Braised Brisket: Comfort Food for Hanukkah
My daughter's been learning about Hanukkah in school, and even though we're not Jewish and don't celebrate, we thought it would be fun to cook up a traditional dish associated with the holiday. What could be more appropriate than braised beef brisket?
Cooked for hours at low heat with aromatic vegetables, this normally tough cut of meat becomes tender and delicious. It's a the perfect comfort food meal for a cold winter night. This recipe is adapted from one by Ina Garten, with a few of my own modifications thrown in.
Serve this with some noodles or mashed potatoes and good crusty bread with which to mop up the wonderful sauce. Everyone at our dinner table cleaned their plates, even my daughter, who's a notoriously picky eater.
Total time: 4 hours, 15 minutes
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 4 hours
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
- 4 pounds beef brisket
- 1 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 4 large carrots carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
- 4 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 yellow onions, peeled and sliced
- 2 (15-ounce) cans tomato juice
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Place the brisket in a heavy roasting pan. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano. Rub this mixture on the brisket. Put brisket in a metal roasting pan and pile on the carrots, celery, and onions, then pour in enough tomato juice so that it comes up about 3/4 of the way up around the meat and vegetables. Cover the top of the pan witha sheet of parchment paper, then with aluminum foil. (The acidic tomato juice will react with the aluminum foil if they come into contact.)
Bake for at least 3 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Remove the meat from the pan and keep it warm. Place the pan on 2 burners and boil the vegetables and sauce over medium heat for another 30 minutes, or until the sauce is reduced and thickened.
To serve, slice the meat across the grain. Serve with the vegetables and the sauce spooned over.
