Holiday Brisket

[looselywired]

Holiday Brisket

I’ve successfully smoked briskets before, but hadn’t previously attempted to cook one in the oven. After searching around, there are a lot of horrible recipes out there. Best I could easily find was this one by Arthur Schwartz, aka the Food Maven, former restaurant critic and food editor of the New York Daily News: www.arthurschwartz.com/radiorecipes/brisket.html.

2 very large cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 8 to 10-pound brisket 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 pounds onions, halved and sliced 3 medium carrots, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds 2 large, outside ribs celery, sliced 1/4-inch thick 4 small bay leaves

1. Rub 1 chopped clove of garlic into each side of the meat. 2. Salt and pepper the meat on both sides. 3. Spread the onions, carrots and celery on the bottom of the pan. Put the meat over the vegetables. Put 2 bay leaves under the meat, 2 on top of the meat. 4. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and cook in a preheated 350-degree oven for 4 hours, until meat is just tender. 5. Let meat rest 20 minutes, then slice: Cut the second cut off of the first cut and trim off and discard the layer of fat between them. Slice both cuts across the grain, either straight down or at a slight diagonal angle. Skim any fat off the juices left in the pan, and serve the onions and vegetables with the juices as a sauce for both the meat and any starch accompaniment. If desired, you can puree some of the vegetables to make a thicker sauce. 6. If preparing ahead for serving another day, refrigerate until several hours before serving time. Skim hardened fat off the surface of the liquid that has collected around the meat, and off the surface of the meat. Allow the meat to come to room temperature before final heating. 7. About an hour before serving, using a long-bladed, preferably serrated knife (I use a bread knife), slice the meat about 1/4-inch thick. It will require a sawing motion and a strong arm. Do not disturb the conformation of the meat. Return the meat to the roasting pan as if it was still a whole brisket. 8. Baste with pan juices and heat, uncovered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, basting a few times during that period. The surface of the meat should have browned nicely, and the slices of meat should be heated through and fork tender. Trim excess fat off the meat on the plate, as it is eaten. Modifications & Notes Found a great angus brisket at Salt & Time in Austin. Wonderful butcher shop if you are ever in the area. I used just the flat. Next time I will probably use the point, if I can find one sufficiently large. I salted the meat dry-brine style a couple nights beforehand. Even though it was smaller quantity of meat, I used just as much onion and more carrots and celery than the recipe called for. I chopped some carrots and left some whole. Next time I’ll use even more vegetables, as the onions especially are what everyone craves. Didn’t measure, but undoubtedly used more salt, pepper, and garlic than the recipe calls for as well. I only followed thru halfway of step 4, and disregarded the rest of the recipe instructions. I slow cooked at 250 in a convection oven. I cooked fat-side down. Made those vegetables even more delicious. The brisket reached 180 about a half-hour before serving time. I removed the foil and broiled for close to 10 minutes, then turned and broiled another 10 minutes. When I removed the foil, there was no liquid, even though the recipe said the vegetables would supply plenty. Maybe my foil wasn’t tight enough. I added water before broiling. Even at this late stage, the resulting gravy tasted like liquid essence of beef and was wonderful with leftovers. Check the whole carrots and if needed remove before broiling or halfway thru broiling. You want them dark, but not dry and burnt. The brisket sliced easily, and did not break apart at all. Final temperature was 190. I guess I could have broiled longer on the fat side or upped the temperature a half-hour or so before broiling. This is less than the recommended temperature for smoked brisket, but slightly above beef roast temperature. Would like advice for ideal temperature to switch from convection roast/bake to broil and ideal temperature to remove from oven. Also, I was too lazy / ran out of prep time to inject with beef stock before cooking, but I think I will next time. The meat was not dry, but I still think it would be worthwhile. Suggestions welcome. I think this is on the right track. Thanks. --LW

[boftx]

Agree with longer time or slightly higher temp, and definitely agree with abandoning that recipe at step 4. Seems reasonable overall, but it ain't BBQ (And I would use more salt for a decent dry brine for at least 12 hours if not more, and something like Montreal Steak seasoning for the pepper component, liberally applied.)