Braised Brisket With Hot Sauce And Mixed Chiles Food

SLOW-COOKER BRAISED BRISKET (MACHACA)

Steps:

• For the marinade: Combine the Maggi sauce, lime juice, 2 tablespoons water, garlic and serranos in a medium-size bowl, season with salt and pepper. While whisking constantly, slowly add the olive oil, Put the brisket pieces into a large food-safe plastic bag and pour the marinade over it, turning the meat to coat. Seal and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or preferably overnight.
• Allow the meat to come to room temperature. Drain the meat and discard the marinade.
• For the brisket: Pour the oil into the bottom of a slow cooker. Add the onions, broth, peppers, oregano, garlic, chiles, tomatoes and some salt and pepper. Mix well, and then nestle the meat into the liquid in the bottom of the slow cooker. Cook the brisket on medium-high heat until the meat is tender and shreds easily with a fork, about 5 hours.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a cutting board and let stand until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Shred the meat into 2-inch-long pieces. Return the shredded meat to the slow cooker, stir to combine, and let stand until the meat is hot, about 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
• The warm braised meat can be used to fill burritos, tacos, tostadas or sandwiches. Leftover meat can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen in plastic freezer bags or containers for up to 1 month.
• For the tostadas: Spread about 1/3 cup of the warm meat over each of the crisp shells. Top each tostada with about 2 tablespoons lettuce, some diced avocado and 2 tablespoons salsa. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon crema over the top and garnish with crumbled queso fresco.
• Serve with lime wedges on the side for squeezing over the top.

CLASSIC BRAISED BRISKET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Pat the brisket dry and sprinkle liberally on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a roasting pan over 2 burners on medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until hot. Sear the meat, fat-side down, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Carefully flip and sear on the second side until golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the brisket to a platter or baking sheet. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan.
• Add the sweet onions to the pan and cook, scraping the bottom, until just starting to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced by about a third, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth, garlic cloves and thyme. Return the brisket and any juices to the pan, cover tightly with foil, transfer to the oven and cook for 3 hours.
• After 3 hours, check to make sure there is still liquid in the pan. If not, add another cup of chicken broth. Re-cover tightly with the foil and cook for another 1 1/2 hours.
• Arrange the pearl onions and leeks around the meat, re-cover with the foil and cook until the meat is very tender, 1 to 1 1/2 more hours. Carefully remove the meat to a platter.
• Stir the honey into the roasting pan, place the pan over 2 burners on medium heat and reduce the liquid by about a third, 6 to 10 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs. Spoon off any oil from the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. At this point you can serve the brisket or refrigerate overnight (see below).
• Toss the parsley, mint, scallions and shallots with the vinegar in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon some of the sauce with the sweet onions, leeks and pearl onions onto a large platter. Cut the brisket across the grain into thin slices and lay them on top of the sauce. Spoon over more of the sauce and mixed onions and top with the parsley mixture. Serve the remaining sauce and onions on the side
• Make Ahead: You can refrigerating the brisket overnight before serving. Remove the sweet onions, pearl onions and leeks from the sauce and refrigerate separately. The fat will harden as the brisket and sauce chill, making it easy to spoon out. To serve, remove the brisket to a cutting board while cold. Thinly slice and return to the sauce along with the mixed onions. Cover and reheat in a 325 degree F-oven for about 45 minutes.

CHILE-BRAISED BEEF BRISKET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a small skillet over a medium heat, toast the star anise and fennel seed. Move the pan across the heat, letting the spices gently roll inside. Do that for about 3 to 4 minutes or until you begin to smell the toasting spices. Transfer into a spice mill or a coffee grinder. Add 5 of the chiles and grind until finely ground. Season the brisket with salt and pepper, rub with the spice blend, cover, and refrigerate while continuing with the recipe.
• Put the remaining 7 chiles in a bowl and cover with the boiling water. Set aside and let soak until the chiles have softened, about 30 minutes. When soft, reserve the chiles and 1 cup of the reconstituting water. Discard the rest of the water. In a blender, liquefy the chiles, the 1 cup reserved soaking water, and the sherry vinegar. Set aside.
• In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over high heat and sear the brisket in the hot oil on all sides until well browned, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the brisket from the pan and set aside. Add the onions to the pan and sauté until they become translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, stock, and chile mixture and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, add the brisket, cover, and braise in the oven until fork tender, 3 1/2 to 4 hours, skimming occasionally to remove excess fat.
• When done, slice and serve hot with the braising liquid alongside.
• To Drink
• The hot climate of southern Oregon produces one of my very favorite Spanish varietals, Tempranillo, which loves meat braised with tomatoes, ground chiles, and spices. The black-fruit flavors of this grape and the tannins stand up well to the braised beef. Two Oregon wineries, Abacela and Dominio IV, produce fine examples of this grape varietal. A companion choice would be a French Rhône wine from Chapoutier: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Saint Joseph, or Crozes-Hermitage. These wines have spice, smoke, and lingering tannins that speak to all the flavors of the brisket. -K.P.

CHILI-BRAISED BRISKET

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine chili powder, fennel seed, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper and rub all over brisket. In a large heavy ovenproof pot, heat oil over medium-high. Cook brisket until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
• Add onion to pot and saute 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste and saute 1 minute. Add beer and 2 cups water, scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil; return brisket to pot, cover, and transfer to oven. Braise until brisket is almost tender, about 3 hours. Tilt pot and spoon off fat from liquid. Add potatoes, carrots, and 1 cup water; braise until meat is very tender, 50 minutes more. Transfer brisket to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes, then slice. Stir vinegar and cilantro into vegetables; serve with meat, sprinkled with more cilantro.