a wooden spoon. Add the stock, thyme, and rosemary sprigs, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Salt and pepper the brisket to taste on all sides, and add it to the pan, fat side up. Spoon the garlic cloves over the meat.
PLACE the brisket in the oven, cover (if you have no lid, use heavy-duty foil), and cook, basting every half-hour, until the meat is fork tender, 2 1 â 2 to 3 hours or longer. (As the meat cooks, periodically check that the liquid is bubbling gently. If it is boiling rapidly, turn the oven down to 300°F.)
THE brisket tastes best if it is allowed to rest, reabsorbing the juices lost during braising, and itâs easiest to defat the gravy if you prepare the meat ahead and refrigerate it until the fat solidifies. That is the method I use, given here, but the gravy can be prepared by skimming the fat in the traditional way, if you prefer. If you go that route though, do let the meat rest in the pan sauce for at least an hour.
COOL the brisket in the pan sauce, cover well with foil, and refrigerate until the fat congeals. Scrape off all solid fat. Remove the brisket from the pan and slice thinly across the grain.
PREPARE the gravy: bring the braising mixture to room temperature, then strain it, reserving the garlic and discarding the thyme and rosemary sprigs. Skim and discard as much fat as possible from the liquid. Puree about one half of the cooked garlic with 1 cup of the defatted braising liquid in a food processor or a blender. (If you want a smooth gravy, puree all of the cooked garlic cloves.) Transfer the pureed mixture, the remaining braising liquid, and the rest of the cooked garlic to a skillet. Add the chopped rosemary, minced garlic, and lemon zest. Boil down the gravy over high heat, uncovered, to the desired consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Rewarm the brisket in the gravy until heated through.
ARRANGE the sliced brisket on a serving platter. Spoon some of the hot gravy all over the meat and pass the rest in a separate sauce boat.
Slow-Braised Brisket with Rosemary, Shallots, and Red Wine
yield: 8 generous servings
Whenever I am asked what is the best way to make a brisket, I am stumped. Sure, there are techniques I always rely on. I sear it thoroughly, then slowly oven-braise the burnished meat with aromatics. When it emerges deeply flavored and fork-tender, I let it rest a long while in the pan sauce, reabsorbing the rich juices lost during cooking, to eliminate the dryness endemic to the cut. The sauce, defatted first, is pureed, then cooked down to concentrate the luscious flavors.
But beyond that, this iconic homey Jewish meat lends itself to so many variations. Sometimes I go traditional with a savory bubbe brisket, a straightforward, rustic dish requiring no advance marinating, like Easy Onion-Braised Brisket . Other timesâespecially for big holiday dinnersâI like to tinker the humble to the haute.
This brisket, like the Moroccan-Flavored Brisket recipe that follows it, is the latter: a pull-out-all-the-stops celebration. While it does not require much more work than many, it does entail advance planning.
Begin a day or two before the seder so the garlic-rosemary studding can infuse the meat for at least eight hours. The next day, simmer the brisket extra slowly with plenty of shallots, red wine, and tomato to develop even more profound flavors. If possible, chill it overnight in the gravy so the fat can be easily lifted off. The day of the seder all thatâs left to do is reheat the juicy meat in the pan sauce, enlivened with a fresh sparkle of herbs.
No, itâs not bubbe cuisine. But my bubbes would have savored every bite.
FOR THE FLAVOR PASTE
6 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 â 4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
A first- or second-cut beef brisket, 4 to 5 pounds, trimmed of excess fat, wiped with a damp paper towel, and patted dry
FOR
PLACE the brisket in the oven, cover (if you have no lid, use heavy-duty foil), and cook, basting every half-hour, until the meat is fork tender, 2 1 â 2 to 3 hours or longer. (As the meat cooks, periodically check that the liquid is bubbling gently. If it is boiling rapidly, turn the oven down to 300°F.)
THE brisket tastes best if it is allowed to rest, reabsorbing the juices lost during braising, and itâs easiest to defat the gravy if you prepare the meat ahead and refrigerate it until the fat solidifies. That is the method I use, given here, but the gravy can be prepared by skimming the fat in the traditional way, if you prefer. If you go that route though, do let the meat rest in the pan sauce for at least an hour.
COOL the brisket in the pan sauce, cover well with foil, and refrigerate until the fat congeals. Scrape off all solid fat. Remove the brisket from the pan and slice thinly across the grain.
PREPARE the gravy: bring the braising mixture to room temperature, then strain it, reserving the garlic and discarding the thyme and rosemary sprigs. Skim and discard as much fat as possible from the liquid. Puree about one half of the cooked garlic with 1 cup of the defatted braising liquid in a food processor or a blender. (If you want a smooth gravy, puree all of the cooked garlic cloves.) Transfer the pureed mixture, the remaining braising liquid, and the rest of the cooked garlic to a skillet. Add the chopped rosemary, minced garlic, and lemon zest. Boil down the gravy over high heat, uncovered, to the desired consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Rewarm the brisket in the gravy until heated through.
ARRANGE the sliced brisket on a serving platter. Spoon some of the hot gravy all over the meat and pass the rest in a separate sauce boat.
Slow-Braised Brisket with Rosemary, Shallots, and Red Wine
yield: 8 generous servings
Whenever I am asked what is the best way to make a brisket, I am stumped. Sure, there are techniques I always rely on. I sear it thoroughly, then slowly oven-braise the burnished meat with aromatics. When it emerges deeply flavored and fork-tender, I let it rest a long while in the pan sauce, reabsorbing the rich juices lost during cooking, to eliminate the dryness endemic to the cut. The sauce, defatted first, is pureed, then cooked down to concentrate the luscious flavors.
But beyond that, this iconic homey Jewish meat lends itself to so many variations. Sometimes I go traditional with a savory bubbe brisket, a straightforward, rustic dish requiring no advance marinating, like Easy Onion-Braised Brisket . Other timesâespecially for big holiday dinnersâI like to tinker the humble to the haute.
This brisket, like the Moroccan-Flavored Brisket recipe that follows it, is the latter: a pull-out-all-the-stops celebration. While it does not require much more work than many, it does entail advance planning.
Begin a day or two before the seder so the garlic-rosemary studding can infuse the meat for at least eight hours. The next day, simmer the brisket extra slowly with plenty of shallots, red wine, and tomato to develop even more profound flavors. If possible, chill it overnight in the gravy so the fat can be easily lifted off. The day of the seder all thatâs left to do is reheat the juicy meat in the pan sauce, enlivened with a fresh sparkle of herbs.
No, itâs not bubbe cuisine. But my bubbes would have savored every bite.
FOR THE FLAVOR PASTE
6 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 â 4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
A first- or second-cut beef brisket, 4 to 5 pounds, trimmed of excess fat, wiped with a damp paper towel, and patted dry
FOR
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