Brisket for Pesach and Beyond

Ingredients                                                               Difficulty Rating - easy to medium

·       1 5-6 lb brisket (first or 2^nd cut is fine, it should have about ¼ inch of fat to keep it from drying out, more than that would be too fatty )

·       About 2-3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

·       4 cups of beef broth (or a full bodied red wine if you prefer, or half of one, half of the other)

·       8 carrots – 4 whole and 4 peeled and cut into 2” pieces

·       4 medium potatoes – peeled and cut into 2” pieces

·       6 medium onions – 3 whole and 3 peeled and sliced

·       5 whole cloves of garlic - peeled

·       2 whole bay leaves (Turkish)

·       1/2 teaspoon thyme

·       Kosher salt

·       Freshly ground black Pepper

·       ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, cayenne isn't something you think about on Pesach, but it's always good to step it up a notch)

·       Garlic powder (when you make a rub, powder is just easier)

·       1 Tablespoon potato starch (if you choose to thicken the gravy.

Preparation:

Rub prep:

Make a rub of 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Brisket prep:

Pat brisket dry with paper towel – rub all over with the salt/pepper/garlic rub - put it back in the refrigerator for an hour or more to give the flavors a chance to sink in.

Put the Dutch oven or big casserole on the stove with the oil and a medium flame (don’t use olive oil, it burns too quickly).

When the pot is really hot (but before the oil is burning) put the meat in to brown – first do it fat side down – about 5 minutes

Turn it with the

tongs and brown the other side for about 5 minutes

Remove it from the heat, and lift the meat with tongs and scrape the bottom of the frying pan to loosen whatever stuck to the bottom

Put the meat back in the pan

Add the whole carrots, garlic cloves, thyme, bay leaves and whole onions (if the onions  & carrots don't fit, cut them in half)

Add enough broth (I prefer a full bodied red wine, but it’s up to you) to cover about 3/4 of the brisket

Cover pan tightly

Check the brisket about every 45 minutes to make sure the liquid level covers about 3/4 of it, if not, add more

Braise (cook in liquid) for about 2 hours The meat should still be fairly stiff – remove the meat using tongs

Carefully slice across the grain (make the slices about ¼” thick or less if you'd like)    

Using a slotted spoon, remove the veggies that have been cooking with the meat. 

Return the sliced meet to the pot

Add the remaining peeled and sliced carrots, potatoes and onions - if more liquid is needed, add it.

Cook for another hour – check occasionally to see if more liquid is needed

If it is not super tender when you touch it with a fork, cook it more.  It doesn't need to be falling apart, but it needs to be tender.

Add more salt if needed.

Let it cool then take the brisket out of the Dutch Oven and either wrap it in aluminum foil or put it in something smaller - refrigerate over night – covered.

Pour the juices and veggies into a container and refrigerate.

About 2 hours before you serve it, take the brisket and the juices out of the refrigerator.  Let the brisket sit at room temperature for about 1 hour.

Scrape the top layer of fat off the juices as soon as you take it out of the refrigerator.

Note: Some people like to put the veggies and the juice in a blender to make a gravy.  We don't do that in my family, it's up to you.  

Pour the liquid and veggies into a saucepan and heat it. If you think there isn't enough liquid add some more now. Don't bring it to a boil, just make it hot.

Return the meat to the Dutch oven or a large oven proof skillet, pour the juice and veggies over it.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and reheat the brisket in the liquid until it is warm (about 1/2 hour). 

Note: if you choose to thicken the gravy, the time to do it is right after you reheat everything and remove the meat. Put the Dutch oven on the stove top on medium heat.  First you need a slurry.  I make the slurry in a small jar, add 1 Tablespoon of Potato Starch and 1/4 cup of water or red wine.  Put the top on the lid and shake it up until it's smooth.  Pour a small amount of the slurry into the pot and stir, it will start to thicken immediately.  If needed, add more, but don't overdo it.

When you serve it, take the meat out and put it on a platter and pour the liquid & veggies over the meat or if your Dutch oven is nice enough, service it family style out of the same pot in which it was cooked.