My Mothers Brisket Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• In a Dutch oven or other heavy baking pan large enough to hold brisket heat 1 tablespoon oil in oven 10 minutes. Pat brisket dry and season with salt and pepper. Roast brisket in pan, uncovered, 30 minutes.
• While brisket is roasting, in a large heavy skillet cook onions in remaining 2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened and beginning to turn golden. Reduce heat and cook onions, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if necessary, until deep golden, about 20 minutes more. Stir in garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper and cook 1 minute. Stir in 3 cups water and bring to a boil.
• Spoon onion mixture over brisket and bake, covered, with lid 1/2 inch ajar, 3 1/2 hours, or until brisket is tender. (Check pan every hour and if necessary add more water.) Remove brisket from oven and let cool in onion mixture 1 hour.
• Remove brisket from pan, scraping onion mixture back into pan, and chill, wrapped in foil, overnight. Spoon onion mixture into a 1-quart measure and chill, covered, overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Discard fat from onion mixture, add enough water to mixture to measure 3 cups total, and in a blender blend gravy until smooth. Slice brisket against the grain (thick or thin, as you prefer). In a large ovenproof skillet heat gravy until hot, add brisket, and heat in oven 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large deep skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Season the brisket generously with black pepper. Place in the pan and cook until the surface is a rich brown color, not burnt, but dark. Lift the roast and scatter the onions in the pan. Place the uncooked side of the roast down onto the onions. Repeat the browning process.
• Add the garlic to the pan, and fill with enough water to almost cover the roast. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cover with a lid or tight-fitting aluminum foil. Simmer for 4 hours, turning the roast over once halfway through. The roast should be fork tender.
• Remove the brisket to a serving platter. Bring the broth in the pan to a simmer, scraping the bottom to loosen any browned bits. Cook until reduced to a thin gravy. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.

Steps:

• Mix the ground coffee, salt, cardamom and black cardamom in a small bowl and rub into the brisket. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Put the brisket in a roasting pan and roast until the exterior has browned, about 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees.
• Warm 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onions, carrots and the garlic, cut-side down. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and browned, about 15 minutes, adding more oil if necessary. Add the tomato paste and cook until it reduces slightly, about 2 more minutes.
• Transfer the vegetables to the roasting pan with the brisket. Add the dried apricots, brewed coffee and eggs in their shells. Add enough water to bring the liquid halfway up the side of the brisket.
• Cover the pan tightly with two layers of foil, return to the oven and braise for 1 hour. Remove the eggs, gently tap them all over to make a network of small cracks and return them to the braise. Recover the pan with foil and continue cooking until the brisket shreds easily with a fork, about 3 more hours. Let the brisket cool in its braising liquid, then refrigerate overnight.
• To serve, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel the cold eggs and slice the cold brisket, then return them both to the braising liquid and bake until warmed through, about 30 minutes. Serve the brisket slices with the peeled eggs, grated fresh horseradish and parsley leaves and spoon the broth over top.