Mains

Braised Brisket

A satisfying winter dish, best cooked low and slow. This is a Jewish-style brisket, rather than Texas smoked brisket. I've found that not all brisket is equal, and ideally you should source a centre-cut flat brisket, with minimal hard fat. Supermarket brisket is often a risky purchase, because the shrink-wrapping forces the brisket into a lump, which unravels when you open it. As always, a decent butcher is the safest bet for a good cut, although likely pricier.

A satisfying winter dish, best cooked low and slow. This is a Jewish-style brisket, rather than Texas smoked brisket. I’ve found that not all brisket is equal, and ideally you should source a centre-cut flat brisket, with minimal hard fat. Supermarket brisket is often a risky purchase, because the shrink-wrapping forces the brisket into a lump, which unravels when you open it. As always, a decent butcher is the safest bet for a good cut, although likely pricier.

Method

  1. In a large oven dish, pour the stock and mix in the soffrito and bay leaves
  2. Place all other ingredients into the pan - meat in the middle, vegetables round the outside
  3. Wrap in foil, and roast for ~3-4 hours, until the meat is tender.
  4. Once the meat is cooked, take the dish out of the oven. Put the vegetables aside to serve, pour the gravy into a saucepan to thicken
  5. Roast the meat on it’s own for 10 minutes in a hot oven, to crisp it up

Ingredients

  • 1.5kg centre-cut flat brisket
  • Root vegetables - parsnip, potato
  • Soffrito or celery
  • Bay leaves
  • 500ml decent beef stock

Hints & Tips

  • You can strain the liquor, and add corn flour to thicken, for a more glossy gravy
  • You could add mixed spice to the gravy, if you wanted a more distinctive flavour.
  • Miso is always an easy-win, if the gravy lacks punch.