Beef Brisket

Do you have a favorite comfort food recipe?

There is nothing quite like a good beef brisket. Unfortunately, too often it is dried out or stringy. These are easy conditions to cure. A brisket should be cooked at as low a temperature as possible. If you can keep the meat at a simmer or even below, it won’t get stringy or dried out.

The bigger problem is the balance of flavor. Too often, a brisket ends up overwhelmed by a bottle of wine or can of tomato paste that are poured into the braising liquid. A little tomato paste and a little wine are all you need. And I never add carrots. They dissolve into the liquid and make it too sweet. Brisket doesn’t really need them—just serve with mashed potatoes and buttered carrots on the side.

The real secret to brisket is the onions. Deeply browned onions add a rich sweetness that perfectly complements the brisket.

Recipe:

1 3-4 lb brisket.
Salt, pepper
4-5 onions, thinly sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced.
2 tb flour
2 tb tomato paste
¼ cup red or white wine
1 cup beef broth
neutral oil, such as grapeseed
1-2 sprigs thyme


1. Salt, pepper brisket. In a heavy Dutch oven (Le Creuset works perfectly), brown both sides in oil. Brown for at least five minutes on a side. You want a good, dark brown on the outside of the meat. Remove brisket from pot and set aside.
2. Place onions in pan. salt. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, until onions are soft, and have given off some water. If they are browning, add a little liquid. After 15 minutes, turn the heat up, boil off the liquid. Turn the heat to low and slowly cook the onions until they turn a medium brown. Stir frequently. The darker the onions get, the more frequently you stir.
3. Add the garlic and sauté for 3 minutes.
4. Add the tomato paste and sauté for another 2 minutes.
5. Add the flour and cook for about five minutes.
6. Add wine, beef broth, brisket and bring to a boil.
7. Throw a sprig or two of thyme into the pot.
8. Cook at 250 for 4 hours.
9. Remove from oven, check texture. Cook longer, if needed.
10. Remove brisket from cooking liquid and degrease. Reduce sauce, if needed. Return brisket to pot and reheat. Let beef sit for a few minutes before cutting into it.