Simply Delicious Brisket

by Nanny Bubby

At a Jewish Food Festival I came across the most delicious flavor of brisket. It was unlike anything I had ever tasted and was so savory. I could not place the flavor. In my mind I ran through all the obvious items you cook brisket in but couldn’t place that one taste. Come to find out, it was cayenne pepper. I created this rub to add to my traditional, simple brisket recipe and the feedback I get on this brisket is unlike anything I ever have gotten for brisket. Try it. Enjoy!

Total Time:

Serves:

Ingredients

1 beef brisket 6 lbs.
2 large onions chopped
6 cloves garlic unpeeled
3 bay leaves
4 c. organic beef stock
2 Tbsp. Kosher salt
1/2 Tbsp. black pepper
1 ½ Tbsp. cayenne pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
At time of purchase, ask the butcher to trim the fat from the brisket leaving about a ¼ of an inch of fat.
Create the rub by mixing together the salt, pepper and cayenne in a shallow bowl.
Pat the meat dry and let sit out for about 15 minutes while you peel and chop the onions and prepare the garlic and bay leaves.
Cover the meat generously with the rub, making sure to get into all of the crevices.
Place the meat point side down in a large roasting pan and cook 30 minutes in the oven on one side and then turn to the other side and cook for another 30 minutes until browned and crisp on both sides.
Add the chopped onions to the pan, scattering them around the brisket. Stir to coat the onions with the drippings and scrape up any brown bits.
Return the brisket to the oven and roast until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes, being careful not to burn the ends of the onions.
Remove the pan from the oven and reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Add the garlic and the bay leaves to the pan. At this point the brisket should be point side up.
Pour in enough stock to reach about one inch up the sides of the brisket and scrape down the brown bits. Cover the pan tightly with a lid or heavy duty foil and return to the oven. Braise until very, very tender, about three hours.
Check the meat every 30 minutes during the cooking time and add stock as needed to keep the simmering juice about one inch high and the onions from burning. You could need more than four cups stock. If you do, you can either add more stock or just water. It is a personal preference.
Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the brisket to a pan for the refrigerator.
Pour the juices and onions into a glass container like a large eight-cup glass measuring container and let cool.
Add a little water to the pan and place over medium heat stirring and scraping the brown bits from the bottom. Add these drippings to the glass container. Let the meat and juices cool overnight in the refrigerator.
Tip: Before re-heating, lift the congealed fat from the juices in the jar and discard. If there is any fat in or around the brisket, also remove that fat.
Spread about ¼ of the remaining juices on the bottom of the pan. Slice the brisket on the diagonal while cold and place each slice into the pan on top of the cold juices.
Cover and reheat the brisket for 30 minutes at 325 degrees. Reheat the remaining juices in a saucepan and place in a gravy boat to be served with the brisket.