Monday, February 1, 2010

Brisket


My husband was raised in Texas, which has given him a taste of good old southern food. One particular thing he asks for quite a bit is brisket, a cut of meat that I'm not very familiar with, and definitely never cooked before. So finally a few Sundays ago we thought we'd try our hand at some good old southern brisket. We found a lovely cut at Costco (I love Costco, I really do), and I found a recipe for a marinade at Recipezaar. Now, from what I understand brisket is normally dry rubbed and then smoked, but we thought we'd try something different. We cooked it in the oven for about five hours. We went about our business while it was cooking, and when we walked into our apartment complex (mind you, we live on the second floor), we could smell the brisket in the lobby! And it smelled GOOD! I made two briskets and I shredded the first one, which I thought it would be okay since it was practically falling apart after being cooked for so long. Not a good idea, it was tough, stringy and dry after I shredded it. Slice it, against the grain, and it will be juicy and rich with a great bark on the outside. I'm definitely sold on brisket now, but I do think next time I'll be more traditional and make it with a dry rub.

Brisket
Recipezaar

Ingredients

4-6 lbs beef brisket trimmed
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons celery seeds
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Mix ingredients and cover both sides of meat. If you do this with your hands, you may want to use gloves so you don't smell like liquid smoke for four days, it's strong stuff!
2. Wrap in foil and seal.
3. Marinate overnight in refrigerator.
4. Bake in 300°F oven for 5 hours, or at 275°F for 6 hours. May cover with barbecue sauce during last hour, leaving uncovered. I suggest Sweet Baby Ray's!

I served this with a broccoli salad, which I will post later and these mixed fingerling potatoes, that I also found at Costco. They are white, red and purple little potatoes that are so good coated in olive oil, herbs and roasted. Look for them next time you're there, they're so fun!

28 comments:

Erica said...

I've never made brisket but I know Josh would LOVE it. I bet your neighbors were jealous and trying to figure out where the smell was coming from ;)

Joanne said...

I absolutely adore brisket. Especially on sandwiches. Smothered in barbecue sauce. Looks fantastic! And what a great picture.

Christo Gonzales said...

what is going on - this is the second brisket I have seen today - it looks good!

Jenna said...

My mom has the BEST recipe for shredded brisket, and it turns out SUPER TENDER--and it's EASY...Beef Brisket

5 lb. beef brisket
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix (one pkg. per 5 lbs. of meat)
--Place beef (fat side down) on an open piece of Aluminum foil in a pan. Sprinkle onion soup mix evenly on top of meat. Double wrap the meat in foil (wrap up in tin foil dinner style). Bake @ 250˚ for 8 hours. This can be done the exactly the same in a crock pot, excluding the Aluminum foil (6-8 hours on low in a crock pot). After fully cooked, piece apart the meat into strands; serve on rolls, or on a plate with other food.

Enjoy!

Julie said...

Oh yum! Except for the celery seeds this sounds quite a bit like PW's brisket and it is just divine. Very nice job, bet you drove your neighbors mad!

The Blonde Duck said...

I made a brisket this weekend too! I slow cook mine in a dutch oven in plenty of juices, then throw a bbq sauce on at the last hour...

♥peachkins♥ said...

This brisket sure looks good on top of steamed rice...

Arlene Delloro said...

I love brisket, but haven't made one in ages. I'd love to try one in the slow cooker. Yours looks very good.

Kim said...

That top picture is making me drool:D I love brisket, but I have a very hard time finding here in town. I never knew not to shred it at all, thanks for the tip. Sounds like you were making your neighbors hungry;D

Jennifer said...

Brisket is a tough one to cook, we smoke it for about 12 hours.

Pam said...

I've never made brisket but you have motivated me to try. It looks delicious.

Reeni said...

This sounds and looks really good! I've never made one - but now I want to. And how cool that you could smell it in the lobby!

Heidi said...

Very much like my favorite brisket recipe! YUMMY!!!

Jenn said...

Right now I'm craving for a brisket sandwich.

Deborah said...

I've been craving brisket lately, but have never made it myself. I'm impressed!

Coleens Recipes said...

I don't think I've ever made a whole brisket, but this looks like something Hubby would walk a mile for. I think I'll give it a try.

Katy ~ said...

I've never made a brisket either, not being familiar with this cut of meat. Your photo is so tempting and the description of the aromas so mouthwatering that I want a nice serving of this. My Ole Sweetie-Pi would love this!

Aggie said...

I've made brisket only a couple of times (last year Guiness brisket for St Patty's was the last time!)...its such a great cut of beef. Love the recipe!

Barbara said...

Dare I say it? I have never cooked a brisket!
Your recipe sounds really good.

I'm confused though, I thought shredding it was supposed to be great for BBQ sandwiches. Are you always supposed to slice it?

NKP said...

Yum, brisket is very popular here, especially in Montreal.
Looks yummy - congrats for trying a new technique!

Debbie said...

I've never made brisket. I have to give this a try already. Yours looks delicious. I know my husband would love this!

Anonymous said...

You may be able to salvage the shredded brisket - go to your deli and ask for the au jus that you get with Italian Beef - heat the au jus and add the brisket just long enough to warm it up - make sandwiches with the au jus on the side to dip! :D

Diana's Cocina said...

I absolutely love brisket!!!

Irma Green said...

I like to cook my brisket in a turkey bag. When I put it into the bag I put slices of raw onion on top. That keeps the brisket very moist, as does the bag. When done, there will be lots of sauce/juice for topping the brisket if you want.

Leslie said...

Sounds Amazing! I need to cook me some brisket one of these days!

Monica said...

Congrats! You have been awarded the Sunshine Award! You can pick it up at my blog here http://lifeissooogood.blogspot.com/
Thanks for all the yummy food!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

I've never had brisket and have often wondered about it. I'm not sure about smoking it so I think I'll try your way.
~ingrid

Unknown said...

Yum! i love brisket in all forms, so I am sure this is delicious. Maybe next time you could try chopping it instead of shredding, chopped brisket sandwiches with some bbq sauce are usually great.

-sara/imafoodblog.com