Speedy, Spicy Brisket
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Liza Schoenfein March 2, 2018
If not using the Instant Pot, cook brisket in a 325˚F oven for 3½–4 hours.
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 5-pound 1st-cut brisket, cut into three triangular pieces
1–2 canned or dried and reconstituted chipotle peppers(or add ½–1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder to spice mixture above.)
2 cups crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cups red wine or gluten-free, kosher-for-Passover beer
8 ounces beef stock
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths
1 cup fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped, for garnish
Zest of an orange for garnish
1) In a small bowl, combine paprika, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub all over the meat, place meat in a plastic zipper bag (or a bowl, covered with plastic wrap) and let sit for at least 30 minutes (and up to 24 hours for more intense flavor; refrigerate meat if resting longer than 1 hour).
2) In the bowl of a food processor, blend chipotle peppers, tomato sauce and paste, brown sugar and mustard. Set aside.
3) Set Instant Pot to “Sauté” and allow to heat up for a few minutes. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, wait a few seconds for it to get hot, then add one piece of brisket. Sear 3 minutes without moving meat, then flip. Sear 3 minutes on second side. Remove to a plate. Repeat with other pieces of brisket.
4) Add about a quarter of the tomato sauce mixture to the pot along with the wine or beer and beef stock. Add one piece of meat and a few carrots, then more sauce, another piece of meat and more carrots. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
5) Set Instant Pot to manual. Cook for 90 minutes on high pressure. Allow steam to release naturally for 15–20 minutes, then release the rest manually. Remove the brisket to a cutting board.
6) If you wish to thicken the sauce, press the “Sauté” button and simmer, uncovered, until sauce reduces and thickens as desired.
7) This step is optional but highly recommended: Refrigerate brisket and sauce overnight. Before serving, remove the solid fat that’s accumulated over the brisket, then place meat on a cutting board and cut into ½-inch slices, across the grain. Return meat to a pot and reheat.
8) If not refrigerating brisket overnight, remove meat to a cutting board and let rest 15 minutes before slicing. (You can thicken the sauce during this period.)
9) Arrange meat slices and a few carrots on each plate. Combine chopped parsley and orange zest, sprinkle over brisket and serve.
CORRECTION: The original version of this recipe, as printed in the Forward March magazine, called for beer — which is not kosher for Passover. This version suggests red wine or gluten-free, kosher-for-Passover beer as a Passover-friendly substitute.
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