Hubby was in the mood for red meat yesterday, so we talked over what kind of meat to get at the grocery store while we were in the car in between errands. We finally decided to do a beef brisket dinner by Robin Miller.
We've made this meal before and it turned out great! It's one of her "morph it" meals, which means you cook extra of something one night and use the leftovers the next day in a totally different dish. We'll be morphing this meal into beef soft tacos...yum!
We started with a huge piece of hereford beef brisket - 3.75 pounds! (Hey, it's supposed to be for 2 dinners and 2 lunches!)
Like most dishes I like, this one starts with lots of fresh veggies and stuff: shallots, garlic, carrots, red potatoes, and fresh rosemary (that I grow).
Sear the brisket, add the veggies, add the wine and...
Experience minor volcanic eruption from the comfort of your home. Ok, so this didn't happen the last time I made this but it was fine. We cleaned everything up quickly before it started sticking and all was well.
Everything was truly forgiven when the cooking time was over and the lid was lifted to reveal the enticing aroma of hot, steamy comfort food. There's something about slow-cooked foods that make you all warm & fuzzy feeling, no? I let the meat rest before slicing to serve and to set some meat aside for tomorrow night's dinner.
The dish reminded me a lot of the pot roast my mom taught me how to make, though sipping some red wine with this meal brought out the wine flavor from the meat and reminded me that it really is different. The best part is that we are one step closer to having dinner ready for tomorrow!
Peppercorn Brisket
Adaptied from Robin Miller's recipe via foodnetwork.com
1 (4-pound) beef brisket, trimmed of fat
Salt
3 tablespoons mixed whole peppercorns, crushed with a meat mallet or bottom of heavy skillet
(my note: I just used my peppermill to grind whole peppecorns onto the meat)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
(my note: I used 2)
1/2-3/4 cup baby carrots (my note: original recipe called for 1 cup, but I went with 3/4 since it was just for us two and hubby doesn't like carrots that much)
4 medium, unpeeled red potatoes, quartered
4 shallots, cut into wedges
(my note: feel free to sub a quartered onion)
8 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 cups red wine
2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
Season brisket all over with salt and crushed peppercorns (or grind peppercorns over meat with peppermill). In a shallow
dish, with a spoon, combine flour and garlic powder. Roll brisket in
flour mixture to coat. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat (my note: the brisket was quite large and didn't originally fit in the Dutch oven, so I laid the edges up the sides of the pot and the brisket eventually shrunk down a bit with the cooking) .
Add brisket and cook for 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown
on all sides. Arrange carrots, potatoes, shallots, garlic, and rosemary
around brisket. Pour wine over vegetables and cook for 1 minute (my note: watch for spewing-wine volcano!). Add
broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook
for 3 hours, until beef is tender. Remove brisket from pot and let
stand for 10 minutes before slicing crosswise into thin slices. Shred and reserve 2 cups beef for soft tacos, if desired.
Serve sliced beef with vegetables, shallots, garlic, and liquid from pot spooned over top.
whew! You have been one busy little beaver (or...blogger).. over here girl....how do you keep up when you were so sick? ...
I got behind because of my early spring cleaning...(reeeeely early, like,... about 4 months....but, finally got my storage space re-organized, so at least that is done. I want to get on with a few other things though, so I'll feel like I am more organized around here. Perhaps I can begin a doll or bear soon.....
Posted by: BumbleVee | January 13, 2009 at 11:09 AM
You should be a professional chef or a food photographer, you're so good at this. Your recipes always make my mouth water! This looks so delicious!
Posted by: Marie | January 13, 2009 at 03:39 PM