My brother bought me a first cut brisket instead of a first cut corned beef brisket, which I discovered only after I boiled it for half an hour.
One of my fellow JBloggers had what I thought was a wonderful brisket recipe for a holiday (Pesach? Rosh Hashanah?), and I can’t remember who it was.
Although I’d take about any help I can get. I’m going to try to recover the meat in a crock pot, so if you have a good brisket recipe (I like them fairly simple, not overly spicy or saucy), I’d be very grateful.
Yeah, looking at the label is wonderful thing. I KNEW he bought the wrong cut. But no, he insisted the label was wrong.
Add vegtable broth, some good red wine, carmelized onions, some squashed garlic cloves, bay leaf, pepper corns and allspice berries.
Simmer on low to reduce, say a prayer and make an appointment for you brother to get reading glasses.
I’d use a good beef broth instead, and emphasize that after you bring it to a light boil, turn it all the way down to the merest of simmers, and then add a can of beer. Yes, beer.
Lots of peppercorns. Black and white. One bay leaf. If you’ve got vidalia onions — if not, that’s okay, but they’re worth it — carefully carmelize them.
Lipton Onion soup mix, carrots, onions, celery, put it in a Reynolds Oven bag, put it in the oven for a few hours on no more than 275º. You can add red wine to the mix if you want. Three hours is a minimum and low heat. Shake the bag on occasion to make sure that the top of the brisket doesn’t burn/get crusty. We typically put our 5 lb. briskets in the oven for five or six hours.
Pesach, Rosh Hashanah, many family gatherings, Shabbat, too. You can’t really go wrong with more hours than less. Low heat is the key.
Grantman, that sounds like the recipe my mother’s used. There’s also this one that I found that appeals to me.
In any case, I’m not going to do anything until tomorrow. I put the beef in the fridge and I’m hoping for the best. If it works, fine. If not, well. I tried.
My mother also does the onion soup mix thingy. Highly recommended.
Or e-mail Batya!
I don’t know an actual recipe, because I’m not the one who cooks in my family, but I know of several friends and relatives that marinate the brisket in Coca Cola overnight as a part of the preparation. The Coke flavor cooks off, but the sugar and acid in it tenderizes the meat extremely well. (Note: don’t try this with diet Coke – artificial sweeteners don’t tenderize anything.)
I make my brisket in a big covered pot on the stove… a recipe from the NYTimes Jewish Cookbook. For a 4.5 lb brisket:
Trim extra fat. Season & then brown the meat in a little oil (10 min per side). Drain the fat and add 2 cups chopped onions (I use leeks), 1 cup chopped carrots, 3 whole garlic cloves (peeled), bay leaf, 6 parsley sprigs, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 4 whole cloves, 6 crushed peppercorns. Cover tightly & cook on low for 15 minutes. Add 1 cup of dry white wine, 1 cup chopped canned tomatoes, 1 cup water. Cover & cook 45 minutes, then turn the meat and cover & cook for another 45 minutes, then turn the meat again and cover & cook for ANOTHER 45 minutes.
Total cooking time after browning is 2.5 hours (note: but I’ve found it often needs more time, especially of course if it’s a bigger brisket). I would suggest at least another 15 minutes, maybe more.
Remove the brisket, skim fat, cook the sauce down for about 5 minutes (note: if you care about a smooth sauce, all the veggies mentioned above should be chopped finely). Blend 1 Tbl cornstarch with 1 Tbl white wine and stir into boiling sauce. Serve brisket sliced with the sauce.
They say it’s good with braised carrots & onions. I usually toss in carrot chunks or baby carrots while the brisket is cooking…
Meryl, just go here:
http://elisson1.blogspot.com/2004/09/meat-meat-n-more-meat-part-two-for.html
Best brisket ever. I’m not kidding.