The other day my wife and I decided to make a brisket. This is not a task we undergo often. The reason we came to this conclusion was simple: we had meat. My wife found a two-pound brisket on sale at the grocery store the previous week and she brought it home. We weren't sure how we were going to cook it, but we could not pass up the chance to get good, cheap, tasty meat.The day of the meat cooking, we looked for recipes, one that might be easy enough for people with a small child, detailed enough that this simpleton follow, and basic enough to keep us from going to the store for more ingredients. The recipes fitting this criteria were few. We did not have wood chips, beef stock, a can of beer, a smoker, or many other key ingredients that most of the recipes called for.
However, we came across one recipe that just might work. It did call for a can of beef stock that we did not have. When push came to shove we thought that maybe we could just substitute more water for the beef stock and hope the beef was flavorful enough on its own. And with that, the recipe was chose. After all, it was a food network recipe. They are pretty reliable. Not only that, it was a Paula Deen recipe "y'all." The goodness does not stop there, it had been submitted by Tom Perini, owner and head beef dude at Perini Ranch and Steakhouse in Buffalo Gap, Texas. If you haven't heard of this place, friend you need to come visit me and experience some Texas food. So, needless to say the stars were aligning for this brisket to be cooked. We found this recipe here and started on a 4-hour long journey to beef bliss or beef blunder. (Skip to the bottom of the post for the modified recipe that we used).
So, here we were with this piece of meat, and we began to mix all the spices listed. It beautiful! Not the aroma. I believe my wife said "what spices have you added? Something smells funny. I can't tell if it's the spices or if it's the baby (our 14-month old)." We decided it must have been the bay leaves that the recipe called for. I can't even tell you the last time I saw that we even had bay leaves in our cupboard, but they were there, the recipe called for them, so in the went. The spices made such a lovely earthy tone. I never knew spices would look so good.
We rubbed the meat with this great mixture of sweet and savory, salty, and strong medley. Let me mention at this point that I am not the best cook in the world, even in our small family of three (my wife, a 14-month old, and myself). I have a few go-to recipes up my sleeve, but that's it. They usually consist of 2-5 ingredients, and lots of oil or butter for flavor. I do the grilling at our house, and things typically go well. This was my first attempt at an actual dry rub that wasn't just salt, pepper, and Lawrey's seasoning salt. Burgers and steaks are my home turf, not this Texas Oven-Roasted Beef Brisket. The time came to put it in the oven though. I thought all might go wrong. This was an entire afternoon's investment we were talking about. Those are precious in our house, especially on a weekend.
In the oven went the brisket, rubbed with care and season, fat side up. I'm not sure if that made a difference or not. I had simply read it on many of the other recipes I surveyed. This recipe didn't call for it, but why not, what could be the harm? It was to sit for 1 hour, uncovered in the oven. During that first hour, all those spices began melding together with the savory juices of the meat that made my mouth water every time I smelled it. I could tell this was going to be a grueling 4-hour process. I do not know how they can stand it out at the Perini Ranch, being around such deliciously smelling meats all day long. Maybe they have vegetarians help them cook the meat (not vegetarians out of conviction, vegetarians out of choice).
When we made it through the first hour I pulled the brisket out and saw that the thing has shrunk in size. I thought to myself "bummer, less meat." Nevertheless it was still two pounds of beef. Plenty for my wife and myself to enjoy for more than one meal if this thing turned out to be okay. Now, the time came to see if our modification would pay off. We still had no beef stock, but at this point the recipe called for 1 can, plus enough water to have the meat sitting in 1/2 inch of liquid. In our case, it was merely going to be 1/2 inch of water. We did as the recipe called for, closing the meat up as tight as we could. I did not think our roasting pan made a tight enough seal so I wrapped foil around the edges of the roasting pan. After all the recipe said "cover pan tightly and continue cooking."Three hours from then we would see what turned out. More of the delicious smelling aroma filled our house. We went into the back yard a couple of times while the brisket cooked. Each time we re-entered the house or walked from the back rooms to the front, we could smell the goodness of meat being slowly roasted, almost smoked, in our oven. The wait was killing me. Finally three hours had passed and my wife had made the perfect complimentary dish for this meal--potatoes. Mashed potatoes. Does real Texas food get much better than meat and potatoes? Not in my house.
When we finally pulled the brisket out of the oven and uncovered it, an aromatic wave of steam bathed my face in this sea of spices mixed with meaty goodness. The beef was tender to the touch of a fork, just as the instructions had said. The liquid which was once water, was now a dark brown, almost black liquid of juice, spice, gravy awesomeness that was used to pour over the meat one last time to give it that juicy zing that hits you in the back of the mouth when you place the meat on your tongue.
We did it. We fixed a brisket worth eating. Not only was it worth eating, it is one of the better briskets I have ever eaten. I know it is definitely the best brisket I have ever fixed. In a few words of summary, "if you are not doing brisket this way, you are missing out." All other brisket recipes shall now be compared to this one, at least in our house.
As I write this, I realize I have said much about a chunk of meat. In the scheme of things, meat is meat. It has no eternal significance. But, what I now have is also a recipe that we can use to share a meal with those who come into our home. The table is not huge, but we welcome others with the hospitality of sharing a table. Food is more than sustenance, it is a vehicle for sharing life at a table with others. I'm not always the best at making this happen, but that is what our goal is, whether it's family, friends, neighbors, or strangers at our table, we want to show the hospitality taught in the New Testament. Much like communion, any meal can be a gathering to break bread and share life with those who believe the same or different than us. It is more than meat, more than drink, it is community.
If you are interested in the recipe, here is what we did. Everything is the same as the original recipe found on the food network recipe link except the portions and lack of beef stock.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed bay leaf
2 lbs. beef brisket, trimmed
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Make a dry rub by combining chili powder, salt, garlic, and onion powders, black pepper, sugar, dry mustard, and bay leaf. Season the raw brisket on both sides with the rub. Place in a roasting pan and roast, uncovered, for 1 hour.
Add enough water to yield about 1/2 inch of liquid in the roasting pan. Lower oven to 300 degrees F, cover pan tightly and continue cooking for 3 hours, or until fork-tender.
Trim the fat and slice meat thinly across the grain. Top with juice from the pan.
Enjoy and share!
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