trimmed of any excess fat
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium onion, cut in 1/2, then thinly sliced into 1/2 moons
3 cloves garlic, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
One 15- oz. can tomato sauce, preferably no salt added
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
3 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/3 cup raisins
5 black peppercorns
1 allspice berry
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Pat the brisket dry and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or braising pot. Sear the brisket until it is browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer the brisket to a plate.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pot and cook the onion, stirring a few times, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, broth, brown sugar, 1/3 cup of the vinegar, the raisins, peppercorns, and allspice and stir to combine well. Bring mixture to a boil, return brisket and any accumulated juices to the pot, spoon some of the tomato-vinegar mixture over the brisket, cover tightly, and transfer to the oven. Cook until the brisket is fork tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Remove the brisket from the oven, transfer the meat to a cutting board, and let rest for 10 to 20 minutes or, if serving later, cover and refrigerate the meat and sauce for several hours or overnight. When you are ready to serve, cut the meat against the grain into 1/4- inch thick slices. Stir the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar into the warm sauce. Return the sliced brisket to the sauce until heated through, then serve.
Yield: 10 servings, serving size: 4-ounces brisket plus 3 tablespoons of sauce
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