Beef Brisket

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Serves 10-12
This recipe delivers all that we aspire for in a holiday brisket. The meat is moist and tender with a touch of sweet. A good brisket takes several hours of slow cooking, so start early!

6 lbs beef brisket
1/4 peanut oil (or preferred oil)
6 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
1 shallot, minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 stalks of celery, diced

3 tomatoes, skins removed and diced

2 c full bodied red wine
4 c chicken stock
1/2c cognac
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
water to cover

1. Cut beef brisket into manageable pieces (about 6 inches). Heat oil over medium heat in a heavy pan and brown meat. The meat shouldn’t be overly crowded, so you will likely need to do this in two or three rounds of browning depending on the size of your pan.
2. Once all the meat has been browned and set aside, add a bit more oil to the pan (if needed) and saute the carrots, onion, shallot, garlic and celery for 7 minutes until vegetables have softened.
3. Use 1/2c of wine to deglaze the pan.
4. Place sauteed vegetables and browned beef in stock pot. Add remaining wine, chicken stock, deglazed juices, 1/2c cognac, bay leaves and water to cover meat.
5. Cover and bring to boil, then lower the temp and let it simmer away for at least 3-6 hours. The top will need to be skimmed a couple of times early in the cooking.
6. To serve, slice meat into serving portions and pass with juice and vegetables.

Notes: You may want to remove the fat from the juice prior to serving.