But making this incredibly delicious brisket is a breeze. Seriously. It’s one of those things that you just assemble and throw in the oven for 3-4 hours. You don’t even have to check on it. I’m not kidding. I dare you to try this and screw it up.
The technique for this brisket is a braise, which is a long slow simmer in a liquid. The simmering breaks down the collagen in the otherwise tough cut of meat and renders it meltingly tender. This is a great technique for many cuts, including chuck, pork shoulder, or even a whole, cut-up chicken.
For the Brisket:
One approximately 4 pound beef brisket
2 medium yellow or sweet onions, large dice
2 large carrots, large dice
10 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
2 C. tomato juice
1 C. dry red or white wine (whatever you have or like)
1 C. chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
Salt & Pepper
parchment paper and aluminum foil
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Season the brisket with salt and pepper on both sides and place in a 9×13 baking dish (glass or ceramic – not aluminum), fat side up. Top with the diced onion, carrot, and garlic cloves and then sprinkle them with a little more salt and pepper. Pour over the tomato juice, wine and broth. Make sure it comes up the sides of the brisket at least half way. If not, add a little more broth. Cover with a rectangle of parchment paper that sits just inside the edges of the pan. You can cut it to fit the pan or just fold the corners in to make it fit. Then cover the pan tightly with foil and threw ‘er in the oven for 3 1/2 hours. If you are worried, peek under the foil after an hour and make sure that the sauce is bubbling. Is it? Good – go back to painting your toenails.
Remove the brisket from the oven and uncover carefully because the sauce will really be bubbling. Use tongs or two forks to make sure the meat is tender. It should easily come apart along the grain of the meat. Break the meat up into 4 or 5 manageble chunks and let cool slightly on a cutting board. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and cook at a high simmer over medium-high heat for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. This will concentrate the flavor of the sauce and cook out any remaining alcohol. In the meantime, slice each chunk across the grain (the opposite way that the meat came apart on its own) in 1/4” slices.
Bring the sliced brisket and the sauce back together. Slap your cheeks a little and splash some water on your brow. Throw on a dirty apron and call your loved ones to the table.
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