Passover approaches, and thanks to the magnificent meal made by Midge Maisel, we've got a great excuse to whip up some Jewish BBQ on the show. Slowly braised to tender perfection in a delicate balance of sweet, sour, and savory flavors, this brisket outshines even charoset at the Seder table. And that shit is delicious.
Ingredients
First Cut (flat cut) of brisket
4 medium carrots
4 stalks celery
4 medium onions
4 cloves garlic
Sprigs of thyme
¼ cup light brown sugar
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp flour (if you want to stay Kosher, substitute potato starch)
1 ½ cups dry red wine
1 ½ cup beef broth
½ cup ketchup
1 cup crushed tomatoes
¼ cup white wine vinegar
3-4 bay leaves
1 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper (Optional)
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.
If you are making the brisket the same day, you will need to defat the glaze then slice and serve as is.
If you have the time, 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.