Serves 8-10
Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: approx 5 hours
Sweet, sticky, smokey and indulgent, our barbecue sauce-smothered brisket is simple to make and super adaptable. Whether you have it piled high in a bun with a side of fries, served on a bed of mashed potatoes, or even strewn cold on top of a salad or slaw, this brisket dish is perfect anytime. You can dress it up or dress it down, and it can be cooked on a stove, in the oven or in a slow cooker.
The Jewish relationship with brisket goes back centuries, and it is undeniable that Jews have been instrumental in the popularisation and promulgation of the brisket worldwide, via deli favourites such as Salt Beef and Pastrami, Smoked Brisket, which Jews introduced to the USA, and more traditional braised and stewed brisket recipes like ‘Aunt Eudice’s Brisket’.
This dish, however, is what happens a century later, when American barbecue culture has left its own mark on the traditional Ashkenazi brisket, and been exported around the world! Our take on pulled brisket features our delicious and versatile Fire & Smoke Barbecue Sauce (which can be eaten hot or cold and heaped generously over chicken, beef burgers, mushrooms and more).
Ingredients
- 2kg/5lb Flat Brisket
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 2 Onions, sliced
For the sauce:
- 1/2 cup Date Syrup / Silan
- 1/2 cup Ketchup
- 1/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 5 caps of Liquid Smoke
- 50ml Whisky*
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 4 tbsp Honey
- 2 tbsp Light Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Onion Powder
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Chipotle Chilli Powder
- 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
- Juice of 1/2 Lime
- 1 Red Chilli
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- 3-4 tbsp cornstarch (cornflour)
*This recipe works really well with a peaty scotch, but you can mix it up with a sweet, syrupy bourbon.
Method
- In a saucepan, combine all the sauce ingredients except the red chilli pepper and cornstarch.
- Stir and bring the sauce to the boil, then lower the heat, add in the whole chilli and leave to simmer for at least 20 to 30 minutes.
- Set sauce aside.
In a large, separate pot:
- Pour in 2 tbsp oil and layer 2 sliced onions on the bottom of the pan.
- Place flat brisket on top of the onions, and and pour over the cooked sauce, topping up with 1 cup of water.
- Cover and cook on the stove over a low light for around 4-5 hours, or until falling apart.* It is preferable that you turn the brisket in the sauce every 2 hours.
*If using a slow cooker, combine all ingredients, including the sauce ingredients, and cook for 8-10 hours on low. This can also be done in a casserole dish in the oven. Adjust according to your oven, but we recommend around 180°C (160°C Fan/350°F/Gas Mark 4) for 5-6 hours minimum. - Remove brisket from pan.
- Take 3 to 4 tbsps of cornstarch and mix with 2 tbsp of cold water until combined.
- Return the sauce to the heat, pour in the cornstarch mixture, and stir to thicken.
Add more cornstarch and cold water mixture as needed. - Pour the thickened sauce over brisket, shred the meat with forks and combine before serving.
This brisket dish can be frozen and is great for batch cooking. Allow to cool, freeze in sauce (if batch cooking, freeze in portions). Allow to thaw and reheat thoroughly before serving.
