Cooking For Friends- DY's Brisket and More [pt 2]
Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 12:00PM Long ago, before the onions ever got fired, there was brisket. Brisket is the cow's ugly duckling. Nobody wants it. However, with time and love, it can grow into a beautiful piece of BBQ- finally able to contribute back to society. This is the first dish to start cooking for the day.
I look at the recipe, I look at the brisket. 3lbs, 5lbs. Crap, this is going to require thought. I start by trimming off excess fat- I'm guessing, maybe a pound. 3lbs, 4lbs- I think. I'm supposed to cook the beast for 4 hours at 300 Deg. Add 45 minutes for the extra weight and extra cooking liquid. No sweat.
I line the roasting pan with diced onion. Give the brisket a rub down in salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder. Then, the chili sauce and beer. I don't notice the beer is a twist off. Not owning an opener, I grab my pliers and try to rip the top off. The cap is punctured. Pressure is unleashed. Foam everywhere.
A little too much beer in there. Solution: remove meat and throw the pan on the burners to reduce quickly. I also added a slurry to thicken the sauce.
I cry for the casualty. I try again. I look the bottle in the cap and put my hand on top, twist, and no mess. I pour golden water over the brisket- starting to wish I was the one in the hot tub. The bigger brisket needs more beer, but not an entire second beer. Drinks for the cook. I add the chili sauce then throw it in the oven. Back to twiddling thumbs.
Two hours go by and the soup goes on. I get a phone call- dessert is taken care of. Don't know what it is. Another hour and it's time to crank out some serious sides. A starch is needed so I bank on my signature duck fat mashed potatoes with horseradish. The green is going to be brussel sprouts- something unexpected, and something that can use the bacon leftover from the soup.
Brussel sprouts- tossed in olive oil, diced bacon, salt and pepper. In the oven for an hour, finish with lemon zest- done.
While the brussel sprouts are in the oven I have to start and finish the potatoes. My personal record for making mashed potatoes is 25 minutes. Since I have several pounds to feed the whole crowd it will take longer. First, I dice the potatoes- the smaller the potato the less boiling time required. It'd be nice to go back to the couch but the table needs to be set and counters wiped down. Could be worse.
I check the potatoes- knife goes in easily. I drain, then put them back in the pot on low heat. Look in the fridge- no milk. I don't know how I could be missing such a basic staple. Doesn't help that I don't keep butter on hand either. Too much pride to ask the neighbors. I mash in the duck fat, horseradish, salt, and pepper. Not looking smooth. Thankfully, I can always depend on air. I continue to mash [by hand] for several more minutes until all of the big chunks are smoothed out. With a large wooden spoon I move on to whip the potatoes until my arm starts to tingle. My veins surface- it'd be a great time to donate blood. Success.
Everything finishes together. Plenty of time to jump back on the couch and relax. After all, it's important to make it look like you're not trying. The guests arrive and the spread comes out. Very thankful they brought pineapple upside down cake. Makes me want a cast iron skillet as well.
In short-
DY's Brisket
- 1.5 - 2 kg Beef Brisket
- 1 Bottle of Heinz Chili Sauce
- 1 Onion, diced
- 1 Beer - I used Yuengling
- Chili Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Salt and Pepper
- Preheat oven to 300 Dg.
- Season the brisket with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder.
- Place in a roasting pan with the onion, chili sauce, and beer.
- Roast for 4 hours.
- Devour.
BBQ, Bacon, Beef Brisket, Brussel Sprouts, Duck Fat, Horseradish, Mashed Potatoes in Recipe 
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