Brisket With Garlic

This is one of my favorite recipes.  It is the only way I have ever tried cooking brisket, and it is probably the only way I ever will make brisket.  Do not let the quantity of garlic daunt you, it is well worth the effort for the flavor.  If you can, get yourself a garlic peeler.  It's just a little silicone tube, but it makes this dish far easier.

The original recipe called for red wine, but I choose to use balsamic vinegar instead.  I am not a fan of win in general, so I prefer not to use it.  The balsamic vinegar gives more of a full flavor, without the alcohol overtone.  I also use a smaller cut of meat, to fit in my pot, and halve the amount of garlic used.  Everything else stays the same.

Beef Brisket with 40 Cloves of Garlic Recipe

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 (5 to 6 pounds) beef brisket, rinsed and patted dry

Kosher salt and freshly-ground pepper

40 large cloves garlic, peeled (about 3 to 4 heads of garlic - see Notes)

1 large sweet onion, sliced and separated into rings

1/4 cup red wine (or substitute balsamic vinegar)

2 to 3 cups beef or chicken broth

2 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed

1 teaspoon dried basil

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Season brisket liberally on both sides with kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy, deep-sided, oven-proof skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to coat the bottom. Sear both sides of brisket, beginning with fat-side down, until golden brown. Remove to a platter.

Add garlic cloves and sweet onion rings to the remaining oil in the pan. Cook and stir until garlic begins to turn golden and sweet onions are limp.

Add red wine (or balsamic vinegar) and deglaze the pan, stirring for 1 minute while scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add beef or chicken broth, oregano, and basil. Bring back to a simmer, then turn off heat. Move garlic and onions to the side and return brisket to the Dutch oven or skillet. Spoon garlic and onions over the top of the brisket, cover tightly, and place in the oven.

Bake for 1 hour at 325 F. Reduce heat to 300 and bake an additional 1-1/2 to 2 hours, or until brisket is fork-tender. Remove brisket to a platter and cover to keep warm. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Remove half of of garlic cloves and most of onions to a bowl. Skim off excess oil from the pan gravy and discard. Blend pan gravy and garlic until smooth. You can add a flour or cornstarch slurry to thicken gravy, if you wish. Return reserved whole garlic cloves and onions to the gravy.

Slice brisket diagonally across the grain. Serve with the pan gravy.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Cola Roast

Cola roast is about as easy as it gets, and it gives good results, too.  All you need is a big hunk of meat, a can of cola (no diet!, though sugar soda is fine as opposed to hfcs soda), and some beef bouillon granules.  It's taken a while, but most of my kids like this now, and they can be a tough crowd.  Serve it up with a big pot of mashed potatoes, and add some veggies as a side, and you're good to go.  I like to buy the huge 5lb. chuck roasts when they're on sale, cut them in half, and toss them in the freezer.  On the day I'm ready to make it, I stick it in the slow cooker around 10 or 11 am, and it's ready for dinner at 7pm.  I take the roast out about 20 minutes before serving, so that it has some time to rest before cutting.  This helps keep your juices in where they belong.  I also spoon extra juices over the top, and cover it with foil before placing it on the table.  Serving extra juices on the side also helps keep the roast nice and moist.   I have made gravy from the drippings too, but my family isn't huge on gravy so I don't make it often.



1 large chuck roast, enough to feed your family with a few leftovers if desired
1 can Pepsi or Coke
Beef Roast Seasoning (available from Penzey's, it adds a nice flavor but the roast is fine without it too)
1-2 Tablespoons beef bouillon granules
1-2 Tablespoons dried minced onions
OR
in place of the beef granules and onions you can use a packet of beefy onion soup mix, but I like a little stronger beef flavor


Place your beef in the slow cooker.  If it is frozen, I like to put it on high for an hour or two to get things going, and then turn it down to low.  Or you can put it in a little earlier, too.  It's pretty forgiving.

Sprinkle the bouillon granules and minced dried onions on the top (and beef roast seasoning if you have it), then gently pour the can of soda over everything.  Turn on the slow cooker and you're done. 

You want roughly 8-9 hours for this recipe, but play around with it a bit to see what works.  It's pretty forgiving, and you can go a little longer or shorter as needed.