Cooking Class with Chef Ivan Flowers – Lesson 51 Beef Brisket

Last class was all about choosing and cooking different cuts of steak. All that talk about steak got me thinking about some of my favorite cuts of beef. One I grew up on and continue to love to this day is a beef brisket. This is the cut of meat used to make both corned beef and pastrami. When prepared correctly it is extremely flavorful and fall apart tender. It also is wonderfully comforting on a cold winter’s night.

The brisket comes from the pectoral area of the cow, so there is a lot of connective tissue that must be broken down during the cooking process in order to have a tender brisket. Along with the connective tissue a brisket also has a fat cap. This you leave on during the cooking process because it helps to flavor and tenderize the meat. When buying a brisket look for a firm, white fat cap and also good marbling through the brisket. Briskets are a larger cut of meat, so plan for leftovers. Additionally, it is not a cut of meat that you cook quickly, so don’t buy one if you don’t have enough time to cook it correctly. It will be tough and you will waste your money. Now that you know about how to choose a brisket, let’s get cooking!

This recipe will serve eight to ten people or if you have less, make it anyway and use it in new leftover incarnations (covered later in this class). For this recipe you will need: twelve pound brisket, large roasting pan, four carrots, two medium sized sweet onions, six stalks of celery, six cloves of garlic, ten sprigs of fresh thyme, one cup tomato paste, one bottle of red wine, four quarts homemade or low sodium chicken stock, two cups flour, one and ½ cups canola oil, salt pepper, large sauté pan, whisk, tongs, aluminum foil, large shallow casserole dish and a wooden spoon.

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. In the large casserole dish mix the flour with one tablespoon salt and one tablespoon pepper. Put the brisket in the flour and coat all sides, making sure to shake off any excess. You are doing this to help create a crust when you sear the brisket. This step helps develop flavor in the dish.

Once the brisket is floured set it aside.

Next, put ½ cup of the canola oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once oil is hot, put in the flour brisket, cooking until it is nicely browned on each side.

Remove from the pan and set aside.

Now, in the large roasting pan put the remaining cup of canola oil. Cut your carrots, onions and celery all into a medium dice. Remember, this is a mirepoix and is yet another way you will build in delicious flavor into this recipe. Also, finely dice your garlic. Now put roasting pan over medium low heat and sauté all your veggies and garlic until they are soft.

The next thing to do is add in the tomato paste. Mix into the veggies and while stirring, cook another six minutes. You cook tomato paste to mellow its flavor and bring out a deeper, tomato flavor. After the six minutes, you will have developed a fond on the bottom of your pan. Fond is the French term for all those delicious brown bits of food that are stuck to the bottom of your pan. You want that deliciousness in your dish, so to get it you must deglaze. Deglazing simply means adding liquid to a pan and stirring to capture the fond. So add in the bottle of red wine and scrape off every bit of the fond. Once all fond is removed, continue to cook until the wine is reduced by half.

Okay, once wine is reduced, you will add the seared brisket to the roasting pan. Take your thyme sprigs, tie them together and add them to the pan. You tie them so you can easily remove them after the dish has been cooked. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the brisket. Now pour your chicken stock in until the brisket is ¾ covered by the liquid. You can use water if you need to, but if you do you are losing yet another chance to add in flavor to the dish.

Next, cover the brisket very tightly with aluminum foil. You want to create a seal with the foil. You are braising this brisket which is a method of cooking that involves both dry (the sear) and moist heat (the stock and wine). You want to keep that moisture in the pan and around the brisket. This will cook about four to four and ½ hours. It is done when a fork goes in and out of the meat with absolutely no resistance.

Once cooked, remove the brisket from the pan and let it cool for at least 30 minutes before you cut it. Remember, resting the meat lets the juices redistribute back into the meat and keeps the meat juicy. Once cooled, cut into thin slices across the grain and top with roasted veggies and jus from the roasting pan. Enjoy!

Now as promised, the leftovers. You can use the left over brisket to make pulled brisket sandwiches (just add barbecue sauce), serve with eggs or make a hash. Also, this is great reheated (add some jus and put into 350 degree oven for 6 minutes) and served with rosemary roasted red potatoes. My fave thing to make with leftover brisket is a Horseradish Cream Sandwich. I put slices of warmed brisket on a French baguette, then add avocado and thinly sliced red onion. I mix some prepared horseradish with mayo and slather it on the bread. Finally, I add chunks of sweet gherkin pickles. Heaven!

Now that you know how to cook a brisket, have some fun. Put different spices in the flour, add interesting side sauces and experiment with the leftovers. Remember, as with any technique or recipe, the most important component is the cook’s heart. The heart is what helps you create delicious meals you’ll never forget.