Beef Brisket Pot Roast

Beef brisket is a highly flavoured piece of meat, as it’s not only marbled with fat, but the brisket is a muscle that gets quite a good work out. It’s perfect for slow braises.

Ingredients

• 1.8kg-2.2kg beef brisket
• Salt
• ±20ml olive oil
• 3 large sliced onions
• 5-6 minced garlic cloves
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 3-4 bay leaves
• 2 cups of beef stock
• 2-3 large peeled and chopped carrots
• 12.5ml mustard (optional)

This meal is best served with mashed, boiled or roasted potatoes, egg noodles or polenta.

Method

1. Using a sharp knife score the fatty side of the brisket in parallel lines, but make sure you don’t cut through to the meat. If there are any chunks of fat, cut them off and discard them.
2. Repeat in the opposite direction to make a crosshatch pattern.
3. Salt the meat well and let it sit for 30 minutes.
4. Pat the meat dry and place it in a large ovenproof pot with the fatty side down.
5. On medium to high heat, cook for 5-8 minutes until the fat side is nicely browned. (You don’t want it cooking too fast that it becomes a raging sear and you don’t want it cooking too slow that it cooks all the way through.)
6. Turn the brisket over and cook for a few more minutes to brown the other side.
7. Once the brisket has browned, remove it from the pot and set it aside.
8. If need be, add a bit of olive oil to the pot.
9. Place the onions into the pot and sauté them adding a little bit of salt for taste.
10. When the onions are slightly browned, add the garlic and stir for another 1-2 minutes.
11. Preheat oven to 150°C
12. With some string, tie together the bay leaves, rosemary and thyme.
13. Move the onions and garlic aside and nestle the brisket inside.
14. Add the tied-up herbs and the beef stock to the pot, and bring it to a boil.
15. Pop a lid on the pot and place in the oven to cook for 3 hours.
16. Every hour or so flip the brisket so it cooks evenly.
17. After 3 hours of cooking, add the carrots and allow to cook for another hour or until the carrots are cooked through and the brisket is fall-apart tender.
18. Remove the pot from the oven and place the brisket on a cutting board, then over it with foil.
19. Pull out and discard the herbs.
20. Remove the carrots and half of the onions and cover them with foil.
21. Pour the ingredients remaining in the pot into a blender and puree until smooth.
22. Add the mustard to the mix, and put into a pot to keep warm (optional).
23. Upon serving, slice the brisket against the grain to encourage fall-apart tender.