Side Dishes For Brisket

Easy Brisket

Easy Brisket

Ingredients

Makes 4 To 6 Servings

• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 large red or yellow onions, sliced (not too thin)
• 1 3-pound beef brisket
• 2 tablespoons water

Method

1. Adjust the rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 325°f
2. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, and garlic powder
3. Mix well, and set aside
4. Scatter half of the sliced onions in a dutch oven
5. Pat the brisket dry with paper towels, then sprinkle the salt mixture evenly over both sides of the meat
6. Place the brisket, fat side up, on top of the onions and cover with the rest of the onions
7. Spoon in the water
8. Cover the pan tightly with foil, then cover it with the lid
9. You want to capture all the steam as the meat cooks
10. Place the pan in the center of the oven and let the brisket roast, undisturbed, for 3 hours
11. Remove the pan from the oven, uncover it (being careful not to get burned by the steam), and pierce the meat with a fork
12. If the fork goes in easily and the meat is tender, it’s done
13. If it still seems a bit tough, cover the pan again with the foil and the lid, put it back in the oven, and check it again every 15 to 20 minutes
14. Depending on the cut of meat, the total cooking can take as long as 4 hours or more, so be patient
15. Ideally, one should need neither knife nor teeth
16. When you take the finished brisket out of the oven, uncover it and let it sit in the pan for at least 10 minutes before slicing it
17. To serve, transfer the brisket to a cutting board and slice it thin across the grain
18. Spoon some of the very well cooked (and insanely delicious) onions and pan juices on top of each serving
19. Don’t remove the layer of fat covering one side of the brisket
20. It adds flavor and keeps the meat basted during cooking
21. It mostly dissolves during cooking, and whatever is left can always be cut away after cooking, if you prefer
22. Cut brisket across the grain in thin slices
23. If you cut with the grain, you’ll end up shredding the meat, which will still taste good but looks less attractive on the plate
24. You can also pull cooked brisket, by shredding it into chunks with two forks
25. This is great for filling tacos and sandwiches
26. You can freeze leftover cooked brisket-either whole, for another dinner or two, or sliced, as a stash of sandwich meat