OK, so we talked about Meatless Monday and Tofu Tuesday, but if you have not totally jumped off the meat wagon, here is a simple brisket recipe that is good enough for Sunday Dinner. It should remind you of the meals your big Momma or grandma used to make, and brisket is still an affordable way to serve a lot of people a hearty meal.
I tend to associate brisket with BBQ, but it is still a bit too cold to start messing with coals right now. My simple oven baked brisket recipe is actually a lot easier, especially when there is ice on the patio. If you take my suggestions, you will also have very little clean up to perform later.
The Basics: I explain these as I go. But basically, you need a brisket baking pan, some foil, seasoning, and liquid broth or juice.
Any baking or roasting pan. The kind of roasting pan with a grate in the bottom is great because the fat can drip down. However, I have used a large casserole dish or cake pan in a pinch. The key here is to make sure it is large enough to hold your cut of brisket and to line the pan with foil so you can just toss it later without having to scrub out all that mess!
Tip: If you want the fat to drip, but lack a roasting pan with a rack, you can engineer one with a double layer of foil. Seal the bottom layer tightly, but punch some holes in the second layer so fat can drip through.
A Brisket: I think 3 pounds is a fairly convenient size, and you have to figure some of the weight will be lost in cooking because of the fat dripping off. If you want, you can try to trim some of the fat off before cooking. I usually just try to cook it off because I am not a big fan of trying to cut fat off of raw meat. Maybe I lack the skill or a good knife, but that is just not something that works out well for me.
Tip: However, you may want to cut your brisket into smaller chunks if you need it to fit into a certain pan. Sometimes you will buy a cut that is thin, but very long, so it would be better to cut in in half. Of course, if you find a very large brisket on sale, you can always freeze some for later.
Oven: Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees You will want to roast the meat one hour for each pound. So a 3 pound brisket will take 3 hours.
Season: I like to make a dry rub with onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. I use this fairly lightly! You know who you are feeding, and I have to keep it fairly bland to please everybody. If you want it spicier, you can try chile powder or a prepared rub mix. Knowing my own audience, I prefer to exercise a light hand on the seasoning, and then provide a bottle of hot sauce or spicy bbq sauce on the table.
Prepare: Simply place the meat into your foil covered pan.
Add a bit of liquid. My favorite is a bit of tomato or vegetable juice, but you could also use tomato sauce. Some recipes suggest beef broth instead. I have seen people use orange juice for a hint of sweetness. The fat will provide more liquid, so I don’t use much – just enough to coat the meat and create a tiny layer on the bottom of the pan.
Cover and Bake! Your brisket should come out of the oven tender and delicious.
Tip: Some recipes call for baking uncovered for the first hour. Others call for slicing the brisket for the last hour of cooking and adding sauce. I don’t bother, but you are welcome to try it.
This is a really simple recipe that just requires you to be around the house for a few hours. The oven does most of the work. You can usually find brisket on sale. It tends to be a cheaper cut of beef, but with the right recipe, it should come out tender, hearty, and delcious.
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