Beer Braised Brisket for Sunday Dinner

Mr. F is the Master Chef in our household and tonight was no exception! We made one of our favorite dishes. 

Emeril's Beer Braised Brisket

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2004

Prep Time:

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Inactive Prep Time:

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Cook Time:

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Level:

Intermediate

Serves:

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 4 slices of bacon, chopped
• 1 (2-pound) beef brisket
• Essence, recipe follows
• 2 large onions, sliced thinly
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle beer (not dark)
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 carrots, cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch-thick pieces
• 1 boiling potato, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 turnip, cut into 1-inch pieces
• Cooked buttered noodles, as accompaniment
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a Dutch oven, cook bacon in 1 tablespoon water over moderate heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Pat brisket dry and season with salt, pepper and essence. Brown in bacon fat. Transferbrisket to platter. Add the onions to the Dutch oven and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste. (We add beans instead of tomato paste.)  Cook 1 minute more. Add beer, broth, and bacon bits. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Braise the brisket, covered, in the oven for 2 to 3 hours. Add carrots, potatoes, and turnips for the last 45 minutes. (We skipped the potatoes and turnips, and added the baby carrots with the onions and celery, beforehand.)

Transfer the brisket and vegetables with a slotted spoon to a plate and keep warm, covered. Bring the braising liquid to a boil. Let sauce reduce over high heat until thickened. Season sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. Slice the brisket and arrange it and the vegetables with the noodles on a platter. Spoon some of the sauce over the brisket and the vegetables, sprinkle the dish of parsley, and serve the remaining sauce separately.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.