This is as recipe that I prepared for Passover. Some of our Jewish friend had invited us over to partake in their ritual Passover feast. Only requirement was that we each bring a dish; and I was entrusted with the brisket. Let me state that this is my own brisket dinner recipe and it has a Nuyorican spin to it. I add such ingredients as oregano and sofrito, that aromatic mix of herbs and spices traditional in Puerto Rican cooking. If you don’t have sofrito, you can use a packet of either Goya Sazón or Sazón Accent. This is a slow cooked meal and, blessedly, it was a hit with everyone.

So, here it is one, my  Nuyorican version of Braised Brisket. Let me add that this dish is for that special occasion, and it does take time and patience; but the effort is more than worth it.

BRAISED BRISKET

Ingredients:

 4-6 pound brisket (preferably first cut)
¼  cup olive oil
1 tablespoons dried oregano or to taste
1 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried
3  whole onions, peeled and sliced thinly
10 whole cloves garlic, peeled and squashed with your palm, the side of a knife or a cleaver
3 bay leaves
1 cup water (beef or chicken broth can be substituted)
¼ cup red wine (preferably dry not sweet)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon sofrito

Instructions:

  1. If frozen, thaw brisket. Rinse under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. Drizzle with olive oil, season with oregano and thyme, and brown brisket in a skillet on both sides.
  3. Place half of the chopped onions, 5 of the garlic cloves and the bay leaves in the bottom of a Dutch oven or large pot
  4. Place brisket on top of the onions and garlic.
  5. In a small bowl, mix together the water or broth, wine,  black pepper, paprika, turmeric, and sofrito. Pour the water and spice mixture into a skillet and heat over medium heat until  hot and bubbly, using the liquid to deglaze the pan and loosening brown bits gently from the bottom of the skillet with a spatula. Pour the contents of the skillet into the brisket pot.
  6. Top brisket with the remaining sliced onions and garlic cloves. Cover and cook on medium-high heat until liquid steams. Lower heat to medium and cook until fork tender (about 2 hours). Tenderness will increase as it cooks, so take it out when it’s tender to your liking. Most people like it very tender but not so soft that it is falling apart. You want it firm enough to slice but tender enough that the edges shred with a fork.
  7. Remove brisket from the pot and let it rest on the cutting board fat-side up for 20 minutes. Then cut the brisket into thin slices against the grain.
  8. Meanwhile, mix together 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water and stir into the liquid in the pot (after removing bay leaves).
  9. Once sauce is ready, return slices to the pot and mix with sauce. Heat the meat slices on medium heat until sauce is hot, bubbly and thickened around the meat (around 5-8 minutes). Serve sliced brisket hot with sauce.
    Yield: 8 or more servings.