The Best Brisket Ever
TASTES LIKE ITALY, FEELS LIKE SHABBAT
Yes, the best.
I don’t compliment myself easily. In fact, I have typical neurotic Jewish insecurity, compounded by a family of overachievers. I’m terrified that everything I do will end in disaster and bring shame to my parents and the Jewish people at large. I’ve tried everything to overcome this neurosis: therapy, energy healers, yoga, acupuncture, alcoholism, Zoloft... nothing works. Nothing but brisket.
Let me explain. A few years ago, before I created Meal and a Spiel, I was stricken with a wave of depression. Cooking had always brought me joy, so I decided to make a brisket. I made it with Jewish heart and Italian flavors, cooking it in much the same way a central Italian might braise a different cut of beef: in wine, tomatoes, and aromatics—meaning rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf.
Just as I was taking it out of the oven, one of my Italian friends called. He was in the neighborhood with a group of friends and wanted to swing by to pick up a scarf he’d left. When they walked in, they saw and smelled an eight-pound brisket resting on my counter. “Spezzatino!” my friend shouted, Italian for a similar cubed beef recipe. “Who is this for?” they asked. “You,” I told them. They almost went through the roof with excitement, calling other friends to come over and bring wine. Before I knew it, we had a full-on dinner party that my Italian friends still talk about to this day, and the wave of depression passed right on by.
The lesson: If you brisket, they will come.
Brisket is a wonderfully forgiving dish. You can add a little too much of this or too little of that, but as long as you understand the basics, all the flavors will meld perfectly with time in the oven. The problem with some briskets is that they’re either too sweet, too dry, or too fatty. Sweet briskets can be tasty, but I don’t want dessert for dinner, and the sugars can exacerbate the inevitable hangover of a dinner party.
And don’t let anyone tell you that you have to choose between dry and fatty: briskets don’t need to be either. Just cook the meat with the fat still on it and with the fat side up, so that the fat will insulate the beef and keep in the juices. Don’t worry, once the brisket is done, you’ll scrape off the fat.
Serves 8 to 10
INGREDIENTS
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 (6 to 8 pound) brisket
2 onions, chopped
2 to 3 celery stalks with leaves, chopped
2 to 3 carrots, chopped
2 to 3 garlic cloves
2 to 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme
5 to 6 fresh basil leaves
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
1⁄2 bottle red or white wine
2 to 3 teaspoons kosher salt
One or two days ahead:
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, and let it get hot for a couple of minutes.
Add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pot. Add the brisket, fat side up, and brown about 10 minutes on all sides. (In order to fit the whole brisket in the pot, you might need to cut it into two pieces, or just squeeze it in there with meat flaps up the side as I do. The brisket will shrink as it cooks.)
DIRECTIONS
Remove the brisket and set aside. If there is too much melted fat in the pot for your taste, remove a little before continuing.
Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Put the brisket back in the pot, fat side up.
Top with the celery, carrots, garlic, rosemary, bay leaves, thyme, and basil.
Add the tomatoes with their juices and the wine.
Sprinkle generously with salt.
Cover well and stick in the oven for 4 to 5 hours. You can cook it for even longer, but at a lower temperature.
Go take a walk and a nap.
When your brisket cuts itself with a fork, it is done.
Remove the pot from the oven and let it cool until you can handle it easily, about an hour. Take the brisket out of the pot and let it and the juices cool completely.
Return the brisket to the pot and refrigerate.
One day ahead or the day of:
Place the brisket on a large cutting board. Use a knife and/or your fingers to remove all the fat from the brisket. Cut the brisket against the grain into 1⁄4-inch slices.
If the brisket juices appear thick enough, you can place the brisket slices back in the pot. If you think the brisket juice should be thicker, boil it down uncovered on the stove. You can also take out a portion of the juices and veggies and blend it to add some creaminess.
Once the brisket juices are just right, you can place the sliced brisket back in the pot or in a large casserole dish. Cover the meat with the sauce.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
The day of:
1. When you are ready to serve, you can heat up the brisket in one of two ways.
2. a casserole dish, cover it VERY well in heavy-duty foil or wrap it in two layers of regular foil, and bake at 350°F for almost an hour until the brisket is well heated through.
3. If you’ve kept everything in the original pot, reheat it on the stove using medium low heat or place it in the oven at 350°F for one hour. Once it’s heated through, place the meat on a serving platter, top with the remaining juice, and serve.