Cooking brisket in the oven is a time consuming process, but also a very rewarding one. When your family and friends take their first bite of your delicious brisket, they will most definitely be asking you for the recipe. This article will make you a brisket cooking pro!
Did you know that at one time, brisket was considered a very poor quality meat? History has it, that two brothers from Germany, back in the 1950's decided to smoke up some leftover brisket they had. They left the brisket inside their smokehouse for an entire weekend. When they returned to work they sliced up the meat and served it to their customers. The meat was so flavorful and tender that it quickly became a hit.
I remember the first time I had the pleasure of eating beef brisket. It was at this fabulous little Barbecue Restaurant in Croton-On-Hudson, NY called Memphis Maes.
New York isn't known for its BBQ, so my wife and I were a bit skeptical. But after we took our first bite of the "Texas BBQ Beef Brisket", we became believers! My wife then looked at me and said , "You have to make this!" Not wanting to let the lovely wife down, I took it upon myself to try and recreate the BBQ brisket at home. I don't own a smoker, so I needed to improvise and cook the brisket in the oven.
Believe it or not, the oven makes a pretty darn good BBQ brisket. Many BBQ enthusiasts will tell you that a smoker is the only way to cook brisket, but I can tell you from experience this is simply not the case.
The secret to a good beef brisket is to cook it nice and slow at around 225 degrees for several hours. So if you are looking for a quick and easy meal tonight, cooking brisket in the oven is not the way to go.
You will have to prepare this particular recipe one day in advance and you will need to plan some extra time to cook the brisket as it takes several hours to finish cooking.
Lets Talk About Dry Rubs
There are a variety of different dry rub recipes you can use for your beef brisket. One such recipe is listed below. Don't be shy with your dry rub. You want to really coat the brisket well. Its not called a rub for nothing, so really rub those spices into the meat with your hands. After the rub has been applied put the brisket in the fridge and let it marinade over night.
DRY RUB
- 1/4 Cup Paprika
- 1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar
- 2 Tbs Chili Powder
- 2 Tbs Kosher Salt
- 2 Tbs Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
- 1 1/3 Tbs Granulated Garlic
- 1 1/3 Tbs Granulated Onion
- 2 Tsp Ground Cumin
THE SAUCE
We need some type of liquid to slowly braise the brisket in the oven. Braising is an excellent way to cook brisket in the oven because it keeps the brisket moist and very tender.
What I do is mix some good quality store bought barbecue sauce with a little beef broth to thin it a bit. I like to use a smoke flavored barbecue sauce. To give it a little more smoky flavor, I also add a few drops of liquid smoke. This makes a very tasty braising liquid.
LETS START COOKING ALREADY!
Before we start cooking, lets do a little preparation.
Remove the brisket from the fridge and leave it on the counter for 30 minutes or so to allow it to come to room temperature.
Get yourself a baking dish with a tight fitting lid big enough to hold your brisket.
Mix equal parts of barbecue sauce and beef broth. I like to make enough so that the brisket is at least half submerged. Pour this mixture into your baking dish.
Pre-heat your oven to 225 Degrees.
Heat up a large pan over medium heat and add enough oil to cover the pan. Add the brisket to the pan and brown on all sides until it forms a nice crust.
Place the browned brisket into the baking dish with the braising liquid. Put the lid on and place it in the pre-heated oven.
About half way through the cooking process, flip the brisket over so that the other side has time to cook in the braising liquid.
The brisket is done when it is fork tender and has an internal temperature of around 185-200 degrees F. The amount of time it takes to cook a brisket in the oven really depends on the weight of the brisket. Figure 1 1/2 to 2 hours per pound of meat.
There you have it. My recipe for cooking brisket in the oven.
Ralph Serpe is a passionate home cook and is webmaster and founder of http://www.chefability.com. Visit today for more free home cooking recipes and tips.
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Comments: 14
Featured in Shannon's Cookbook.
Can you advise on adapting this recipe for the grill? My kitchen faces south and has lots of windows, so it gets hot enough in summer without turning on the oven.
My inclination would be to brown the brisket as described above, transfer it to an envelope of heavy-duty aluminum foil with the braising liquid and proceed as you outline, only on a medium-low grill.
Thoughts?
I'll save it for sure.
I line a big pan with heavy-duty foil, with enough extra on the sides to wrap up into a "lid". I season my bad boy much the same as you do but I don't do that separate browning thing. That huge slab of meat gets slapped right on top of its foil diaper then under the broiler for a few minutes to brown. As a good cook and meat lover, I know the value of fat as a flavor enhancer and moisture source. However, we have this phobia about fat these days and some briskets are trimmed of every speck of the offending stuff. As a result, you're going to get a dry, tough chunk of meat (wouldn't you agree?). If you do have a super-lean brisket, pour some beer into your pan before cooking. Heck, you may want to do that anyway. After you brown at least the one side -- both sides if you insist -- then wrap up the foil to serve as a lid. Into the oven it goes just as you described. I usually cook a decent sized brisket at least eight hours. That's eight hours of hands-free cooking. It needs no additional attention from me.
Even if you don't do that browning thing at the start, you can open the foil in the last half hour of cooking, crank up the heat to 350, and let it oven-roast to get that crusty finish. It is so tender it often falls apart as I try to remove it from the pan. And you're right, everyone will fall in love with you and your cooking.
I think the cola acts as a tenderizer from the acid and as a sweetener, much in the same way a sweet vinegar based sauce would.
Do the same thing with ribs, pork or beef (you might want to drain some of the fat though). Any tough piece of meat really.
OR - I'd brown it in a big dutch oven, then add the braising liquid and put it in the oven for just one pan to wash . . .
then make this the rest of your way - maybe one of these cool nights before Summer sizzles in for the season.
Thanks for the push and the concise instructions.
Thank you for taking the time to post to the group,
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