Braised Brisket with Mushrooms

By DreiFromBK

Ingredients

• 1 (4- to 5-pound) brisket roast, fat trimmed to 1/4 inch
• Salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Details

Servings 8
Adapted from cookscountry.com

Preparation

Step 1

How we use your e-mail address

How we use your e-mail address

Too often, braised beef brisket yields bland, chalky meat that shreds rather than slices. Cutting the brisket in half and cooling it in the braising liquid allowed it to soak up some of the liquid it lost during cooking, leading to a moister, more sliceable texture. Mushrooms were a great accompaniment to the brisket, but the slices disintegrated in the course of lengthy cooking and no matter how many we added, we couldn’t achieve the depth of mushroom flavor we sought. Quartered, rather than sliced, mushrooms held their shape better during cooking, and adding dried porcini boosted the mushroom flavor.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat brisket dry with paper towels. Place roast fat side up on cutting board and prick all over with fork. Cut brisket in half crosswise into 2 roasts. Season with salt and pepper. Microwave water and porcini in covered bowl until steaming, about 1 minute. Let sit until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain porcini through fine-mesh strainer lined with coffee filter, reserve liquid, and mince and reserve porcini.

Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown 1 roast on both sides, 10 to 14 minutes; transfer fat side up to 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Repeat with remaining roast.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Add mushrooms and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook over medium-high heat until liquid evaporates and mushrooms are golden brown, about 8 minutes. Add onions and sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour, garlic, and thyme and cook until golden and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in broth, wine, ½ cup reserved porcini liquid, reserved porcini, and bay leaves, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened, about 8 minutes.

Pour sauce over roasts and cover dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until tender and fork inserted into meat meets no resistance, 4½ to 5 hours. Let brisket cool at room temperature in dish, uncovered, for 1 hour, flipping halfway through cooling. Discard bay leaves. (Cooled brisket can be refrigerated in sauce for 2 days; reheat gently, covered, in 300-degree oven for 1 hour before proceeding with step 5.)

Transfer roasts to carving board. Strain sauce through fine-mesh strainer into fat separator; reserve mushrooms. Let liquid settle, then pour into bowl. Stir vinegar into sauce and microwave until warm, 30 to 60 seconds. Slice roasts against grain into ¼-inch-thick slices and return to dish with mushrooms. Pour 1½ cups sauce over meat. Serve with remaining sauce. (Refrigerate sliced brisket in sauce for up to 3 days; reheat meat in sauce.)