If you're an avid meat-eater, you're probably a huge fan of brisket. Cut from the lower part of the chest of beef or veal, brisket is a fatty, rich meat; it's traditionally been associated with BBQ or Tex-Mex, but it can actually be used in a wide range of cooking methods.
Brisket is having something of a moment right now, according to the restaurant management platform Upserve’s State of the Restaurant Industry Report for 2018. That's because the meat "has a very deep flavor profile because of the fattiness, which makes it more versatile. It’s also fun to cook because it’s not a meat that you fry or put into the oven for an hour or two and you’re done. It’s a culinary art that takes time, but it is a meaningful process,” says Chef de Cuisine Alan Tan at Imperial Lamian in Chicago.
If you're a brisket neophyte, you should start out with a smaller cut and braise it "for tacos or chili, just to get a sense of how it cooks and its denseness,” says Tyler Houston, Chef de Cuisine at The James Kitchen + Bar in Chicago. Once you build your confidence, you can move on to a more advanced technique, like making pastrami.
We asked Tan, Houston, and chef Cedric Harden to recommend a few easy brisket recipes for us. Prepare to enter meat heaven.
1
Braised Brisket Lamian
INGREDIENTS:
2000 grams beef brisket
1000 grams lamian noodles
100 grams garlic
100 grams shallot
100 grams ginger
100 grams koon chung chee hou sauce
60 grams red beancurd
40 grams barbeque sauce
30 grams cooking wine
60 grams dark soy sauce
50 grams rock sugar
10 grams black cardamom
5 grams bay leaves
5 grams star anise
5 grams cinnamon
5 grams liquorice
2 grams dried tangerine peel
Lamian are hand-pulled Chinese noodles made from scratch. Yan pairs his noodles with braised brisket for protein and flavor. “We braise [the brisket] with traditional braising liquids, which consist of Chinese wine, cardamom clove, bay leaves and garlic,” he says.
Combine all of these together in a blender with a bit of olive oil, then stir-fry the resulting paste. Go back to the pan and add the brisket. Lightly mix the meat with the paste on low heat.
“Once everything is evenly coated, add water until meat is submerged. Bring water to a boil and then let it cook low and slow! Slow and steady wins the race, and the brisket will be cooked to perfection after four hours at a low heat,” he says.
2
Coca-Cola Braised Brisket Tacos with Chilis and Garlic
INGREDIENTS:
3 pound brisket
1 quart sliced onions
1 cup sliced garlic
1/3 cup serrano chilis sliced
2.5 quarts Coca-Cola
2 quarts beef stock
1/3 cup cumin ground
1/3 cup coriander ground
1 bunch parsley, 5 thyme sprigs wrapped in cheesecloth and tied with butcher string
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat a large pot (at least 5 inches deep) with oil. Generously salt and pepper the brisket, and sear on all sides. You will be left with brown bits in the pan, which will add more flavor. Sauté the onions, garlic, chilis, and spices for 5 minutes.
De-glaze the pot with Coca-Cola and cook for 4 minutes. Add stock (liquid should cover ¾ of the meat). Make sure the liquid is at a low simmer and cover the pit with foil or a lid.
The brisket should cook for about 3 hours or until fork tender. Once cooked, you can pull it or slice it however you want. “I would recommend a honey/chili glaze and finish with freshly chopped cilantro,” says Houston. This recipe works well for tacos and most Mexican dishes.
3
Homemade Za’atar/Sumac-Rubbed Pastrami
INGREDIENTS:
2 cloves garlic
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup coarsely ground black pepper
1 TB smoked paprika
2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon mustard powder
3 tablespoon Za’atar Spice
2 tablespoons sumac
4 pounds corned beef brisket
Salt and pepper to taste
Making pastrami requires a lot of patience and hard work. But it's worth it, says Houston, who recommended this dish.
Combine garlic and oil and set aside. Preheat oven to 230 degrees F. Combine all spices to make a rub in a bowl. Using a brush, apply the garlic oil to the brisket, and rub on the spice mixture (leave 2-3 tablespoons of spice mix on the side). Wrap the brisket fat side up in aluminum foil (double wrapped) and cook for 6 hours. Once cooked, remove from the oven and cool (will take about 2 hours at room temp).
Place pastrami in a freezer bag and cool in refrigerator for at least 6 hours (this allows the meat to cool and will prevent it from falling apart).
Once ready to finish, turn on the broiler in your oven, and broil each side of the pastrami to get texture and color. Sprinkle remaining spices, if desired. Slice thinly for sandwiches, or dice and use in chili/stews.
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4
Spice-rubbed BBQ Brisket
INGREDIENTS:
1 piece, Beef Brisket
2 quarts Beef stock
3 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 ½ dark chili powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoon salt
¼ teaspoon Onion powder
¼ teaspoon Garlic powder
¼ Cumin, ground
½ teaspoon Coriander, ground
1 teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon white pepper
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Chef Cedric Harden, chef de cuisine at River Roast in Chicago, recommended this melt-in-your-mouth beef brisket recipe.
Mix all ingredients together. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. Rub the brisket with the chili puree and spices, being liberal with both. Let it marinate over night in the refrigerator or on the counter at room temp for 4 hours.
In a roasting pan that fits your brisket, add enough beef stock to yields ½ inch of liquid in the pan. Place in the oven unwrapped and cook for 1 hour. Wrap roasting pan and cook until fork tender. When finished, let the brisket rest and cool in the liquid. The rub will be delicious. (You can also try this one, too.)
Isadora Baum
Isadora Baum is a freelance writer, certified health coach, and author of 5-Minute Energy. She can't resist a good sample, a margarita, a new HIIT class, or an easy laugh. Learn more about her on her website: isadorabaum.com.
