Delicious, Moist Brisket for Your Pesach Seder!
Ain't nothin' like brisket for a festive meal! I have very fond memories of my mom's delicious, moist, incredibly savory brisket for just about every holiday. Though we do fill up on matza, maror and the Hillel sandwich before we even get to the meal, you might still have room for some tender brisket. Especially if you are like us and give everyone the opportunity to share their insights and special divrei Torah during the Maggid section of the seder. Then it's so late that despite the mitzvah appetizers, you are ravenous! Perfect time for brisket! Too heavy for so late at night? Then have it for a day meal!
There is a trick to this brisket, which I discovered with experimentation: slow cooking. A few years ago I decided to try making the brisket in the crock pot so we could have it Shabbos day. The result was a meat so incredibly tender it literally fell apart! In fact, if you take a good look at the above picture, you will see that the meat is not cut against the grain, as is customary with brisket. That's because when I tried to slice it, it just broke into its own pieces. Yum! So get ready for a taste extravaganza--below is my own recipe and a variation, which mimics my mom's.
Ingredients:
1 2-lb brisket
2 medium or 1 large onion
1/4 cup red wine OR 1/4 cup kosher for Pesach red wine or apple cider vinegar
Garlic powder
Onion powder
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil or non-stick spray for searing
Wash and pat dry the brisket. Put it on a cutting board and season each side generously with the garlic powder and onion powder (about 1/2 tsp. for each side) Add the pepper. Heat pan with oil or cooking spray. Turn heat to medium and sear meat about 5 minutes on each side, or until the brisket is browned and a bit crusty.
Cut the onion(s) in half. Then cut each half into strips. Put in the bottom of the crock pot. Place brisket on top of the onions. Add enough water to cover the brisket. Add the salt and the wine or vinegar. Turn crock pot on low and cook overnight. In the morning, the meat will be extremely tender and the liquid will have cooked down to a nice gravy.
Mom's Variation:
Before searing the meat, pat on 1/2 envelope or 2 Tbsp. kosher for Pesach onion soup mix to the meat after you sprinkle on the garlic and onion powders. Eliminate the salt when you add the water. It's better to use less than more onion soup mix because kosher meat is already salted. Onion soup mix tends to be salty, anyway, so you might overdo it if you add too much.
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