Adventure Two: Beef Brisket

Girls Cooking Meat:
Adventure Two 

Beef Brisket Braised in Red Wine, Wrapped in Bacon

Serves 4-6

From Padma Lakshmi’s book TANGY TART HOT & SWEET

 

Ingredients:

3 pounds Beef Brisket

1 750-ml bottle Chianti or Barolo red wine

6 to 8 Bay Leaves

12 strips Center Cut Bacon

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

4 tablespoons butter

1 red onion, cut into 4-6 wedges

4 carrots, scraped and cut on the diagonal into 3 inch pieces

2 fennel bulbs, quartered

6 whole celery stalks, cut into 4 inch pieces, including leaves and hearts

8 cloves garlic, peeled

Directions:

1.       In a bowl, marinate the beef in the wine and bay leaves for 8 to 10 hours in the refrigerator.

2.       In a skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat, being careful not to overcook it – it should not be crispy. Remove the bacon, leaving the fat in the skillet.

3.       Remove the brisket from the wine, saving the marinade. Using the same skillet, turn the heat up to high, and when hot, sear the beef for 1 ½ to 2 minutes on each side, holding the brisket with tongs or a fork to sear all sides. (Mama Blom said 5 minutes on each side to get it brown.)

4.       Place the seared beef in a Dutch oven with the fatty side up and let it cool for a couple of minutes. Sprinkle the thyme on both sides of the brisket. Wrap the bacons strips around the brisket, securing them with kitchen string.

5.       Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

6.       In the same skillet, melt the butter into the remaining bacon fat, and sauté the onions, carrots, fennel bulbs, celery stalks, and garlic for 4-5 minutes to awaken the flavors. Pour the vegetables, the fat in which they’re cooked, and the remaining wine marinade over and around the brisket. Cover the Dutch oven and begin the slow cooking process.

7.       Bake the brisket for 3 ½ to 4 hours. Every 30 minutes, remove the brisket and turn it, stirring the vegetables. When done, the brisket should be so tender that you can cut through it with a spoon. Remove the butcher string and bay leaves, spoon the vegetables over the meat and serve.

Oh so yummy! Time to grab a fork and a plate and dig in ladies!

Happy cooking my friends!

June 20, 2011