You don't need an excuse to braise up brisket or at least that's the motto in our house. If you want to eat "holiday food" year round do it! No one is stopping you, but you. Brisket very well may be my second favorite dish, behind spaghetti and meatballs. I tend to want to cook it every night for dinner, but I hold myself back. If I waited only three times a year to eat this finger licking good brisket, I'd only get it three times! Three times a year simply won't cut it, so I say the heck with needing an excuse, If i want it I'm making it. Don't wait for an "excuse" to come, celebrate now! Live in the now especially if it will make you happy, even if that means I make this brisket once a month!
One of my favorite cooking techniques is the art of braising meat until it becomes tender enough to pull off. By sautéing the meat first, you obtain a gorgeous golden brown crust forming a "maillard reaction" which brings the flavor of the meat to a whole new level. With braising you get the best of both worlds, a nice sear while still keeping the meat juicy cause it cooks in liquid for hours. The bonus is after you sear the meat, your job is done, the oven handles the rest and the braising liquid becomes your long lost best friend.
This BBQ Braised Brisket is a staple family recipe. We make it for most holidays and will even serve it up randomly throughout the year. Bet you're not surprised to hear that every time I find out we're cooking it, I begin to break it down to imaginary music as though it was Saturday night and I was on a dance floor busting moves left and right. Braise it up and I promise this easy brisket recipe will be a show stopper at any meal on any table.
Get ready to get down with this barbecue braised brisket. Here's everything you'll need- looks good, am I right or am I right?
Don't forget to preheat your oven to 350'F degrees. We're guna roast this baby! Make sure you generously season the brisket on both sides with salt and pepper, the more flavor the better.
In a Dutch oven or heavy roasting pan- whatever you have that will withhold high heat for several hours- use that! Heat the olive oil over high heat and add the seasoned brisket. Sear the meat on both sides to form a golden brown crust, about 10 minutes. You can flip the meat over halfway through to ensure you brown both sides of the brisket. Once the brown crust has formed, remove brisket from the pot and set aside. You will put the brisket back into the pot in no time, don't worry! See Brisket here just needs a little break from the hot tub.
In the same pot, add the onions and garlic, and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mix in with onions and garlic. Pour in Dr. Pepper and bring to a boil, about 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, Rub the Lipton Recipe Secret onion package into the brisket on both sides.
Add the carrots, potatoes, ketchup, BBQ sauce, and beef stock into the pot. You can use either cans of baby potato and cans of baby carrots, to save you some time- you won't have to peel or chop, just drain the liquid from the can. I sometimes skip the potatoes and just add carrots, it's up to you!
Return the brisket to the pot, cover and roast in the oven till fork tender, about 2 ½ hours. At this point your brisket is loving life, sitting all comfy in the thick bbq sauce ready to become the real piece of meat it was born to be.
Remove the brisket to a cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes. I don't know about you, but the minute I laid my eyes on this luscious 4 pound thang all tender and hot, I knew I was in too deep- head over heels in love!
Once you regain your composure and snap back, bring the pot with braising bbq liquid back to medium heat. Allow liquid to reduce until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 6 minutes.
Slice the brisket against the grain. Pour the liquid with vegetables on a serving plate and arrange the brisket on top. Spoon BBQ sauce over the brisket or serve on the side. Best when served hot- can't wait to hear how your love affair went down.
BBQ Braised Brisket
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hour and 40 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 lbs brisket
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
¾ cup Dr. Pepper
1 package Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup & Dip Mix
2 carrots, peeled and chopped (substitute: 2 cans baby carrots, drained)
4 baby potatoes, chopped (substitute: 2 cans baby potatoes, drained)
1 cup ketchup
2 cups BBQ sauce (recommend: Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce)
1 cup beef stock
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF degrees.
Generously season brisket on both sides with salt and pepper.
In a Dutch oven or heavy roasting pan, heat olive oil over high heat. Add brisket and sear on both sides to form a golden brown crust, about 10 minutes, flip over half way. Remove brisket from pot and set aside.
In the same pot, add the onions and garlic, cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Mix in tomato paste. Pour in Dr. Pepper and bring to a boil, about 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, rub the Lipton Recipe Secret onion package into brisket on both sides.
Add the carrots, potato, ketchup, BBQ sauce, and beef stock into pot. Return brisket to pot, cover and roast in the oven till fork tender, about 2 ½ hours.
Remove the brisket to a cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Bring the pot with braising bbq liquid back to medium heat. Allow liquid to reduce until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 6 minutes.
Slice brisket against the grain. Pour the reduced BBQ braising sauce with vegetables on a serving plate and arrange the brisket on top. Spoon BBQ sauce over brisket or leave on the side. Serve hot and enjoy!
- theWholeELchilada