Sunday, February 14, 2010

Southwestern Brisket


Once again I have NO OVEN!  LOVE IT!  Feel free to sprinkle that sentence liberally with sarcasm.  As much as you have to be exact.  When one has no oven one will quickly run out of things to make.  Well maybe you wouldn't but I do and have.  I have begun to rely more and more on the slow cooker because I have no other options really.  I am about two seconds away from buying a toaster oven. 

So I was looking for a BBQ ribs recipe or a short rib recipe to make in the slow cooker.  I came across this recipe for a Southwestern Pulled Brisket.  I have never made a brisket and have always wanted to so I was excited that I didn't have to smoke it or roast it or braise it.  I just had to sear it and throw it into the slow cooker.  My favorite kind of slow cooker recipe.

But what does one serve with a brisket?  I was thinking maybe corn on the cob, or baked beans.  So I did a little google search... and guess what I found?  Smitten Kitchen had already made this recipe.  Not just a brisket but the SAME brisket I was planning on making.  I give up, seriously she's made everything and more than likely much better than me.  I highly suggest giving her a google.  I also jumped ship from my google search and just made what she made.  Laaaaaazzzzzzzzzzzzzy.  Just in case you were wondering she served a green onion slaw by Bobby Flay.  

I was up at 6:30am this morning with Mr. Man.  A little apple juice, a little Blues Clues and ta daaaa a happy occupied baby while I prepped the dinner.  It was a little odd to start dinner before sunrise (see below), but it was going to have to cook for 10 hours. 


Well the recipe said 8, but Deb from SK said 10 and I trust her (or her mother-in-law I think she said) and once again she was right.  I made a few minor adjustments to the recipe.  I used Sorhgum instead of molasses because my husband got very excited when he saw it so we bought that instead... whatever, I have no idea why I've never seen the stuff before.  Secondly, I used 28 oz of whole tomatoes instead of 14oz, because  all I had was a large can and I mean to only use half but I completely forgot.  I told you it was first thing in the morning, pre-coffee and all.




In Loving Memory of my grandfather, Paul Brown Sr. (1927-2010).  A man who loved good food and instilled in me a love of cooking.  I will miss you dearly.


Southwestern Pulled Brisket
adapted (accidentally) from Food Network

Ingredients

3 1/2 pounds beef brisket
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 Spanish onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, with their juices
2 chipotle chiles from the the can with adobo sauce.  I chopped mine roughly
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons sorhgum
soft tortillas
Pickled jalapenos

Method

Season the beef generously with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat just until beginning to smoke. Add the meat and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer the meat to the slow cooker; leave the skillet on the heat.

Add garlic, onion, chili powder, coriander, and cumin to drippings in the skillet and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add vinegar and boil until it's almost gone, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in water and pour the mixture over the brisket. Crush the tomatoes through your fingers into the slow cooker; add the tomato juices, chipotles, bay leaves, and molasses. Cover the cooker, set it on LOW, and cook the brisket until it pulls apart easily with a fork, about 10 hours.

I pulled the brisket out of the slow cooker.  Drained the liquid of the slow cooker through a strainer (per suggestions from blogger extrodinaire) and reduced it a bit.  I didn't bother to cool it and skim the fat, I just blotted the top with paper towels, because it as getting late and I have a little munckin to feed that is not patient.

I then shredded the meat with two forks.  Dunked it into the souce and put in the tortilla.  Topped with quick pickled onions (smitten kitchen) and jalapenos.  If you like brisket you must try this.

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