The Haggadah — beautiful book that it is — can drag on and on and on. By the time your seder guests are calling out the sixth or seventh plague, they want to eat. And at this point, matzah doesn’t cut it anymore.
What better way to reward your guests’ patience than with a beef brisket? It’s wholesome, versatile and delicious.
Beef brisket is a boneless cut of meat from the breast section, the underside of the cow’s forequarter. A whole beef brisket weighs from 8 to 10 pounds, with each pound serving two to three people.
Brisket is generally sold in one of three different cuts: the whole brisket; the point half, which is often referred to as the thick cut; and the flat cut, which is often called the first cut or thin cut.
The flat cut contains less fat, so it is considered the more desirable cut.
The Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the National Cattleman’s Beef Association recommends four steps for preparing brisket:
• Brown the brisket slowly, over medium heat, before cooking.
• Gently simmer brisket over low heat to keep the meat moist and to give it time to tenderize.
• Cook the brisket in a small amount of liquid, not more than 1 1/2 or 2 cups. (The liquid can be water, broth, wine, beer, fruit or vegetable juice or any combination.)
• Cook the brisket covered with a tight-fitting lid to allow the steam to tenderize the beef.
Joan Nathan, Jewish cookbook author and a specialist in international cooking, always prepares brisket a day in advance and then chills it overnight in the refrigerator so she can skim off the fat the next day. She then slices the brisket against the grain and reheats it in its juices.
“Everyone enjoys brisket — even the fanciest people love it,” says Nathan, who believes that the bold beef taste combined with flavorful ingredients makes brisket a favorite comfort food. And as a bonus, it’s easy to prepare and makes enough to feed a large holiday gathering, she said.
It seems that everyone has a favorite brisket recipe. There are thousands in cookbooks and on the Internet. Many are for smoking or barbecuing the brisket, while others specify braising or roasting. But almost all require slow cooking on low heat.
— the associated press
My Favorite Beef Brisket | Makes 6 to 8 servings
(Recipe adapted from Joan Nathan’s “Jewish Cooking in America”)
1 4 1/4-5 pound boneless beef brisket, flat cut
1 clove garlic, peeled, cut lengthwise in half
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 medium onions, diced
2 cups dry red wine
1 4 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 ribs celery with leaves, chopped
1 Tbs. fresh rosemary leaves
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
6 to 8 medium carrots, diagonally sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Rub garlic, cut sides down, over surface of beef brisket, reserving garlic.
Heat oil in skillet over medium heat until hot. Place brisket in skillet. Brown evenly. Remove brisket from skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Pour off drippings.
Add reserved garlic and onions to large, deep baking pan. Place brisket over onions. Stir in wine, tomatoes, celery, rosemary, thyme and bay leaf. Cover and cook in preheated oven for 3 hours, basting frequently with cooking liquid.
Add carrots and parsley to cooking liquid. Continue cooking, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until brisket and carrots are tender.
Remove brisket. Keep warm. Skim fat from cooking liquid. Discard garlic and bay leaf. Cut diagonally across grain into thin slices. Serve with the cooking liquid.