Beef Brisket: Kitchen Stadium, What Do You Do?

Question

Boil, Grill, Bake...Horseradish Sauce, maybe? Side Dishes - carrots, potatos. Help out this poor Dad who bought a 10lb brisket on sale and doesn't want to let it go to waste.

Answer 1

Dear Dad:

First bravo to you for being frugal. I often cook large pieces of meat in order to make several meals either for the next few days or for freezing.

First you want to prepare the brisket in a way that's going to be most adaptable to several meals. Boiling in beer or other savory liquids is likely the best option that also yields tender results. Another option is slow crockpot cooking or pressure cooking. The key here is to use flavors that you like in several dishes initially so the meat will match those later.

Once cooked you can then:

1. score it and put it on the grill with an orange-ginger glaze
2. pull it and store it with barbeque sauce for sandwhiches
3. marinate some for a classic pot pie
4. chunk some for stew with potato, carrots and cabbage
5. finely grind some with your favorite flavorings mixed in and heat it on a bed of sliced or mashed potatoes with gravy
6. finely grind it for a hash-like meal with carrots, potatoes, celery and onions
7. finely dice it and marinate in soy and ginger for stir fry

The beauty is that this meat typically stays moist even if you have to re-cook it with other items because of the fatty layers.

Hope that helps some!

Answer 2

Beef Brisket Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence
Show: Food 911
Episode: Two Goys, a Girl and a Brisket!

Difficulty: Medium
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Yield: 10 servings

4 large garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, needles striped from the stem and chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 (4 pound) beef brisket, first-cut
Coarsely ground black pepper
4 large carrots, cut in 3-inch chunks
3 celery stalks, cut in 3-inch chunks
4 large red onions, halved
2 cups dry red wine
1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes, hand-crushed
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (optional)
Potato Pancakes, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
On a cutting board, mash the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt together with the flat-side of a knife into a paste. Add the rosemary and continue to mash until incorporated. Put the garlic-rosemary paste in a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil; stir to combine.

Season both sides of the brisket with a fair amount of kosher salt and ground black pepper. Place a large roasting pan or Dutch oven over medium-high flame and coat with the remaining olive oil. Put the brisket in the roasting pan and sear to form a nice brown crust on both sides. Lay the vegetables all around the brisket and pour the rosemary paste over the whole thing. Add the wine and tomatoes; toss in the parsley and bay leaves. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and transfer to the oven. Bake for about 3 to 4 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices, until the beef is fork tender.

Remove the brisket to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes. Scoop the vegetables out of the roasting pan and onto a platter, cover to keep warm. Pour out some of the excess fat, and put the roasting pan with the pan juices on the stove over medium-high heat. Boil and stir for 5 minutes until the sauce is reduced by 1/2. (If you want a thicker sauce, mix 1 tablespoon of flour with 2 tablespoons of wine or water and blend into the gravy).

Slice the brisket across the grain (the muscle lines) at a slight diagonal. Serve with potato pancakes.

Crispy Potato Pancakes (Latkes):
Yield: about 20 (4-inch) pancakes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 4 minutes per/batch
Ease of Preparation: Medium

4 medium russet potatoes, peeled
2 medium onions
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/4 cup finely chopped chives
Vegetable oil, for frying

Serving suggestion: applesauce

Using a box grater or food processor, coarsely grate the potatoes and onions. Put the grated potatoes and onions together in cheesecloth or a tea towel and twist it to squeeze out the excess liquid. Put the dry potatoes and onions in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the egg whites and chives to bind the mixture together.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and coat with 1/4-inch of oil. For each pancake, take about 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture and drop into the hot oil; gently flatten with a spatula so they fry up thin and crispy. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden. Remove to paper towels to drain; season with salt while the potato pancakes are still hot. Continue frying, adding more oil as needed, until all of the mixture is used up. Serve immediately with apple sauce, if desired.

Answer 3

I haven't tried this one yet, but it's on my to do list. Paula Deen hasn't failed me yet (also, this gets 5 stars on the website). I don't have a smoker so I planned to cook it in a slow oven instead, but you could use a charcoal grill w/ or w/out the wood chips. Adjust the time for your 10 lb brisket accordingly.

She served hers with a hot cole slaw (not my cup of tea, but regular cole slaw would do it for me and I've added the recipe I use to make a clone of KFC coleslaw) and slow cooker pinto beans (you can get hers from the link I've provided and I've also added my personal favorite recipe for crock pot baked beans...adjust it to whatever beans you have on hand. It's never failed me.). If you go the BBQ route, add some cornbread and you've got a southern feast.

However, if you cook it in the oven, you can certainly toss onions, carrots and potatoes around it and they would soak up the yummy juices and be great (in my opinion).

Texas Brisket by Paula Deen

Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Yield: 10 to 12 servings

1 (5 to 6-pound) brisket, trimmed but left with a layer of fat about 1/4- inch thick
6 tablespoons House Seasoning, recipe follows
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 cups hickory wood chips, soaked in water for 30 minutes

Rinse brisket thoroughly under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, mix together House Seasoning, chili powder, brown sugar, onion powder, oregano and cayenne. Rub brisket with the rub on all sides.

Follow directions on your grill/smoker for indirect grilling. Place the soaked chips into the chip box, or make a pouch with tin foil for the chips, then place pouch directly on the coals. Place brisket fat side up in a large disposable aluminum pan and place in the center of the grate and cover the grill.

Slow grill the brisket until tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the meat reads about 190 degrees F, about 6 hours. Add coals and wood chips as necessary to maintain a constant temperature. Transfer the brisket to a cutting board to rest for about 10 minutes. Slice the brisket across the grain and serve.

House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups
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KFC cole slaw
This recipe came from the Top Secret Recipes cookbook and tastes unbelievably like the real thing…

KFC Coleslaw

8 cups very finely chopped white cabbage (about 1 head) *
¼ cup shredded carrot (1 medium) *

½ cup granulated sugar
½ t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
¼ cup milk
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup buttermilk (do not substitute)
1-1/2 T. white vinegar
2-1/2 T. lemon juice

* You can substitute one bag (I think it is 16 oz) for the cabbage and carrot.

First things first, the cabbage and carrots must be chopped very finely – into kernels about the size of rice. If you use the bag stuff, it is shredded and will need to be chopped some more. Use a large knife and chop it in manageable batches.
Combine the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.
Add the cabbage and carrots and mix well.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

8 servings

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Calico Beans
½ - 1 pound bacon, sautéed
1 small onion, diced
1 - 16 oz can baked beans
2 small cans pork and beans
1 can white beans
1 can other bean (pinto, kidney…)
1/4 cup molasses
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tsp mustard

Drain the juice in the baked beans and reserve to use as needed throughout cooking.
Put all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on high about 1 hour. Once hot and bubbly, turn slow cooker down to low and cook a minimum of 3 hours, adding the reserved liquid if they become too dry.


Happy cooking!

Answer 4

http://beef.allrecipes.com/az/OvenBarbecuedBeefBrisket.asp
http://sidedish.allrecipes.com/az/LmnHrsrdishNwPtts.asp