Braised Beef Brisket With Onions Mushrooms And Balsamic Recipes

CLASSIC BEEF BRISKET WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix together salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne. Season brisket generously on all sides with salt mixture. (Use about 2 tablespoons and reserve remaining mixture.) If possible, wrap and refrigerate several hours or overnight, then bring to room temperature.
• Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place brisket in a shallow roasting pan or earthenware baking dish. Pour wine and 2 cups water over the brisket, then add cloves, garlic, bay leaves and allspice berries.
• Scatter about 1/3 of the sliced onions over brisket. Cover with foil or a tight-fitting lid. Place in oven and bake for about 3 hours or until meat is quite tender when probed with a fork. (Be careful not to overcook; you want slices, not shreds.)
• Meanwhile, place a large skillet over high heat and add olive oil. Add remaining onions and season with remaining salt mixture. As onions begin to brown, reduce heat to medium. Cook, uncovered, turning onion slices with a spatula every few minutes until caramelized and fork-tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water to onions and simmer a few minutes more. (For more flavor, use broth from the brisket pan instead.) Onions may be prepared in advance and reheated.
• To serve, transfer brisket to a cutting board. Trim extraneous fat from meat. With a large knife, cut meat across the grain into 1/4-inch slices. Strain braising liquid into a saucepan (discard solids left in strainer) and skim any rising fat from surface.
• Arrange sliced meat on a platter. Cover with caramelized onions and ladle some hot braising liquid over. Garnish with parsley sprigs and sprinkle with scallions, if using. Serve remaining juices separately.

BRAISED BEEF BRISKET

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in lower third.
• Heat oil in a wide 5-to 6-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Season brisket with 1 tsp each of salt and pepper, then brown brisket, turning once, about 8 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add onions to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Add carrots, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Add vinegar, stirring and scraping up brown bits. Add stock and tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Return brisket to pot, nestling it in braising liquid (liquid will not cover meat). Cover with a tight-fitting lid and braise in oven until fork-tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

BRAISED BRISKET WITH MUSHROOM ONION GRAVY

Steps:

• Place the mushrooms in a small bowl. Bring 1 cup of the water to a boil. Pour over the mushrooms. Let stand for 30 minutes to soften.
• Remove the mushrooms from the soaking liquid, squeezing as much liquid as possible back into the bowl. Coarsely chop the mushrooms.
• Strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter or 2 layers of cheesecloth. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for about 10 minutes, until translucent.
• Reduce heat to low. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the onions begin to brown, stirring from time to time.
• Add the vinegar and cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes, until the onions turn a deep golden brown.
• Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits in the pot. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the same Dutch oven over high heat. Season the brisket with salt and pepper. Brown well on all sides. Transfer the meat to a platter.
• Add the mushroom-soaking liquid to the Dutch oven and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits.
• Return the brisket to the pot, along with the onion-wine mixture, the remaining 3 cups water, the mushrooms, garlic, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil.
• Tightly cover the pan. Place in the oven and cook for about 3 hours, until the brisket is very tender.
• Transfer the meat to a platter and tent with foil.
• Remove the bay leaves from the cooking liquid. Working in batches, puree the cooking liquid in a processor until smooth. Transfer to a large saucepan. Adjust seasoning and rewarm, if necessary.
• Cut the brisket across the grain into thin slices. Arrange on a platter. Spoon the sauce over the meat.