The last week of our clan’s time in Texas is finally coming to an end today. If all goes according to plan the moving company will load our worldly possessions today and head north with we following shortly thereafter.
Jake and I have done our fair share of nit-picking with aspects of the Lone Star state (that’s for you, Sport) over the past couple of years, though there’s unquestionably one thing our compadres in Texas have gotten right.
The lowly brisket, slathered in spices and cooked long and slow, may just be one of the most sublime meats in the carnivore’s larder.
Brisket doesn’t necessarily get a lot of love outside the bounds of Texas. Our friends all over the deep south, boasting of the greatness of pork shoulder, baby backs and spare ribs, scarcely even consider brisket when it comes time for loading up the smoker. Fair enough.
But there are times when a fall-off-your-fork tender brisket, smoked 18 hours over a slow oak and mesquite fire, is simply the best of the best, or at least I assumed so until about a month ago.
We were sipping a margarita on the porch of a local eatery with Libby, our chef friend from Montana, on one of the bizarre 70+ degree days we had back in January. Shamefully we were chuckling about our friends back home shoveling snow and battle single digit temps.
She claimed that she’d found the ultimate braised brisket recipe to take back home some day to enjoy on those blustery winter days when firing up the smoker in the middle of a Montana winter simply can’t happen.
You can guess the rest of the story. Several days later we’re in the kitchen putting Libby’s Brisket Braised in Chipotle and Green Chile Sauce together and braising it in the oven all afternoon.
Damn if it wasn’t just about the best brisket we’ve ever tasted, bar none, and by far the best prep we’ve ever stumbled across for braising this prize cut of meat.
There’s new hope for our friends up in snow country. And the people said amen.
Brisket & rub
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 and 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
3-4 pound brisket, well-trimmed, as big as will fit in your cast iron dutch ovenSauce
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
8 large garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups drained canned diced tomatoes with green chilies
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3-5 Tbsp. chopped canned chipotle chilies
4 large fresh Anaheim chilies, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch rings
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Lime wedges
Rub your brisket. Trim excess fat from the brisket (leaving at least 1/4 inch), wash and pat dry. Combine the rub ingredients and sprinkle generously over all sides of the brisket; cover and chill for at least an hour.
Brown and braise. Heat the oven to 325 and heat the oil in your favorite ovenproof pot or dutch oven over medium high heat on the stove. Brown the brisket on both sides (5 to 6 minutes per side), remove from the dutch oven. Reduce the heat to medium.
Add the onion and garlic to the same pot, stirring occasionally; cook until soft (5 minutes or so). Add the broth and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown goodness still clinging to the pan. Add the tomatoes, lime juice and chipotle chiles; stir well. Return the brisket to the pot and push down in the liquid, add more liquid if need to mostly cover.
Now cover and place in the oven for 2.5 hours to braise. Then add the sliced Anaheim chilies to the pot, pushing them down into the liquid, and cook for another hour or until the brisket is done to your satisfaction (we like it to still hold it’s shape when sliced).
Thicken the sauce. Pull the dutch from the oven, remove the brisket, and place the sauce (still in the dutch oven) over a burner and simmer until the sauce is thick enough to suit you (it should at least coat the back of the spoon when hot).
Serve it up. Slice and serve with a big dollop of sauce on top, making sure everybody has their fair share of pepper rings. Sprinkle with cilantro and place a big lime slice along side. Perfect with cheese grits or Ed’s Hot Damn Hominy.
Enjoy.
