The bigger a cut of meat, the more intimidating it is to cook. But I was ready to tackle my fears when I saw a new brisket recipe from 2017 Top 50 Restaurant Mamaleh's in our December issue. Even though I've braised many pounds of pork shoulder and cook the annual Thanksgiving turkey, something about cooking a 6-8 lbs. brisket was terrifying to me. It was also the most expensive meat I've purchased at nearly $50, and watching the numbers tick up at the register at Wegmans made my heartbeat do the same. Thankfully, it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, and it turned out so well that my family of five ate the entire thing over the course of a few days. It didn't come together without a few hiccups, though.
I was raised by a Jewish mom, but we didn't celebrate all the high holidays. I didn't have my first brisket until I went to Katz's for a sandwich in 2011, and most associations with the dish were of the barbecue variety rather than the wine-braised Rosh Hashanah situation. To get myself into the right headspace, I talked to a few coworkers for tips and pep talks, but ultimately it was about following the very specific directions for the brisket recipe. The multi-day process seems like a massive project, but really it's about making sure the meat is properly seasoned (salting ahead of time is key) and that the sauce isn't fatty (refrigerating or freezing so it rises to the top and can be tossed easily). Here's what else I learned from my first foray into brisket-cooking.
1. Salt It and Forget It
Okay, maybe don't totally forget about it, but a few days before you cook your brisket, heavily salt it, and store it tightly-wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge. This will tenderize and season the meat like a less fussy dry brine. And really wrap it tight, because mine leaked a bit and I had to clean out the fridge before I started cooking. I only did a day and a half in advance, but you can do this up to three days ahead.
2. Check Your Roasting Pan Before You Wreck Your Roasting Pan
You have to sear off the brisket to caramelize the meat before letting it slow-cook in the oven at 275°, so it goes from stove to oven. Afterward, you bring it back to the stovetop to thicken the sauce. My family's cheap nonstick roasting pan from 2004 was not safe for using on a stovetop—it immediately started smoking over low flame. I ran out and bought a Calphalon Signature roasting pan as an early Christmas gift for my parents. It was two of the eight roasting pans at the stores that actually was stovetop-to-oven safe—the other was All-Clad, both stainless steel and non-stick for both—which will come in handy for other stovetop-to-oven braises like a leg of lamb for Easter.
3. Get That Meat Deeeeeply Caramelized
Flipping 6 lbs. of brisket is not easy. I used a spatula and tongs at the same time to get the job done. I should have let it caramelize for at least a few minutes more because there were still some gray spots on the meat from where it cooked but didn't get brown—especially on the side with the fat cap. Learn from my mistakes and get as much beautiful browned flavor in your brisket before it cooks low and slow for a few hours. The directions say 7-10 minutes per side, and I'd go for at least 10 minutes. Proper caramelization takes time, so don't cook it too fast!
4. Don't Drown Your Brisket
The problem with cutting a recipe down from commercial measurements to a home kitchen is that sometimes the BA test kitchen's pans are bigger than home cooks'. To braise properly, you don't want the meat to be all the way covered with stock and wine—liquid should come up about halfway on the brisket. For me, that was about 1 ½ quarts of chicken stock, but a bigger pan may need 2 quarts.
5. For a Quick Fat Skim, Use Your Freezer
Basically editor Amiel Stanek told me to stick the whole pan in the freezer—if you have the space!—to speed up the fat-skimming process. The fat floats to the top, solidifies, and can be easily lifted out and thrown away. This makes for a non-greasy sauce. I managed to do most of the three-day process in one day because of this. I seared in the morning, let it cook during the day, and took the brisket out to rest on a sheet pan underneath foil. I took the whole roasting pan filled with broth and drippings and put it in the freezer to do its fat-skimming work. After thickening the sauce, the brisket warmed through, and dinner was served with the creamiest mashed potatoes I've ever had, and green beans for color and health. I over-cooked my brisket a bit so it was more shreddy than beautifully sliced, but it disappeared so fast from the platter that it didn't matter. What are you waiting for? Your brisket time is now.
