Jewish-style Beef Brisket Recipe?

Just for fun this weekend I'm going to make matzoh ball soup (I know how to do that--broth from scratch and matzoh balls from a mix) and beef brisket. I bought half a brisket, 3.5 pounds, I got the point (second or deckle) cut based on internet research that says it's fattier but tastier.

There are lots of recipes on the internet. Some say brown first, others say no. Some add broth, wine or water, others say enough onions give all the liquid you need. Then there's stove top vs. slow oven vs. crockpot. Carrots? Herbs and spices? TUGgers I'm counting on you!

Also, what to accompany? I'm thinking of roasting potatoes separately in the oven. Should I serve anything green with it?

And for dessert--honey cake?

Use the TUG search function

duplicate post

Use the TUG search function

On the blue bar above a search for corned beef reveals this thread.

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=208019


Pay particular attention to all the posts by ScoopLV, a chef in LV, he gives excellent cooking advice.

Nach Waxman's recipe is the BEST!

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Nach-Waxmans-Brisket-of-Beef-394571

csxjohn said:

On the blue bar above a search for corned beef reveals this thread.

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=208019


Pay particular attention to all the posts by ScoopLV, a chef in LV, he gives excellent cooking advice.

Click to expand...

Irish corned beef is totally, totally different from Jewish-style brisket. These recipes are fine and dandy for Irish corned beef, which is pre-seasoned and brined, but will not work for a plain brisket, which is just a particular cut of beef.

Trust me, Nach Waxman's beef brisket is the most fantastic brisket in the history of brisket!

Conan said:

Just for fun this weekend I'm going to make matzoh ball soup (I know how to do that--broth from scratch and matzoh balls from a mix) and beef brisket. I bought half a brisket, 3.5 pounds, I got the point (second or deckle) cut based on internet research that says it's fattier but tastier.

There are lots of recipes on the internet. Some say brown first, others say no. Some add broth, wine or water, others say enough onions give all the liquid you need. Then there's stove top vs. slow oven vs. crockpot. Carrots? Herbs and spices? TUGgers I'm counting on you!

Also, what to accompany? I'm thinking of roasting potatoes separately in the oven. Should I serve anything green with it?

And for dessert--honey cake?

Click to expand...

Overall, yes, if you brown it first, you will get much more delicious flavor. I use a slow oven when I make it. I have a pressure cooker now, and I'm going to use that next time I make it, but the meat has to be browned first.

You can roast potatoes separately and we usually make asparagus to go with brisket--some simple steamed vegetable because the brisket is so rich.

Honey cake is traditional for Rosh Hashanah. Passover starts soon, but frankly it's not a time noted for its fabulous desserts. If you want to go all-out for the experience, here is the recipe for the Caramel Matzoh Crunch. It's fantastic.

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/04/chocolate-caramel-crackers/

Somehow when I make this, I always manage to create a huge cloud of smoke in the kitchen. Other people seem to do better. But it's great--like Heath Bars, only with a crispy cookielike layer added.

Here is my recipe - it is terrific.

1. Ingredients:

brisket 4-6 lbs
1 jar of Bennets Chili sauce
1 12 ounce bottle of Holland House Sherry cooking wine.
2 tablespoons of any barbecue sauce.
Onion powder, garlic powder
2 large onions sliced
carrots, celery sliced (optional)
Small Idaho or yellow gold potatoes

2. season the brisket with some onion and garlic powder, put in a pan and put it in the oven (fat side up) at 500 degrees for about 15 minutes, just to lock in the natural juices.
3. cut up the raw onions and spread them over the top of the brisket. By the way, the brisket is still fat side up.
4. mix up the liquids and pour them over the brisket.
5. skin the potatoes and put them around the sides of the brisket. Also add carrots and celery if desired.
6. cover the whole brisket with the heavy-duty alum. foil and roast it until it is tender to the touch of a fork. - the fork has to go through the brisket easily. Don't over cook it or it becomes stringy. It usually takes between 2-3 hrs at 350 degrees. It could take longer, just keep checking.

7. slice it when the meat cools in the opposite direction of the grains of
meat The strings of meat go in one direction and you cut the brisket in the opposite direction.

wackymother said:

Nach Waxman's recipe is the BEST!

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Nach-Waxmans-Brisket-of-Beef-394571

Click to expand...

But he says I should have bought the first cut! Oh well....

If you have an hour to spare, here's a fascinating video of how a side of beef is fabricated for retail sale. The front end of the animal, where the brisket and other kosher cuts come from, starts at 12:16.
Beef Retail Fabrication: http://youtu.be/-PBGvoEFE74

Conan said:

But he says I should have bought the first cut! Oh well....

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Don't worry about it. I just buy whatever looks best that day.

Thanks so much for this thread...

During my working life, I spent much of it along the East Coast, and developed a taste for Jewish food. New York. New Jersey will do that to you. But since retirement, and settling down 'out West', there is no such thing. No brisket, no matzoh, no knishes, nothing like that. There just are no people of that persuasion here. I happen to love to cook, and probably wouldn't have dragged my DW down that path (she's a mid-western girl), but this looks do-able.

Now, to find a raw (uncured) brisket. They are usually bagged, 'corned beef'. I guess I can get one at the market. Around here, they get seasoned in all sorts of savory ways and put in a smoker for about 16-20 hours. Trouble is that a 4-6 lb brisket is a LOT of meat for two people. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Jim

I am of that "persuasion"

Passepartout said:

During my working life, I spent much of it along the East Coast, and developed a taste for Jewish food. New York. New Jersey will do that to you. But since retirement, and settling down 'out West', there is no such thing. No brisket, no matzoh, no knishes, nothing like that. There just are no people of that persuasion here. I happen to love to cook, and probably wouldn't have dragged my DW down that path (she's a mid-western girl), but this looks do-able.

Now, to find a raw (uncured) brisket. They are usually bagged, 'corned beef'. I guess I can get one at the market. Around here, they get seasoned in all sorts of savory ways and put in a smoker for about 16-20 hours. Trouble is that a 4-6 lb brisket is a LOT of meat for two people. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Jim

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I have already prepared my Pesach brisket. THere are several EXCELLENT recipes which can be found on Epicurious. I can personally vouch for "Grandma Ethel's Brisket with Tzimmes", Brisket with Prunes, and Brisket with Aromatic Spices. I prepared the Aromatic Spices for this holiday - it is a bit of a "potchkie" but well worth the effort. The others are much easier and they turn out great as well.

Conan said:

And for dessert--honey cake?

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This is the dessert I'm making for Monday's Seder, pears poached in Manischewitz wine. Actually, any kind of red wine will do. If you're thinking about Passover, leavened flour is prohibited, so you have to be choosy about cakes.

www.jewishboston.com/Mari-Levine/bl...ing-passover-day-1-manischewitz-poached-pears

Conan, what time should we show up?

Passepartout said:

During my working life, I spent much of it along the East Coast, and developed a taste for Jewish food. New York. New Jersey will do that to you. But since retirement, and settling down 'out West', there is no such thing. No brisket, no matzoh, no knishes, nothing like that. There just are no people of that persuasion here. I happen to love to cook, and probably wouldn't have dragged my DW down that path (she's a mid-western girl), but this looks do-able.

Now, to find a raw (uncured) brisket. They are usually bagged, 'corned beef'. I guess I can get one at the market. Around here, they get seasoned in all sorts of savory ways and put in a smoker for about 16-20 hours. Trouble is that a 4-6 lb brisket is a LOT of meat for two people. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Jim

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If you have a grocery store with a decent meat counter, they can get it for you.

I'm always sad around St. Patrick's Day because corned beef is so inexpensive, and if only it hadn't been brined, it would make great brisket. I bought one once because I thought the seasoning packet was separate and otherwise it was plain...but it's not.

BTW, a 4-6 pound brisket cooks way down. Invite friends for the brisket's first appearance and you won't really have a ton of leftovers.

Passepartout said:

Trouble is that a 4-6 lb brisket is a LOT of meat for two people. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Jim

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My cat and I more or less hang out, but do have occasional guests. He only eats tuna cat food.


Still enjoying Ruben left overs but agree do not compare with NYC specialty eateries.


Reuben sandwich


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Place of origin

Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.



Creator(s)

Reuben Kulakofsky



Main ingredient(s)

Corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, Either Russian dressing, Thousand Island dressing or possibly Dijon mustard if served on the west coast, and rye bread



Cookbook:Reuben sandwich ·
Reuben sandwich


The Reuben sandwich is a hot sandwich of corned beef, Swiss cheese with Russian dressing, and sauerkraut. These are grilled between slices of rye bread. Several variants exist.

I make it the easy way. Usually 1st cut. I trim off a lot of excess fat. Rub it with a little vinegar on both sides, then rub with ketchup on both sides. Then sprinkle a pack of Lipton's onion soup mix on both sides. Put in crock pot with about 2 cups water, cover tight and cook about 6-8 hours on low until tender. I slice it all up and return it to the gravy until it is served.

As child I hated brisket cause my mother cooked it until it was as dry as shoe leather. This stays nice and moist.

Laurie said:

Conan, what time should we show up?

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You're a riot Laurie. Meanwhile I'll be in your footsteps in Gavaudun at the end of the month. Then Crete (although that is a return visit for us).

here's the dessert I make for Passover

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/three-berry-lemon-trifle

Just substitute a white or yellow boxed cake mix from Manischewitz, Kosher for Passover, and you're set!

There's a dozen ways to make a brisket, and whether it's Jewish style depends on where the Jew is from (Mexico? Poland? Romania? Germany?), or how momma/grandma taught them to make it.

I don't bother with typical recipes, here's how I make mine.

I rub the meat in cracked pepper and fresh garlic, then marinate it in 2 parts soy sauce and 1 part worchestershire, for two hours at room temp.

Then I pour off the marinade, put the meat in a pan with beef broth. I put it in an oven that has been heated to 500degrees. As soon as I put the meat in, I drop the heat to 300, and cook until "done" (done varies by the amount of meat you have). This recipe was originally written for a tenderloin, which I make mushroom roquefort sauce to accompany, but I started using it for my brisket and everyone loves it.

Get a big piece; it will shrink. 6 lbs is good. Leftovers are good. Slice off the thick fat or not - if not, you'll want to cook it with the fat part on top, and skim off the fat after the brisket is cooked and cooled.

Heat up a dutch oven if you're going to cook it in the oven or on the stovetop, or a big skillet if you are going to use the crockpot.

Brown it in some olive oil. You're supposed to rub it with garlic and paprika first, but when I do that, the garlic burns.

Set the brisket aside, and sauté a bunch of thinly sliced onions in the same pan (maybe four medium ones; I sneak in more if DH isn't looking).

Put the brisket on top of the onions and, if you want, about a half lb of baby-cut carrots, add a tsp or so of crushed thyme, a few bay leaves, dry onion soup mix (I only use about a half envelope b/c of the salt, but if salty is ok with you, use a whole one), whole peeled garlic cloves (I'd use around 10), and pour over about 3-4 c of liquid - combination of canned lo-salt beef broth (or chicken if you want a lighter taste), beer and/or red wine.

Cook covered at 350 for around 4 hours, or at a low simmer on the stove for the same time, or crockpot on low for 6 hours.

***very important*** let it cool in its liquid overnight. DO NOT cut it until it is cool. Use a very sharp knife or an electric knife to cut very thin slices across the grain. Keep the slices together, so when you're done you can put it right back in its juices in (more or less) the original shape.

Reheat in a slow oven or the microwave and serve.

Is Irish corned beef like Irish gefilte fish?

wackymother said:

Irish corned beef is totally, totally different from Jewish-style brisket. These recipes are fine and dandy for Irish corned beef, which is pre-seasoned and brined, but will not work for a plain brisket, which is just a particular cut of beef.

Trust me, Nach Waxman's beef brisket is the most fantastic brisket in the history of brisket!

Click to expand...

persia said:

Is Irish corned beef like Irish gefilte fish?

Click to expand...

I'm sure Irish gefilte fish is delicious. Just different from Jewish gefilte fish.

wackymother said:

Nach Waxman's recipe is the BEST!

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Nach-Waxmans-Brisket-of-Beef-394571

Click to expand...

Thanks all - - Our guests were impressed!
Laurie, I saved you a plate if you want to come by.

1. Mazzoh ball soup.



2. Nach Waxman's brisket.





3. Chocolate caramel matzoh.

Beautiful photos!

I'm making our brisket Sunday to reheat for Passover Monday night. And of course the matzoh ball soup and roast potatoes and carrots and whatever else we feel like making. The chocolate drizzled matzohs look really good.

wackymother said:

I'm sure Irish gefilte fish is delicious. Just different from Jewish gefilte fish.

Click to expand...

No bris involved with the Irish version...