Well, I made this, but I'm not sure if I'd make it again. Not because it went wrong, but because I just didn't like the texture of the brisket. It's quite stringy, and fairly fatty too. It's just not that nice (to my taste). But I like the pot roast idea, and the vegetables were very tasty. Thanks Hugh F-S-W, but maybe no thanks too. I might just try a different cut of beef next time.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoonfuls of fresh thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoonfuls of paprika powder
- 2 teaspoonfuls of sea salt flakes
- 2 teaspoonfuls of ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of English mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon of muscovado sugar
- 2kg of beef brisket
- 2 tablespoonfuls of ground nut or sunflower oil
- 200g bacon
- 500ml of dry red wine or dark beer (I used wine)
- 200ml of beef stock
- 2 large onions
- 12 small shallots
- 10 garlic cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 large carrots
- 4 medium parsnips
- 1 small celeriac
- 4 or 5 small turnips
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Mix the first six ingredients in a bowl to make a spice blend.
- Rub the spice blend all over the beef.
- Chop the bacon into little bits.
- Heat the oil in a large casserole dish. Well, I didn't exactly do this, because my casserole dish can't go on the hob, so I did all the hob stuff in a large frying pan, and then transferred to the casserole dish later.
- Fry the bacon in the oil over a high heat until it's crisp, then remove it with a slotted spoon and drain on some kitchen paper.
- Pour off all but three tablespoonfuls of fat from the pan/casserole (good luck).
- Put the beef in the pan over a medium heat and brown on all sides. Then take out the meat and put it on a plate. (Keep that plate handy.)
- Peel and thinly slice the onion.
- Peel the shallots and garlic cloves.
- Put the wine (or beer) into the pan and bring it to the boil, scraping up any meaty bits that are clagged to the pan.
- Boil for about five minutes, until the liquid has reduced to about 150ml (though I'm not sure how you're supposed to tell - just until it's reduced a bit).
- If you're using a separate pan for the hob, transfer the contents of the hob pan into your casserole dish now.
- Add the stock and the bacon to the casserole dish, with half the onions, shallots and garlic, and a bay leaf.
- Put the beef into the casserole dish, then scatter the remaining onion, shallots, garlic and bay leaves all around it.
- Put a lid on the casserole and put it in the oven for an hour.
- Take it out, turn the beef over, put the lid back on and bake for another hour. If it looks a bit dry at this stage, add 100ml of water.
- Peel the carrots, parsnips and celeriac, and chop into chunks.
- Lift out the beef and put it on a plate.
- Put the root vegetables (including the whole turnips) into the casserole dish. Stir around, then put the beef back on top.
- Cover and put it back in the oven for 45 minutes. It's done when the vegetables are tender (the beef should be tender too, of course).
- Take out the beef and vegetables to serve. Taste the gravy and adjust the seasoning if you like, then pour that over the top on each plate.
