While speaking with the dear Lee family about meat I decided to buy a beef brisket. This would be my first go at it. So I went on the small side, about 3.55 pounds, just in case I ruined it (local grass fed beef is not cheap my friends!). But I knew the quality was superb and if I took my time it would be well worth it.
I had no idea how to cook this thing and since I do not own a smoker I knew it would have to be roasted. Anytime I don't have a family recipe I hit up my cookbooks and Food Network. One recipe in particular caught my eye (really it was the 200+ positive reviews) and decided to try it first. I wanted a rub with seasonings we enjoyed because this brisket was going to be eaten sans barbecue sauce.
I adapted the recipe just a tiny bit. You can find the original here and mine below with a few photos. I encourage you to seek out local grass fed beef it truly makes a difference in the taste! If you live near Spring Hill or Franklin try these folks out: Triple L Ranch and Hopkins Natural
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 heaping teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 bay leaf, crushed
- 4 pounds beef brisket, trimmed
- 1 1/2 cups beef stock
- 1 cup water
- roasting pan with removable rack
First rinse and pat dry your brisket. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and make sure your top rack is lowered to a little less than center.
Add all the dry ingredients to a small bowl, and make sure you crush that bay leaf well. Mix with a fork.
Now use this rub to coat the entire piece of meat and place onto the rack in the roasting pan.
Put this directly into the oven, uncovered at 350 degrees for one hour. After that time remove pan from the oven and lower the temperature to 300 degrees. To the pan add beef stock and water (you are in essence de-glazing it, do not pour the liquid over the beef!). Cover tightly with aluminum foil. I put a piece on each end and one in the middle to cover the overlap from the two side pieces. The key here is to make sure the moisture does not escape while it's slow roasting. Put the pan back into the oven and continue to slow roast another four hours. Check to see if it's fork tender. Also at this time if juice has escaped add a little more back in. Mine was just fine so I am not sure how it will turn out if you add more liquid. I'd recommend a little stock and a little water combo. Recover tightly if it isn't done and return to the oven checking it as needed.
My brisket roasted one hour at 350 and six hours at 300 (that was for a 3.55 pound cut). It was well worth the wait because this was incredibly tender and juicy!
I just added the sliced beef to a bun, topped with juices from the pan and called it done! It was absolutely delicious! Basic, not too fancy, but the leftovers we'll add sauce to this week. Super easy, just takes a little patience. But isn't anything good worth waiting for? Enjoy!
~ Deana
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