Braised Brisket With Plums, Star Anise and Port

I let brisket cool on the counter, sliced it, put it in a baking dish (a shallow casserole), then spooned some gravy over it & refrigerated it, covered. Rest of sauce was refrigerated in a saucepan. The next day I removed meat from the fridge an hour before reheating. Brought the sauce to a simmer, poured over meat & reheated at 350 for 25 min. With meat already sliced there was much more surface area to absorb the sauce. Also, it was ready to put right on the table with no last minute slicing.

Why is it that so many of the complainants don't understand that after you marinate the brisket you rub it clean? I know the recipe only mentions "Wipe off garlic and thyme," but if you do that you also rub off any remaining salt and pepper.

After an hour of cooking, I tasted the sauce which was awful! Way too much thyme taste and too salty and peppery. I threw out all the liquid, rinsed the partially cooked brisket and made it the way I usually do, and it turned out perfectly. Was there an error in the recipe amounts- really, a whole bunch of thyme? And 1.5 tablespoons of pepper, plus 2 tablespoons of kosher salt? Maybe folks just have different tastes than mine, but, Ms. Clark, this one is a swing and a miss.

This is my go-to recipe for dinner parties. Sometimes I serve it exactly as described, but usually I use a handheld blender to puree the plum sauce into a thick gravy before serving - kids like this (they don't even know there are onions in there!). Everyone (and I mean everyone) who has had this has asked me for the recipe later, so I direct them to Melissa Clark straight away.

To KK:

I followed the recipe exactly as published. I used 2 tablespoons (not 2 teaspoons) of kosher salt and 1½ tablespoons (not 1½ teaspoons) of black pepper. Along with garlic and thyme, I placed the brisket in the refrigerator for 5 hours.

Upon removing the raw brisket from the refrigerator, I wiped it with paper towels, removing any excess salt or pepper, along with the garlic and thyme.

No problem with saltiness. I agree that a more specific quantity of thyme could be specified.

This looks yum and I will do what I have always done with brisket. After cooking separate the meat from the juice and refrigerate both. When cold slice the brisket. Remove the fat from the juice and put the whole thing in a large serving dish. Then reheat on a low oven till ready to serve. The brisket is so tender and being cold easier to cut then right out of the oven. That way it does not fall apart.

The very best brisket recipe I've ever found. Very hard to get the butcher to give you the "2d" cut or deckle but if you can find one (butcher) old enough to understand, you'll see the difference immediately. I've used Manischewitz when I didn't have Port and in a pinch, it's a pretty good substitute.

Whenever i use woody spices like star anise, cardamom, cinnamon sticks, etc, i wrap them in cheesecloth and tie it up so can lift out the bag of spices after cooking. Works like a charm.

In step 4--after refrigerating the brisket remove from fridge and now, when it is cold-- is the perfect time to slice it. Remove all the plums and other saucy elements clinging to the brisket and reserve them.
Slice this across the grain (to avoid stringy meat).
NOW--go on to the warming, simmering, etc.

I made it in a crock pot over night and it was delicious.

I'm making it with prunes, after soaking them overnight in water, draining of course. I'm reducing the recipe by a bit too, making it for buffet at brunch

Succeeded in reproducing this recipe using a 5.5 lb. 1st cut brisket, substituting Kedem Heavy Concord Grape wine for port (spiking it with hard liquor to approximate the alcohol content of fortified wine). Measured out the salt and pepper. Wiped the brisket with paper towels after 5 hrs. in the refrigerator and removed the sliced garlic, thyme, and any excess salt or pepper. Had no problem, none at all, with saltiness. The star anise, plum, and brisket flavored were insanely good. Recommend!

I think you're remembering Peking style roast beef. Some versions don't have the gin, but this one does: http://impexco.org/?p=5918

I made this last year and it cam out perfectly. I am in the middle of making it again, and it is far too oversalted & over-peppered. Not sure why it worked once but now does not. My advice: skip (or reduce) the pepper & salt in the pre-cook phase.

Maybe it needs to cook longer than an hour for all of the favors to marry. I think thyme is a very delicate herb and never overpowering. after all, the cooking time is 5 hrs not one hour.

I also think brisket needs the salt to break down the meat as it is not a tender cut.