Onion Braised Brisket

By Dottiejk

Ingredients

• 1 4-5 pounds beef briskey
• 3 large onion
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 medium clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon Tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 3 bay leaf
• 1 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoon cider vinegar

Preparation

Step 1

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 300 degrees.
Line 13 x 9 inch baking dish with two 24-inch long sheets of 18 inch wide
heavy duty foil, positioning sheets perpendicular to each other and
allowing excess foil to extend beyond edges of pan. Pat brisket dry with
paper towels. Place brisket fat side up on cutting board; using dinner
fork, poke holes in meat through fat layer about 1 inch apart. Season both
sides of brisket liberally with salt and pepper.

2. Heat 2 teaspoon oil in 12 inch skillet over medium high heat until oil
just begins to smoke. Place brisket fat side up in skillet (brisket may
climb up sides of skillet) and cook until well browned, about 7 minutes.
Remove Dutch oven; using tongs, flip brisket and cook on second side until
well browned, about 7 minutes longer. Transfer brisket to platter.

3. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan; stir in onions, sugar, and
1/4 teaspoon salt and cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally,
until onions are softened and golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Add garlic and
cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute; add tomato paste
and cook, stirring to combine, until paste darkens, about 2 minutes. Add
paprika and cayenne and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1
minute. Sprinkle flour over onions and cook, stirring constantly, until
well combined, about 2 minutes. Add broth, wine, bay leaves and thyme,
stirring to scrape up browned bits from pan; bring to simmer and simmer
about 5 minutes to fullyl thicken.

4. Pour sauce and onions into foil lined baking dish. Nestle brisket, fat
side up, in sauce and onions. Fold foil extensions over and seal (do not
tightly crimp foil because foil must later be opened to test for doneness).
Place in oven and cook until fork can be inserted into and removed from
center of brisket with no resistance, 3-1/2 - 4 hours (when testing for
doneness, open foil with caution as contents will be steaming). Carefully
open foil and let brisket cool at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.

5. Transfer brisket to large bowl; set mesh strainer over bowl and strain
sauce over brisket. Discard bay and thyme from onions and transfer onions
to small bowl. Cover both bowls with plastic wrap, cut vents in plastic
with paring knife, and refrigerate over night.

6. About 45 minutes before serving, adjust oven rack to lower middle
position; heat oven to 350°F. While oven heats, transfer cold brisket to
cutting board. Scrape off and discard any congealed fat from sauce, then
transfer sauce to medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until warm,
skimming any fat on surface with wide shallow spoon (you should have about
2 cups sauce without onions; if necessary, simmer sauce over medium-high
heat until reduced to 2 cups). While sauce heats, use chef's or carving
knife to slice brisket against grain into 1/4 inch thick slices, trimming
and discarding any excess fat, if desired; place slices in 13 x 9 inch
baking dish. Stir reserved onions and vinegar into warmed sauce and adjust
seasoning with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over brisket slices, cover
baking dish with foil, and bake until heated through, 25 to 30 minutes.
Serve immediately.

To make and serve the brisket on the same day:

After removing the brisket from the oven in step 4, reseal the foil and let
the brisket stand at room temperature for an hour. Then, transfer the
brisket to a cutting board and continue with the recipe to strain, defat,
and reheat the sauce and slice the meat; because the brisket will still be
hot, there will be no need to put it back into the oven once the reheated
sauce is poured over it.