Okay, the title of this post is a bit misleading. We never called my grandmother “Bubby” and this was not her particular recipe for brisket. (Now, if I ever did find her barley soup with flanken recipe, that would be a different story.) But this is a bubby’s recipe for warm, comforting brisket and as perhaps a future bubby myself, I’m okay with co-opting the term.
The deceptively simple recipe is actually a collaboration between me and my uncle, who prepared this delicious dish last holiday season. When it comes out of the oven, the beef is tender and flavorful, the vegetables soft and stewy, the sauce bright and velvety. It’s the perfect dish for any of the Jewish (and non-Jewish) holidays, or even just a cozy weekend at home during the colder months.
As my friend called it, “pot roast, but delicious!”
Ingredients:
1 3-LB brisket, nicely marbled
Half bag of baby carrots
1 large yellow onion, chopped
6-8 garlic cloves, sliced thickly
Half bottle of red wine
2-4 cups chicken broth
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Drizzle of olive oil
Directions:
About an hour before preparation, remove the brisket from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperate.
When you’re ready to get started, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Pat the brisket dry and massage with liberal amounts of salt and pepper. Drizzle a bit of olive oil into a dutch oven over medium-high and let it get very hot, but not to the point of smoking. Place the brisket, fat side down, into the dutch oven and sear it for 5-10 minutes: flip over when a caramelized brown crust has developed. (And don’t forget to briefly brown the two ends as well.) Remove the brisket and let it rest on a plate. Turn off the stove.
Place the baby carrots, chopped onion, and garlic slices in the dutch oven and stir it into the rendered juices. Add the brisket and poor in half a bottle of red wine and about 2-4 cups of broth, making sure to adjust the broth based on how much liquid is already in the pot – do NOT drown your brisket! The total volume of liquid should only come halfway up the meat. Cover the dutch oven and braise it for no more than 3 hours. (About 1 hour per pound of meat.)
When it’s done, the brisket should be fork-tender. Serve it hot, carved into thin slices. The meal is technically best the next day, and reheats well. Enjoy!
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