Recipe Of The Day: Braised Brisket

AHH Spring. The lovely time of year where Easter egg hunts, pastel colors and Passover Brisket are in abundance. The traditional feast for either the Passover seder or the Easter Sunday dinner, is nothing short of amazing here in America. Getting to see your loved ones in their finest clothes, acting’s as if none of us have ever had an issue with each other (even if it is only for one day) is quite pleasant. Especially for the elders in the family who are looking forward to nothing less than seeing their Grand and Great Grandchildren play in the yard.

So many wonderful memories are usually brought back to life simply because of the conversations we have while engorging ourselves on the family classics. But it is just that, those family classics that have gotten us through all these years that keep us coming back.

People have been asking me lately where I got my Passover Brisket from and I tell them it is an adaptation from my Grandmothers recipe, I learned many years ago.

Today’s Recipe Of The Day: Braised Brisket, is something I hope that you try out and love. It is a fairly simple recipe, similar to a crock pot recipe, because you are able to put it in the oven and forget for hours at a time. Please make sure to set your oven timers on this one, to help remind you when to check the liquid level in your braising sauce.

Rub:

1/4 cup sweet Hungarian paprika

1 TBS kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning

1 TBS freshly ground black pepper, plus additional for seasoning

1 TBS light brown sugar

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 (5 to 6-pound) piece beef brisket, preferably point cut, fat trimmed

1 package Lipton’s onion soup mix.

Braising Sauce:

1 (28-ounce) can tomato soup

2 ribs celery, minced

1 medium onion, minced

3/4 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup yellow mustard

10 cloves garlic, minced

4 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced

3 ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and chopped

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning

Freshly ground black pepper

4 cups water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

For the rub: Mix the paprika, 1 tablespoon each of salt and black pepper, the brown sugar, and the cayenne.

Rub spice mixture all over brisket, wrap tightly, and refrigerate overnight.

For the sauce:

Mix the tomato puree, celery, onion, 1/2 cup of the vinegar, the brown sugar, mustard, garlic, chiles, bay leaves, chili powder, 1 tablespoon salt, and black pepper to taste in a large disposable aluminum pan. Put brisket in the sauce fat side up.

Tightly cover the disposable pan with aluminum foil and place in the oven,

basting the meat every 1 hr.

Adding water to the pan as necessary to keep meat partially submerged, until the meat is tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 200 degrees F, about 3 ½  to 4 hours.

Transfer the brisket to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes.

Skim the fat from the braising sauce and stir in the remaining 1/4 cup cider vinegar and salt to taste.

Reheat if necessary.

Thinly slice brisket across the grain and arrange on a serving platter.

Spoon some sauce over the meat and pass the rest at the table.