====== Passover Brisket ====== ===== Ingredients ===== * First Cut (flat cut) of brisket * 4 medium carrots * 4 stalks celery * 4 medium onions * 4 cloves garlic * Sprigs of thyme * 1/4 cup light brown sugar * 2 Tbsp tomato paste * 2 Tbsp flour (if you want to stay Kosher, substitute potato starch) * 1 1/2 cups dry red wine * 1 1/2 cup beef broth * 1/2 cup ketchup * 1 cup crushed tomatoes * 1/2 cup white wine vinegar * 3-4 bay leaves * 1 Tbsp paprika * 2 Tbsp honey * 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard ===== Method ===== - Start by placing the brisket fat-side down onto a cold stainless steel roasting pan. Placing the fat side down will help the fat render out. To help it brown more evenly, place a cast iron skillet on top of the brisket. - Cook the brisket over a medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, or until evenly brown. At which point, flip the brisket and set it down to brown on the beefy side. - While your brisket browns, peel 4 medium carrots. Cut the carrots and 4 stalks of celery into 1-inch chunks. Peel 4 medium onions and slice them into thick slices. Then peel and crush 4 cloves of garlic. - Once your brisket has browned evenly on the bottom, set the whole piece of meat aside while you cook the vegetables and prepare the braising liquid. - Depending on how fatty your brisket is, you may have developed quite a bit of fat on the bottom of your roaster. If so, remove all but 2 Tbsp from the pan. - At this time, place the sliced onions into the pan and slowly start to caramelize them for about 10 minutes over medium heat. To help deepen flavor and caramelization, add 1/4 cup of light brown sugar. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. - At this point, add the chopped celery and carrots and cook for 2 minutes - until they pick up a little color. Then add 4 cloves of crushed garlic and saute for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Next add 2 Tbsp of tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds to a minute. - Before deglazing the fond off the bottom of the pot you need a thickener. So, add 2 Tbsp of flour (or potato starch) and mix together. Let it toast for about 1 minute, until the raw flour smell dissipates. Then crank the heat up to medium high and deglaze by adding about 1 ½ cups of dry red wine. Scrape up any fond on the bottom of the pot. - To continue to build the braising base, add 1 ½ cups of beef broth (if not enough liquid is in the pan, add another ½ cup of dry red wine), ½ cup of ketchup and 1 cup of crushed tomatoes. Mix together. - To bring more acidity to the sauce, add ¼ cup white wine vinegar, 3 or 4 dried bay leaves, a few sprigs of thyme, 1 Tbsp of paprika, 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional), 2 Tbsp of honey, and 2 Tbsp of dijon mustard. Mix it all together and taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper as needed. - At this point, nestle the brisket into the braising liquid and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Place into a 300°F oven for 4 hours. The brisket is done when it feels like nothing is there when you stab it with a fork. - Let the brisket cool off for 1 hour. Then separate the brisket from the sauce and remove the sprigs of thyme and bay leaves. Put the rest of the liquid in the fridge overnight. I kept the brisket in an intended reheating serving vessel and poured the braising liquid into a more manageable container (covered with plastic wrap if the container has no lid). This will help the liquid solidify with the fat settling at the top. - The next day, scoop off the solidified fat into a separate bowl (if you don’t do this, you will have a greasy sauce). Carve the brisket by cutting across the grain into long, thin slices. - Once the brisket has been sliced, pour a portion of the liquid into the intended cooking vessel/serving casserole and nestle the brisket over the top, fanning out a bit so every slice has exposure to the sauce, and then pour the rest of the sauce over top of the brisket slices. - Place a lid on the cooking vessel and put it into a preheated 375°F oven for about 45 minutes, or until vigorously bubbling and ready to serve.