Knowing we’re from brisket country, a new friend accosted me in the parking lot of She Who Must Be Obeyed’s store just after Christmas and pressed for the ‘secrets to smoking real brisket’.
Turns out he wanted more than the essential ‘low and slow for 14 to 16 hours’; we ended up at a local burger joint digging into details about rubs, mops, temps, fat cap trim and different woods to burn at different times in the cook.
That ended up being a fried pickle order, fried green tomato order and 2 beers per man discussion for over an hour.
He was all set to go and then winter arrived here in central Alabama. It’s been chilly enough that we’ve drug the fleece out but the brisket rookie couldn’t imagine tending a smoker all day in high 30s / low 40s temperatures, so he called and asked about recipes we had for braising.
There are roughly 1.2 gazillion recipes for Beer Braised Brisket out there, but this recipe we’ve modified from one that’s graced the table for special dinners since my childhood in Texas (it’s changed quite a bit since those days).
There are a few steps getting this puppy started, nothing too complicated, but the depth of flavors obtained here is like no other braised brisket we’ve ever tasted. And yes, you really do need that jar of commercial chile sauce and the dab of brown sugar.
Two secrets for this one: You don’t have to crisp it up after braising it but that one last bit of caramelization rocks. And the while the reduced and defatted pan juices are powerful medicine as is, the thickened ‘gravy’ is probably the best you’ll ever chase across a plate again.
Pretty much guaranteed.
1 medium-sized first-cut brisket, 1/2 fat cap mostly intact (5-6 lb.)
3 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
3 bay leaves, crumbled small
2 tbsp. good coarse salt
2 tbsp. freshly ground (coarse) black pepper
8 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 chiles de arbol, stemmed and crushed
4 tbsp. olive oil
2 onions, chopped (large)
2 carrots, chopped (large)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 brown sugar, packed
1 jar commercial chile sauce
3 cups dark beer
2+ cups beef stock
Rub your brisket. Pull the brisket from the fridge two hours before cooking and rub with the thyme, salt, pepper, bay leaves, black pepper, garlic and crushed chiles.
Preheat the oven to 325.
Sear your brisket. Preheat a large cast iron roasting pan or dutch oven (you’ll want one with a lid) over high heat for 2-3 minutes then add 3 tbsp. of the olive oil. Give it a minute and then sear the fat side of the brisket first, then the other; it takes us 6-7 minutes per side to get a really good sear.
Remove the brisket and set aside.
Vege time. Reduce the heat to medium-high, add the other tbsp. of olive oil and dump in the onions and carrots; cook until caramelized (7-8 minutes).
Now add the beer, then the vinegar and reduce by 1/4, scraping to get all the good bits up off the bottom of the pan. Now add 2 cups of stock, the chili sauce and the brown sugar, nudge the heat up a bit and bring to a boil.
Now braise it. Add the brisket back into the pan, nestling it down into the vegetables, adding stock if needed to get the liquid level up to the top edge of the meat. Into the oven now, tightly covered, for 4 hours; testing at 3 hours 30 minutes to see if it’s fork tender yet…
Almost there – crisp it up. When tender, pull from the oven and remove the brisket to a foil lined baking sheet. Place back into the oven at 400 for 20 minutes to get a nice crispy brown layer on top. Pull, slice thick.
Meanwhile, one more thing. Strain the cooking liquids into a saucepan, skim the fat and reduce to desired consistency. We sometimes thicken with a bit of cornstarch or flour if the mood strikes to make an astoundingly good gravy.
Serve hot with a big ladle of au jus or ‘gravy’ if you’ve thickened it up. Add a salad and some piping hot cheese grits and you’re a hero forever.
Enjoy.
