Braised Beef Brisket Southern Italian Style Recipes

BRAISED BRISKET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Mix the fennel seeds, sage, cayenne, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the brisket, pressing it into the meat to make sure it sticks well.
• Mix the beef stock or broth, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and garlic in a large liquid measuring cup and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the brisket fat-side up and cook until golden brown and no longer sticking to the bottom of the pot, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until it is golden brown and some of the fat has rendered, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the brisket to a plate and lower the heat to medium.
• Add the onions, carrots and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, until the onions are softened and starting to caramelize, 7 to 8 minutes.
• Add the balsamic mixture and tomatoes to the pot and bring to a boil. Return the brisket to the pan and nestle it into the sauce and vegetables fat-side up. Cover the pot, transfer to the oven and braise until the brisket is tender but not shredding or falling apart, about 3 hours 30 minutes. A fork should easily pierce through the meat.
• Remove from the oven, uncover and let the brisket rest in the pan for 30 minutes. Remove the brisket to a cutting board. Bring the vegetables and sauce to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until slightly thickened, 12 to 15 minutes. Thinly slice the brisket across the grain and place on a platter. Spoon the vegetables and sauce over the top and serve.

THE ULTIMATE BRAISED BRISKET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Drizzle brisket liberally with olive oil then season the meat on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Place a large Dutch oven or heavy-based pot over medium-high heat and add a 3-count of olive oil. Place the brisket in the pot and sear on both sides to form a nice brown crust. Remove from pot and set aside before adding carrots, onion and celery. Brown vegetables, then add the garlic, tomatoes, red wine, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, and parsley. Add the brisket back to the pot, cover and roast in the oven for 3 hours until the brisket is fork tender.
• Remove the brisket to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes. Strain out the vegetables and pour off some of the excess fat, then pour over the brisket.
• Slice brisket across the grain and serve over parsnip puree with roasted red onions and garnish with parsley.

BRAISED BEEF BRISKET

Steps:

• Combine the beef consomme, soy sauce, lemon juice, liquid smoke and garlic in a large roasting pan (a disposable is just fine). Place the brisket in the marinade, fat-side up. Cover tightly with foil. Marinate in the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours.
• When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Cook the brisket in the foil-covered pan until fork-tender, about 40 minutes per pound (6 to 7 hours). Transfer to a cutting board, slice against the grain and put the slices back into the cooking liquid. Serve immediately, spooning the juice over the slices. (Barbecue sauce may be used, if preferred.)
• You may store the pan in the fridge for up to 2 days, or freeze for use at a later date. If fat collects and hardens at the top, remove and discard.
• Brisket is great with mashed potatoes, with the juice spooned over the top. It is also great on a sandwich with melted cheese.

ITALIAN BRAISED BEEF WITH ROOT VEGETABLES

Steps:

• For Yia Yia's Sunday sauce: Heat the oil in a 4-quart saucepan or large Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown the beef bones. Add the onions and cook until translucent, 2 minutes. Add the salt and garlic and cook until everything is soft but not browned, about 3 minutes. Squeeze the tomatoes one by one into the pan, pulverizing them by hand, and pour in their juice, too. Add the wine, oregano, red pepper flakes, if using, black pepper and bay leaf. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and then reduce the heat to its lowest possible setting, and continue to cook for 8 hours. The sauce should reduce by about one-third. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Remove the bones and bay leaf. Set aside 2 cups. If not using the remaining sauce right away, let it cool, then cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 2 months. Yield: 8 cups.
• For the braised beef with root vegetables: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Sprinkle the meat liberally with salt and pepper as much as 1 day in advance. (Cover and refrigerate it if doing so and take the meat out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.) Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. When the oil is on the verge of smoking, sear the meat for about 2 minutes per side. Move the meat to the side (or remove it from the pot altogether if necessary), and add the carrots, celery root and onions. Brown the vegetables for about 3 minutes, and then add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Pour in the wine and deglaze the pot, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom. Add Yia Yia's Sunday Sauce, 1 cup water and the bay leaves (and the pot roast if you removed it). Bring the liquid to a simmer and taste for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary. Cover the pot and place it in the oven for 3 hours, basting the meat occasionally during cooking time. When almost ready to serve, make the rigatoni, if using. Boil in salted water according to package directions until al dente. Discard the bay leaves before serving. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and slice into bite-size pieces, or shred with 2 forks. Return the meat to the pot of sauce along with the drained rigatoni. Toss to coat, and serve.

WINE-BRAISED BRISKET

Steps:

• Porcini: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place the mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit until rehydrated, 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, line a strainer with cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Gently squeeze the liquid from the rehydrated mushrooms with your hands and set the mushrooms aside. Pour soaking liquid through the cloth-lined strainer into the bowl. (The cloth will filter out any dirt and sediment from the mushrooms.) Set the soaking liquid aside.
• Vegetables: Cut onions into a large dice. Smash garlic, releasing the peel, then roughly chop; roughly chop mushrooms. Set aside.
• Brisket: In a large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Season brisket with salt and pepper on both sides. Sear brisket, fat side down, until golden brown, 5-10 minutes. Flip over and sear the other side, about 5 more minutes. Transfer to a roasting pan.
• Braising liquid: Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet, lower heat to medium, and add onions, garlic, mushrooms, rosemary, and bay leaves. Stir in a pinch of salt and sauté until onions are translucent, 8-10 minutes. Add tomato paste, and stir constantly until caramelized, 2-3 minutes. Add red wine and bring to a simmer; cook until the liquid has nearly evaporated, 5-6 minutes. Add reserved porcini soaking liquid and chicken stock. Raise heat to medium-high and bring back to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Pour hot liquid over brisket and cover with foil. Braise in oven for 2-2½ hours, flipping the brisket once halfway through cooking. After 2½ hours, raise heat to 350 degrees F, remove foil, and continue cooking to brown, 30 minutes. Brisket should be very tender when pierced with a skewer.
• Assembly: Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly in braising liquid. Remove to a cutting board and thinly slice across the grain. Pour braising liquid over the meat before serving.