Italian Braised Brisket 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.

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.

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, SOUTHERN ITALIAN STYLE RECIPE

Steps:

• INSTRUCTIONS 1. Heat oven to 500 degrees. Crush spices or grind them coarsely; press them into brisket and set aside 2. Using two burners if necessary, heat oil in large, heavy roasting pan long and wide enough to hold brisket and at least 2 inches deep. Add brisket; cook over medium-high heat, turning once with tongs, until brown on both sides, about 10 minutes. Remove brisket and set aside. Add wine; bring to boil, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen brown bits; reduce by half. Add chicken broth and tomatoes; bring to simmer. Remove pan from heat. Season brisket lightly with salt, dried rosemary and oregano and return to roasting pan. Scatter vegetables and pancetta or bacon around brisket. 3. Put roasting pan in oven and cook, stirring vegetables occasionally to avoid burning, until thickest part of brisket reaches an internal temperature of around 130 degrees, about 20 minutes. Add enough broth to the pan to come about halfway up the side of the meat (another 1 to 3 cups). 4. Remove pan from oven; reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees. Do not return brisket to oven until temperature drops to 250 degrees. Add enough chicken stock to pan so that liquid comes about halfway up side of meat, baste brisket, and return to oven. Braise brisket, basting and turning every 1/2 hour or so, until meat just gives when pierced with meat thermometer and brisket's internal temperature registers around 175 degrees, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. 5. Remove brisket from braising liquid and wrap in foil. Strain braising liquid into large mixing bowl. Reserve vegetables, squeezing garlic cloves from heads. Transfer braising liquid to tall, narrow container, and let stand until fat rises. Skim and discard fat. Puree vegetables, including garlic, with 1/2 cup braising liquid in food processor or blender. Add olives, pureed vegetables and braising liquid to a sauté pan and simmer until reduced to thin sauce consistency; 15 to 20 minutes. 6. Meanwhile, cut brisket across the grain into thin slices (about 1/8-inch thick). Arrange slices of meat on warm plates; generously ladle sauce over meat. Garnish with parsley, and serve immediately.

ITALIAN BEEF BRISKET

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
• Place brisket in a shallow roasting pan.
• Pour gravy mixture over brisket.
• Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake at 300 for 4 hours. Do not unwrap foil while baking!
• Remove from oven after 4 hours and allow to stand in pan while still covered with foil for 10-20 minutes.
• Slice across the grain of the meat and serve.
• This recipe may be halved for a smaller brisket.