Julia Childs Smothered Beef Brisket Food

SLOW-COOKER SMOTHERED BEEF BRISKET

Steps:

• Spray 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
• In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Add shallots; cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until starting to brown. Add mushrooms; continue cooking 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in garlic; cook 30 to 60 seconds or until fragrant. Remove from skillet to small bowl.
• Rub brisket with remaining 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Heat skillet over medium-high heat; add brisket, and cook 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place fat-side up in slow cooker; top with shallot mixture.
• In small bowl, mix 1/2 cup broth, the Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. Pour into slow cooker around beef brisket. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 9 hours or until brisket is very tender. Transfer beef to cutting board; cover and keep warm. With slotted spoon, transfer shallot mixture to small bowl.
• Strain cooking juices using fine mesh sieve, and reserve 1 1/2 cups of the strained juices; transfer to 1 1/2-quart saucepan. In small bowl, mix remaining 2 tablespoons beef broth and the cornstarch with whisk; beat into cooking juices in pan. Heat to simmering over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Remove from heat; stir in whipping cream.
• Cut beef into 1/2-inch slices, cutting against the grain. Transfer sliced beef to serving platter, using large flat spatula or fish turner. Top beef with shallot mixture; drizzle with sauce before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with mashed potatoes.

BEEF BRISKET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• On a cutting board, mash the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt together with the flat-side of a knife into a paste. Add the rosemary and continue to mash until incorporated. Put the garlic-rosemary paste in a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil; stir to combine.
• Season both sides of the brisket with a fair amount of kosher salt and ground black pepper. Place a large roasting pan or Dutch oven over medium-high flame and coat with the remaining olive oil. Put the brisket in the roasting pan and sear to form a nice brown crust on both sides. Lay the vegetables all around the brisket and pour the rosemary paste over the whole thing. Add the wine and tomatoes; toss in the parsley and bay leaves. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and transfer to the oven. Bake for about 3 to 4 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices, until the beef is fork tender.
• Remove the brisket to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes. Scoop the vegetables out of the roasting pan and onto a platter, cover to keep warm. Pour out some of the excess fat, and put the roasting pan with the pan juices on the stove over medium-high heat. Boil and stir for 5 minutes until the sauce is reduced by 1/2. (If you want a thicker sauce, mix 1 tablespoon of flour with 2 tablespoons of wine or water and blend into the gravy).
• Slice the brisket across the grain (the muscle lines) at a slight diagonal. Serve with potato pancakes.
• Using a box grater or food processor, coarsely grate the potatoes and onions. Put the grated potatoes and onions together in cheesecloth or a tea towel and twist it to squeeze out the excess liquid. Put the dry potatoes and onions in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the egg whites and chives to bind the mixture together.
• Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and coat with 1/4-inch of oil. For each pancake, take about 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture and drop into the hot oil; gently flatten with a spatula so they fry up thin and crispy. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden. Remove to paper towels to drain; season with salt while the potato pancakes are still hot. Continue frying, adding more oil as needed, until all of the mixture is used up. Serve immediately with apple sauce, if desired.

JULIA CHILD'S SMOTHERED BEEF BRISKET

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mash the salt and thyme into the puréed garlic with the flat side of a large kitchen knife.
• Beat the oil and pepper into the garlic mixture and spread this mixture over both sides of the brisket.
• Toss the vegetables in a large bowl with a little salt and thyme.
• Spread half of the vegetable mixture in the bottom of a roasting pan.
• Place beef, fat side up, on top of the vegetables.
• Cover with the remaining vegetables.
• Cover the pan tightly with foil.
• (This dish may be prepared to this point in advance and refrigerated.).
• When ready to cook, cook--basting with pan juices every 1/2 hour--in a 300° oven 3-4 hours until a fork goes into the meat easily; by the end of cooking, the meat will have shrunk.
• **** If you are not serving the meat until the next day, transfer the meat with its vegetables to a smaller pot; degrease the juices and pour them over the brisket and chill, uncovered, until cooled; then cover and keep in the refrigerator up to 2 days. To reheat, put this dish in a 350° oven for 20 minutes, basting 2-3 times with its juices. ****.
• Remove the beef with its vegetable topping to a cutting board.
• Pour the juices into a saucepan, degrease, and rapidly boil down almost to a syrup.
• If you wish, you can thicken the juice into a sauce with 1-1/2 Tbs cornstarch blended with 2 Tbs of either wine or stock.
• Carve the meat across the grain into thin slanting slices.
• Accompany each serving of meat with 1-2 spoonfuls sauce and vegetables.

OVEN BAKED BEEF BRISKET

Steps:

• Place meat in a 13"X 9"X2" baking pan.
• Stir together water, onion, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, chili powder, bouillon granules, red pepper, and garlic. Pour over the meat.
• Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F. for about 3 hours or until tender, turning once.
• Remove meat, reserving pan juices. Thinly slice meat (against grain) and place on a serving platter. Keep warm.
• For gravy/sauce, skim fat and enough water, if necessary for 3/4 cup of dripping. In a saucepan stir together ketchup, brown sugar and flour. Stir in the reserves pan juices. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook one minute more and serve with meat.

THE BEST BEEF BRISKET

Steps:

• Trim fat on briskett.
• Soak brisket for 30 minutes in water.
• Drain.
• Sprinkle meat with kosher salt and let sit 30 minutes.
• Rinse meat well.
• Braise meat in olive oil until brown, approximately 8 minutes per side.
• Reduce heat and add onions.
• Brown.
• Add garlic.
• Remove meat.
• Add all ingredients for sauce.
• Stir well.
• Put meat back in pan and simmer covered for approximately 3 hours.
• Remove meat and reduce sauce.