Sweet and Sour Beef Brisket
This barbecue-y brisket is easy to prepare, dependable and a proper crowd pleaser. It would make an excellent lunch with slaw and it is heavenly with mash and creamed leeks or whole roasted celeriac in winter.
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INGREDIENTS
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp cayenne (or more if you like)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme or za’tar
- 2 cups beef stock
- ¾ cup tomato ketchup
- 3 Tbsp vinegar
- ½ tsp chili sauce
- 2 Tbsp Indonesian Soya Sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar or honey
- 2kg beef brisket (with good amounts of fat)
- Salt and white pepper to season the cut
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
In a large, heavy bottomed casserole or pan, sauté the onions over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until caramelized. Add the sliced garlic cloves and sauté for 3 minutes more. Set aside the fried onion and garlic mixture.
Season the brisket with salt and white pepper.
In a large bowl or jug, stir together the beef stock, tomato sauce, and all the other spices and ingredients.
Place the brisket in a deep casserole, just big enough so that the sauce will almost cover the meat. Spread the onion mixture on the top of the brisket and pour the sauce over the whole dish. Place the lid on the casserole and bake for 1 ½ hours at 180 °C. Then turn the oven down to 160°C and bake for a further 2 hours undisturbed. Take the brisket out of the oven and allow to cool on the kitchen counter with its lid on. Once cooled, place the whole casserole in the fridge overnight. This step significantly improves the texture and flavour of the meat and allows for sublimely easy serving the next day!
A few hours before you wish to serve, you can remove excess fat that has solidified around the meat overnight.
Now, carefully remove the brisket to a cutting board.
Slice the meat against the grain into 1 cm slices, keeping the shape of the brisket. With a large fish slice or spatula, carefully place the meat back into the sauce and replace the lid or the foil.
40 minutes before you are ready to serve, pop the dish into the oven to reheat at 180°C for 30 minutes until it is bubbling at the edges.
Recipe and image courtesy of Karen Dudley.
