Brisket

[ArcticChicken]

A friend bought a bit of a cow, and wound up with too much beef, so she gave us a brisket. She's joining us for christmas, so we're going to eat it for dinner.

As the only person in the family who really loves to cook (and because I can't afford christmas presents) I've taken over the holiday meals. I just realized I have absolutely no idea what to do with a brisket.

Halp?

[Marmalady]

I find the best way to cook brisket is slow, long and plenty of moisture (stop sniggering at the back there!)
If you have a slow cooker, that's a great way. Or a pot roast, especially if you have a saucepan big enough that you can also cook the potatoes in the stock around the meat (so they take on the flavour too). I can give you a recipe, if you would like?

[MaggieTheCat]

I've never made brisket before myself, but I found this recipe last night that looked good, so I am going t pick up a cut sometime in the future and try this:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/texa...0400000118361/

[dalesys]

... slow, long and plenty of moisture (stop sniggering at the back there!)

Snigger? Us?!?!

[ArcticChicken]

I can give you a recipe, if you would like?

Yes please!

[lordlundar]

Snigger? Us?!?!

Right. We're not nearly so subtle.

That said, a dry rub braise then broil would by my choice for cooking it. It allows the collagen in the meat to really come out and provide the flavour and texture that you'll find in restaurants.

[taxguykarl]

Last time I did a brisket. I used my slow cooker .
Season the brisket and place in the slow cooker.
Add a bay leaf, one carrot sliced, a rib of celery sliced, an onion chopped.
Pour in a half bottle of red wine.
Add beef stock (from the asceptic carton not a can--Kitchen Basics is my favorite brand) to just cover it.
Set the slow cooker on low in the morning of the big day. When you can pull the brisket apart with a fork, you'll know it's done.
The cooking liquid makes a great sauce--you can add a thickener (like flour or cornstarch) or pour it into a sauce pan and reduce it on the stove...after removing the bay leaf, of course.
Serve with some suitable sides and enjoy.

[Kittish]

If you don't have a slow cooker, you can get very similar results with a moderately deep roasting or baking pan covered by aluminum foil, in the oven at around 225 degrees.

[taxguykarl]

That's how my mom prepped pot roast before she bought her slow cooker.

[Amusement Gal]

It's probably too late for me to say this, but here's a good, quick idea for a brisket rub that we love to death. Get like 2-3 big containers of plain, yellow mustard, and a whole bunch of turmeric (amounts depend on how much brisket you have). On both sides, rub a good lot of turmeric on the brisket 'til it's yellow, and then coat it with the yellow mustard. Maybe some salt, little bit of pepper, and cayenne, and cook it nice and slow. You can put it in a slow cooker or any other way to slowly cook it. The rub works excellent, but you WILL have yellow hands for the rest of the night!

[taxguykarl]

Get like 2-3 big containers of plain, yellow mustard, and a whole bunch of turmeric (amounts depend on how much brisket you have). On both sides, rub a good lot of turmeric on the brisket 'til it's yellow, and then coat it with the yellow mustard. Maybe some salt, little bit of pepper, and cayenne, and cook it nice and slow. You can put it in a slow cooker or any other way to slowly cook it.

Hmmmm. Sounds good. I'll try that the next time I buy a brisket.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I'm just now seeing this. Sorry. I hope your brisket came out. These all look like good recipes.

I make a real good brisket. Here's what I do.

I rub the whole thing down with montreal steak seasoning and garlic powder.

Lay out some heavy duty aluminum foil in a roasting pan. Cut up an onion and put half of it on the bottom. Put a couple slices of bacon on the bottom. Put your brisket on top of this fat side up. Roll it up real tight in the foil. Add another layer of foil.

Bakk in the oven about 300 degrees. Time is roughly 1 hour per pound. I have a convection oven, so your times may vary. Pull out of the oven when it's done and let it rest twenty or thirty minutes before cutting it. This is important. Resting lets the juices get pulled back in.

The idea is to convert the collagen fibers into gelatin. This happens at around 200 degrees I think. But the idea is to cause this conversion without drying out the meat.

[Amusement Gal]

Hmmmm. Sounds good. I'll try that the next time I buy a brisket.

It's pretty good. If you want a bit more of a sweet rub, you can put in a little bit of brown sugar, too, but I like the flavor of the turmeric by itself. It makes a nice 'skin' of rub that stays for good, considering all the dang mustard it uses!

[Barracuda]

Use freshly chopped garlic, sliced red onion, and herbs (rosemary or thyme is excellent) and do a rub, topping the brisket with the red onion slices. Then roast in a slow cooker, basting occasionally. Discard the onions at the end and yummy!