The Best Braised Brisket

A mouth watering rich and savory sauce made of the beef drippings onions, mushrooms, and balsamic vinegar accompanied by the Beef Brisket being meltingly tender makes this recipe outstanding!

Ingredients Extra-virgin olive oil 1 (5-pound) beef brisket Sea salt 1/4 pound slab bacon, skin removed and reserved, bacon cut into small pieces 3 large onions, thinly sliced 3 celery ribs, thinly sliced on the bias 4 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped 1 pound small portabella mushrooms, stemmed and finely sliced 2 cups traditional balsamic vinegar 3 to 4 cups Swanson Chicken Broth 4 bay leaves1 fresh thyme bundle 1 bunch finely chopped fresh chives, for garnish Directions Coat a large roasting pan with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Season the brisket generously with salt. Add the brisket to the pan and brown well on both sides. Remove the brisket from the pan and reserve. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lower the heat to medium, ditch the excess oil, and add the bacon and reserved skin to the pan with a little more oil. Cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crispy and has let out a lot of fat. Add the onions and celery. Season with salt and cook until they are very soft and aromatic, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Toss in the mushrooms and cook until they are soft and wilted. Add the balsamic vinegar and reduce it by half. Taste it - it will be very vinegary, but that's ok, don't worry. Season with salt, if needed.  Lay the brisket on top of the veggie mix in the crock pot and add the chicken stock to the crock pot until it just covers the brisket. Add the bay leaves and thyme. Put the lid on cook on medium heat for 6-8 hours. check the brisket, and turn it over. Add more stock if the liquid level has reduced.  Transfer the brisket to a cutting board, cover with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes. Skim off any excess fat from the cooking liquid. If the vegetables are swimming in liquid, reduce the liquid on the stove-top over medium-high heat. You want the sauce to be soupy. Taste the liquid and re-season if needed. Slice the brisket against the grain on the bias.  Serve topped with the onion-mushroom mixture and sprinkle with chopped chives.

Easy Beef Burgundy

A little bacon, garlic, and onion turns an inexpensive piece of meat into a crock pot and at the end of the day you will have a crowd pleaser.

Ingredients:

1 (5-pound) boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
Sea Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 ounces bacon (about 4 slices), minced
3 onions, minced
4 carrots, peeled and slice into 1/2-inch chunks
¼ cup tomato paste
7 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme 
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
2½ cups Pinot Noir
1½ cups  Swans Chicken Broth, plus extra as needed
⅓ cup soy sauce
1 bay leaves
2 cups frozen pearl onions
½ cup water
3 tablespoons salted butter
2 teaspoons sugar
1 pound small Portabella mushrooms, trimmed and halved

Directions:

Pat dry beef with paper towels and season with sea salt and pepper. Place half of beef in slow cooker. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown remaining beef well on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes; transfer to crock pot.

In skillet over medium-high heat cook bacon until crisp, about 5 minutes. Stir in onions, carrots, tomato paste, garlic, and thyme and cook until onions are softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in 1¼ cups wine, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps; transfer to crock pot.

Mix in a small bowl broth, soy sauce, and bay leaf and pour into crock pot. Cover and cook until beef is tender, 9 to 11 hours on low or 5 to 7 hours on high.

About 20 minutes before serving, bring frozen pearl onions, water, butter, and sugar to boil in 12-inch skillet. Reduce to simmer, cover, and cook until onions are fully thawed and tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Uncover, bring to a boil, and cook until all liquid evaporates, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and cook until vegetables are browned and glazed, 8 to 12 minutes; transfer to crock pot.

Add remaining 1¼ cups wine to skillet and simmer until it has reduced by half, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to crock pot. et stew settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon. Discard bay leaves. (Adjust stew consistency with additional hot broth as needed.) Season with sea salt and pepper to taste and serve.