Thursday, September 5, 2013

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. 

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