Make Ahead
Brisket "Bourgignonne"
- Serves 10-12
Author Notes
I found a brisket recipe on epicurious.com, from Gourmet December 1995 that had many positive reviews and comments. Inspired by reviewers' suggestions of adding wine, I visited my trusty Joy of Cooking Boeuf Bourg go-to recipe and combined the two recipes. I served this for Christmas dinner and it was a huge hit. Definitely make this one day before serving, and either make the gravy a couple hours after roasting or right before serving. —Sadassa_Ulna
What You'll Need
Ingredients
-
1
5- to 6-pound beef brisket
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2 tablespoons
butter, divided
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4 tablespoons
olive or canola oil
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5
medium yellow onions, diced
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6
cloves garlic, minced or pressed
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1-2
Turkish Bay leaves ( 1/2 a California variety)
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1 teaspoon
ground thyme (or 1 Tbsp. fresh, chopped)
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1 teaspoon
salt
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1 teaspoon
freshly ground pepper
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4 cups
inexpensive (box) Cabernet Sauvignon or other dry red wine
Directions
- Dice onion and chop garlic if you haven't already. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Place large Dutch oven (or other baking pan big enough to hold brisket) in oven to pre-heat.
- Rinse and pat dry the brisket. Pull out Dutch oven and add 2 T. of oil. Run 1 T. of butter (carefully) around sides of pot if you think brisket will touch sides. Place brisket in pot - do not cover - and place in oven. Roast 35 minutes while you cook onions:
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat; add remaining oil, butter and onions. Stir occasionally and cook until golden with edges turning brown. Add garlic, spices, and 2 cups of the wine. Allow to get to boiling point then turn off heat.
- Pull brisket out of the oven; add onion mixture to the pot, plus 2 more cups wine and 2 cups water. Place lid or foil on the pot and leave a 1/2' space for steam to escape. Return to oven and continue to cook for another 4 hours.
- Pull pot from oven and remove lid to allow to cool for one hour or so. Pull brisket from the pot and scrape any onion mixture from meat back into the pot. Remove the bay leaves and pour onion mixture into a lidded container and refrigerate 2-3 hours or overnight. Wrap brisket in foil and refrigerate overnight.
- Make a gravy from the onion mixture by first discarding any white chunks of solidified fat from the mix. Then puree in a food processor or blender, slowly adding up to a cup of water and one teaspoon each of salt and pepper to get the right taste and consistency. Refrigerate if not serving within two hours.
- To serve, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. and heat gravy on the stove in a saucepot. Slice brisket and place in a baking dish; pour gravy over all and cover with foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until piping hot.
- Serve with mashed potatoes or crusty bread. And a good red wine!
Growing up I was the world's pickiest eater, that is, until my children were born. Karma. Neither of my parents were much into cooking; it was the height of eating fat-free or anything with oat bran added. I taught myself some basics, mostly baking, following the guidelines of a well-worn copy of Joy of Cooking. I was a ballet dancer and a teacher suggested I lose weight. As I began reading about diet and nutrition I became interested in natural foods, which led to a job at a macrobiotic natural foods market in Center City Philadelphia; this was way before Whole Foods came to the area. I learned a lot about food in general. I ate strictly vegan for a while, although I don't now, but I still like it when a recipe can taste great without butter or bacon! In short, my approach to cooking is idiosyncratic, and I don't know very much about cooking meat or proper technique. I love to bake and I am still working on expanding my palate and my repertoire. The hardest part is getting the whole family to try new things!
So aside from my food status, I am an architect who likes to garden and play music. I'm married with two kids, and I hope to get a dog someday.
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