Whole Brisket Cut Food

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.

BRAISED BRISKET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Mix the fennel seeds, sage, cayenne, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the brisket, pressing it into the meat to make sure it sticks well.
• Mix the beef stock or broth, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and garlic in a large liquid measuring cup and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the brisket fat-side up and cook until golden brown and no longer sticking to the bottom of the pot, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until it is golden brown and some of the fat has rendered, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the brisket to a plate and lower the heat to medium.
• Add the onions, carrots and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, until the onions are softened and starting to caramelize, 7 to 8 minutes.
• Add the balsamic mixture and tomatoes to the pot and bring to a boil. Return the brisket to the pan and nestle it into the sauce and vegetables fat-side up. Cover the pot, transfer to the oven and braise until the brisket is tender but not shredding or falling apart, about 3 hours 30 minutes. A fork should easily pierce through the meat.
• Remove from the oven, uncover and let the brisket rest in the pan for 30 minutes. Remove the brisket to a cutting board. Bring the vegetables and sauce to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until slightly thickened, 12 to 15 minutes. Thinly slice the brisket across the grain and place on a platter. Spoon the vegetables and sauce over the top and serve.

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.

HOME-CURED BRISKET (CORNED BEEF)

Steps:

• Take the brisket and pierce it with a knife or tenderizer. Do each side at least 15x. Place brisket in 1 gallon plastic baggie.
• Mix all other ingredients together in a bowl or 2 cup measuring cup.
• Reaching inside baggie, sprinkle 1/2 the mixture over the brisket. Turn baggie over and repeat, sprinkling the other side. Seal the baggie after expressing as much air as possible.
• Place the bagged brisket in a dish large enough to hold it. It must then be weighted. You can use some cans from the pantry. I used 2 fairly heavy casserole dishes that nested, and placed the second on top of the brisket.
• Put the dish with the brisket in the refrigerator. I used bottom shelf in the back as it is the coldest spot. The brisket should be turned over 1x each day for at least 5 days, and no longer than 7 days.
• Rinse before using. I gave my brisket a cold-water bath while preparing the other ingredients for a traditional New England boiled dinner.
• This recipe is only for curing the beef. When I cooked this cured beef, I simmered it for at least 3 hours, then moved it to a casserole with a cup of broth ladled over it and let it rest for 20-30 minutes before slicing across the grain.

SMOKED WHOLE BRISKET WITH BURNT ENDS

Steps:

• Toast coriander seeds for 3 minutes in an iron skillet over medium heat.
• Grind the seeds in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.
• Add the rest of the spices and sugar and blend.
• Rinse the brisket and dry.
• Cover lightly with Worcestershire sauce.
• Sprinkle and rub the dry rub onto all sides.
• Use about 1/3 cup of pecan pellets or chips and encase in heavy duty aluminum foil. Punch one small hole in the packet and toss onto the coals. If using chunks of pecan, add 4 pieces (3x3x3 inches) to the coals at the start of the cook.
• Cook at 250°F to 300°F indirectly over charcoal. The cook time will be about 3/4 to 1 hour per lb at 250°F to 200°F smoker temperatures. A flat by itself cooks for a little over an hour a pound.
• When internal temperature reaches 170°F, Wrap in two layers of heavy duty foil and return to the smoker.
• Remove the brisket when internal temperature is 195°F to 200°F taking care not to spill the hot juices on you or others.
• Let it rest for at least 45 minutes.
• Carefully drain the juices into a container and refrigerate to remove fat.
• After it cools a bit, use heavy rubber gloves or a knife to remove loose fat and separate the brisket flat from the point. There is a layer of fat that separates the two and the meat grains of the point and flat run perpendicular to each other.
• Place the point back on the smoker for an additional hour.
• Meanwhile, use a sharp, long knife or electric knife to slice the flat, cutting across the grain with the knife blade perpendicular to the direction of the grain of the meat.
• After an hour, remove the point and cut into 1 inch cubes to make burnt ends.
• Place the cubes in an aluminum pan and return to the smoker for another hour.
• Defat the juices and either add to the sliced brisket or use in a sauce recipe.
• Use your favorite sauce and place or buns or serve directly with barbecue sides.