Brisket
Joan Nathan
459 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
459
12 ¼ hours
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Place the brisket in a shallow roasting pan fat side up; add 2½ tablespoons salt, the coffee and cardamom; and rub all over the brisket. Cover lightly with foil and refrigerate for two days.
Preheat a broiler. Place the pan with the brisket under it until the meat is evenly browned and much of the fat rendered, about 15 minutes. Remove, transfer brisket to a platter and turn oven to 300 degrees.
Pour the fat into a Dutch oven or other heavy covered pan large enough to hold the brisket. There should be about ¼ cup fat; if needed, add vegetable oil. Place the pan over medium-high heat, and add onions, carrots, garlic and a pinch salt. Sauté until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add turnips, cumin, black pepper and turmeric. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, for 5 minutes.
Add licorice or licorice tea bag, and pomegranate juice. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add brisket, bring to a simmer, and baste with the juice.
Cover the pan tightly and place on the middle rack in the oven. Cook until very tender, about 4 hours, basting every 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and discard licorice or tea bag and garlic halves. If desired, at this point, cool the brisket and vegetables, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
Just before serving, skim the fat and place the pan over medium-low heat. Add chestnuts and reheat just until steaming. Stir in dill and parsley. Transfer brisket to a cutting board and slice against the grain. Serve with vegetables and sauce.
We couldn't find brisket in our local supermarket, so we used cross rib instead and it was fantastic! We've also been substituting fennel for the licorice, and we added green cabbage to the mix as well, which turned out to be delicious.
Interested in using fennel as a substitute for licorice. How? Fronds? Whole bulb .Thanks
Interested in using fennel as a substitute for licorice. How? Fronds? Whole bulb .Thanks
RE: substituting fennel for licorice - use fennel or anise seed, freshly ground. See Wikipedia for "anethole", the flavoring principle in all three. Fennel seed is cheaper - about $4/lb in Indian stores. Most "licorice" candy is made with anise/fennel extract. Licorice itself contains glycyrrhizic acid, whose chronic ingestion causes high blood pressure with sodium retention/potassium loss. (It's a mimic of aldosterone, an adrenal hormone that helps land animals conserve salt.)
My neighbor made this NYT brisket and it was so unbelievable tender and delicious. She made it for Hanukkah here in Los Angeles as a mash up since her husband is Jewish and she’s not. The 2 days marination must be the trick.
Do we use sweetened pomegranate juice or the natural, sour tasting juice without sugar?
has anyone done this with kosher meat, which has already been salted? I'm thinking of cutting the salt in the first step...also thinking of trying with an instantpot (but probably don't have the guts to do that the first time I cook a recipe)
Responding to myself: I cut the salt to 1 Tbsp for the kosher meat and that was fine. Great recipe!
RE: Instant Pot - Instant Pot is perfect for brisket: 1 hr + natural release.
We couldn't find brisket in our local supermarket, so we used cross rib instead and it was fantastic! We've also been substituting fennel for the licorice, and we added green cabbage to the mix as well, which turned out to be delicious.
I couldn't find pomegranate juice so used pomegranate-blueberry - big mistake! The blueberry was too prominent.
I don't have licorice root or tea bags but do have plenty of ground licorice root in my pantry. If I use this, should it be added at the same time as the other dried spices in this recipe and if so, how much do you recommend I use? Thank you!
Hi Trisha, Did you ever get a reply? I also have ground licorice root. Not sure how much to add and when. Thanks, Joni
RE: Ground licorice root - 1 tsp (the quantity in most tea bags) should be fine.
Great recipe. I find that the tartness of the sauce can be countered with a dollop of sour cream.
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