Trash the cookbooks. This delicious and simple recipe transforms an ordinary piece of meat into an extraordinary meal. And there are 10 good reasons to do it.
1. It is easy to make. (And hard to screw up.)
2. It's inexpensive.
3. It requires only one pot.
4. It produces its own glorious gravy.
5. It makes your house smell really, really good.
6. It's at least as good the next day. ("It makes a nice sandwich.")
7. It can feed a lot of people.
8. It's an extremely adaptable recipe.
9. Everyone loves it -- kids and grownups alike. (Vegetarians, not so much.)
10. Most important, it's mouthwatering-ly delicious and "fall-off-the-bone" tender. And there's not even a bone.
Yes, my friends: say hello to Beer Braised Brisket of Beef. The name brisket itself may not be sexy, but the dish is.
You need only a few things to proceed:
• A large pot with a tight-fitting lid that's big enough to house the hunk of meat you're about to cook. It is generally called a stockpot or the more interesting sounding "Dutch Oven."
• The meat, onions, garlic, some type of tomato product, and beer. Salt, pepper and oil also come into play.
• A little bit of patience; magnificence can't be rushed.
Here's the process, broken down:
- The amount of brisket obviously depends on how many eaters; figure about 3/4 pound uncooked per person, but I'd encourage more because leftovers rock.
- The onion and garlic add a lot of flavor, so I use plenty of both, particularly the onions, which benefit from long cooking to become sweet and soft.
- By "tomato product" I mean some form of canned tomato. It can be whole tomatoes, crushed, pureed, or tomato paste, any of which will add color and taste to the mix. Don't tell anyone, but I've also used ketchup successfully.
- The beer is used to "braise" the meat, which means slow cooking in liquid. With sufficient heat and time, the alcohol will cook out of the beer but leave behind a rich flavor. So you might want to splurge on something fuller bodied, like an amber beer. But if you prefer to make this without beer, you can easily substitute beef or vegetable broth and still achieve delicious results. (Red wine works too.)
- The bit about patience. Once you handle the simple pre-game prep, which involves some slicing, seasoning, and searing, your brisket becomes like a reluctant starlet who wants to be left alone -- at least for a couple of hours. But that's good, too. Life is fast enough; dinner shouldn't have to be.
Now for the game plan:
1. Get your ingredients
1 beef brisket (about 3 pounds to feed six)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thin
1 tablespoon salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or Hot Hungarian paprika (optional, but nice if you like a little kick)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 large onions, peeled and sliced
2-3 bottles lager or amber beer (can substitute with 3 cups beef or vegetable broth)
10-ounce can of crushed tomatoes OR 1 small can of tomato paste
2. Make the brisket
•Pat the brisket dry. With the tip of a sharp knife, make slits in both sides of the meat and stuff with thin slices of garlic. The more you like garlic, the more slits you'll make. Season each side very generously with 2/3 of the salt and pepper.
•Place oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium high flame. When hot, brown the brisket on both sides, lowering heat as necessary so as not to burn. You're looking for a nice brown color, not burnt.
•When browned, add beer, onions, remaining salt, tomato product, and cayenne if you're using. There should be enough liquid to cover about 2/3 of the brisket. If you need more liquid, you can also use broth to supplement the beer. Stir and bring mixture to boil, then lower the flame so that broth remains "simmering," i.e.: not vigorous, but still moving gently. Cover the pot. (You can leave it on top of stove OR place in a 325-degree pre-heated oven.)
•Cook until meat is very tender but not totally falling apart, at least two hours. More is fine. Just make sure to check along the way to ensure that you still have sufficient liquid in the pot to partially cover the meat. Add more if necessary.
•Remove brisket to a carving board and cover it with aluminum foil. Now look at the remaining oniony broth/gravy and decide if you like what you see or you would like it to be thicker. If there is a lot of liquid, you can reduce it considerably by putting it back on the stove top, at a higher temperature, and cook until it reaches the consistency you desire. This can take a good 20-30 minutes IF you have a lot of liquid in the pot. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt or pepper if necessary. Then slice brisket AGAINST the grain and top with onion gravy.
3. Add the finishing touches
Serve alongside something that will welcome all the sauce, like mashed potatoes, noodles, couscous or a baguette and some bagged salad greens with a sprinkle of olive oil, lemon and salt.
Once you understand the basic technique of searing and braising you can customize your own version with a variety of flavorful additions that excite you -- 40 cloves of garlic, herbs like thyme or a little rosemary, spices such as cumin, cinnamon or curry powder, red wine instead of beer, dried apricots, or carrots and parsnips added during the last hour of cooking.
If you're not in the mood for brisket, go ahead and braise short ribs. Or a shoulder of pork. The concept is the same: season and sear the meat, add aromatics like garlic and onion, and then cook slowly in a flavorful liquid until it gets as tender as you are tough.
Now rejoice and eat meat!
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Serves six (and provides leftovers)