Making a Brisket- marinating now

I'm marinating a brisket now, for about an hour, in a Korean-based marinade from this recipe which I usually use for steaks: https://food52.com/recipes.... We love the recipe, just not sure whether to take it out of the marinade and brown it on all sides and then slow roast it, or just put it in the oven straight without browning. There's a lot of soy sauce, don't want it to reduce to overly salty! 2 x 2.5 lb. briskets..... Thoughts? Help!

creamtea
  • Posted by: creamtea
  • December 21, 2018
  • 2704 views
  • 4 Comments

4 Comments

Lori T.
Lori T. December 23, 2018
I do the same thing, and I use Chinese rice wine- shaoxing, but I've also used mirin. It does a wonderful job on all kinds of meats. Glad to hear the brisket worked out well for you. I wonder why the difference in tenderness? Was this a whole brisket that you cut in half, a point or flat end? That can make a difference. I find the point cut is more tender and juicy, while the flat cut slices nicer. So if you had a whole brisket and cut it into those two parts, that might explain why you had one more tender than the other.
 
creamtea
creamtea December 23, 2018
They were two pieces of Kosher brisket packaged separately. There were only briskets in the 2-2.5 lb. range in the kosher section at the time so I purchased two. They didn't have the steaks I'd planned on. I haven't cooked brisket in a very long time, not sure which cut they (Trader Joe's) sold me. I usually use the earthenware for beans and I find these pots retain heat wonderfully and the shape (oval, domed) really surrounds the ingredients. Perhaps the fact that it's unglazed and moisture from the water permeates the pot and helps to insulate the contents? I don't know for sure, and the evidence is now......consumed :)
 
Lori T.
Lori T. December 21, 2018
I'm thinking that you would want to marinate the brisket for at least 24 hours, just to get the best flavor into it. Brisket is a tough, dense cut, and it takes a bit to get flavor and seasoning into it. As far as cooking it, I think I'd skip the searing process. The marinade contains a lot of sugar, and I'd expect that would burn and leave a rather acrid taste. You could always sear after roasting, either in the pan or under the broiler, if you wanted. I would probably opt for slow roasting it as it came from the marinade. I also prefer to roast a brisket a day ahead of time, let it cool in the refrigerator, and then slice and reheat it for serving. I find a brisket which has rested overnight is much easier to slice, and will reabsorb some of the juices if you leave it covered in the roasting pan for that time. You can also bring any leftover marinade to a boil, and use it to coat the brisket before a final broiling, or even as a side sauce. But I agree, you wouldn't want it reduced down much, or it likely would be too salty.
 
creamtea
creamtea December 23, 2018
Thanks Lori! In the end I did sear it since the original recipe (Korean short-ribs) calls for that. I slow-cooked them, one in an earthenware pot and one in Pyrex, with some of the marinade, added water to half cover it, and braised at ~325-350. As you said an overnight marination would have been preferable, but it was still very good when I served the next day. The one cooked in the earthenware pot came out very tender. Next time I'll add an alcoholic component to the marinade, and allow time for overnight marination.
 
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