Chili Braised Brisket Food

BRAISED BRISKET WITH HOT SAUCE AND MIXED CHILES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F. Arrange chiles on a wire rack on stovetop over a gas flame and roast, turning occasionally, until blistered and lightly charred. (Or roast one at a time using tongs, or use the broiler.)
• Stir vinegar, brown sugar, and 2 Tbsp. hot sauce in a small bowl; set aside.
• Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high. Season brisket generously with salt and sprinkle with pepper; cook, fat side down, until bottom side is deep golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Turn and cook until other side is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Add onion and garlic to pot and cook, reducing heat if needed, until lightly browned, 6-8 minutes. Transfer to baking sheet with brisket.
• Remove pot from heat and place brisket in pot, fat side up. Pour reserved vinegar mixture over and arrange garlic and blistered chiles around. Place onion on top of chiles. Cover pot and transfer to oven. Braise until brisket is fork-tender and shreds easily, 3-3 1/2 hours. Transfer brisket, onion, chiles, and garlic to a platter and let cool 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place pot over medium-high heat and bring braising liquid to a boil. Cook until thick and syrupy, 10-15 minutes. Taste pan sauce and season with more hot sauce and salt, if needed.
• Serve brisket, onion, chiles, and garlic with pan sauce drizzled over.
• Brisket can be braised 3 days ahead. Let cool in juices in pot; cover and chill.

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.

BRISKET CHILE

Steps:

• Saute onions, garlic, and peppers until tender in canola oil with salt in an 8-quart cast enamel pan over medium-high heat. Add spices and cook for 1 more minute. Add meat and tomatoes, lower the heat to medium or medium-low and simmer for 2 hours. Remove from heat and add cilantro.
• Serve in soup bowls and top with sour cream and cheddar cheese for garnish.

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.

SLOW-COOKER FREEZER-PACK BRISKET CHILI

Steps:

• Layer the brisket, tomato puree, beans, corn, onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder and cumin in a large resealable plastic bag. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Squeeze out the air from the bag and seal. Freeze until ready to use, up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before cooking.
• Pour the contents of the bag into a 6-quart slow cooker. Cook on low until the brisket is tender and the tip of a paring knife can go into a piece easily, 7 to 9 hours. Season with salt. Serve with sour cream, Cheddar, tortilla chips and cilantro for topping.

BRISKET CHILI

Steps:

• Trim and chop brisket into 1/2 lb pieces. Sear sides of beef in a large cast iron pot or braising pot. Remove meat when caramelized on all sides and saute sliced onions in rendered fat left in pot.
• In a side saute pan toast all spices together. Once onions are caramelized, scrape bottom of pot and then add all ingredients and meat.
• Cover meat 3/4 of the way with beer and stock. Cover and simmer for 5 hours or until meat falls apart.
• Serve with shredded cheddar and cracker. At the restaurant they serve with "Garlic Cheddar Spurs", which is puff pastry cut into stars and brushed with butter and garlic and topped with shredded cheddar, then baked to a golden brown.

CHILE & BEER BRAISED BRISKET

Steps:

• Tear chiles into pieces and place in a large bowl. Cover with hot water and let sit until softened, at least 20 minutes. Drain.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Place tomatoes and their juices, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt and the drained chile pieces in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Transfer back to bowl from chiles and stir in beer.
• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add brisket and brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side.
• Pour the chile sauce over the meat and bring to a simmer.
• Cover, transfer to the oven and bake for 2 hours.
• Stir in beans and continue baking until the meat is fall-apart tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour more.
• Transfer the meat to a cutting board and pull apart into long shreds using two forks. Stir the shredded meat back into the sauce.

BEEF BRISKET CHILI

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, brown beef and onion in oil in batches; drain. Stir in the beans, kielbasa, salsa, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chiles, garlic and seasonings. , Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 3 hours or until meat is tender. Just before serving, stir in lemon juice and zest. If desired, top with cheddar cheese and sliced green onions.

BRAISED BRISKET WITH PLUMS, STAR ANISE AND PORT

Steps:

• Season brisket all over with salt and pepper. Place it in a large container and cover with garlic and half the thyme sprigs. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours. Let meat stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. Wipe off garlic and thyme.
• Heat oven to 325 degrees. On the stovetop, place a very large Dutch oven over high heat. Add oil. Place brisket in pot and cook, without moving, until browned, about 7 minutes per side. (Cut meat into two chunks and sear in batches if it doesn't fit in a single layer.) Transfer to a plate.
• Add onions to pot and reduce heat to medium-high. Cook onions, tossing occasionally, until golden brown around the edges and very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Pour in port and wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in star anise, bay leaves and remaining thyme. Scatter half the plums over the bottom of the pot and nestle brisket on top. Scatter remaining plums over meat. Cover pot and transfer to oven. Cook, turning every 30 minutes, until meat is completely fork tender, about 5 hours. After 4 hours, uncover the pot so some of the liquid can evaporate and sauce can thicken.
• If you have time, let brisket cool completely in the pot, then refrigerate, covered, overnight. (This makes it easier to remove the fat from the top with a slotted spoon.) Reheat meat in a 300-degree oven for about 45 minutes before serving, if necessary. If sauce seems thin, remove meat from the pot and bring liquid to a simmer. Let cook until it's reduced to taste. Slice meat and serve with the plum sauce, garnished with thyme leaves if you like.