Barbecue-style Beef Brisket

So they say that beef brisket used to be regarded as a low quality cut. You know what? It is. It's a tough piece of beef suitable only for Germans and Irishmen. But desperate times call for desperate measures, so I decided to try my hand at cooking one. It's not quite barbecue weather in Chicago, so this oven recipe was the best I could come up with, but it didn't disappoint. The key is low and slow so the meat doesn't end up dry and impossible to chew. I wound up with a very lean brisket from the store, but nevertheless, the final product was more than tolerable. Even this lean piece of meat produced a substantial amount of pan juices. You can add barbecue sauce if you want, but I found that the meat was moist enough, and the dry rub plus a little extra salt provided plenty flavor.

I began with a 4.6 lb. beef brisket. (You might have to adjust the amount of seasoning and/or cooking time if you have a significantly larger or smaller brisket.) Rub all over with olive oil.

Dry rub:
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
6-8 whole cloves
1 tsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground mustard seed

Pre-heat oven to 200.

Mix the above together in a bowl. Rub all over both sides of the beef. Place the brisket in an appropriately-sized roasting pan, and cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Place in the oven and, if you oven will allow it, reduce heat to 185.

Cook for about 9 or 10 hours without removing the foil. (I started cooking just before bedtime so it would be ready for an early lunch.)

With any luck, you too should end up with a relatively tender piece of meat sitting in a pool of reddish brown juices. Remove the brisket and slice thinly and--this is important--across the grain. As you slice, the meat will probably begin to fall apart into small pieces. Return to the juices in the roasting pan. Like I said, at this point you can add some barbecue sauce or a couple tbps. cider vinegar or lemon juice, but if you ask me, it's great as is. Serve as a meat with vegetables, or on a toasted bun as a sandwich.

Affordable, nutritious, and delicious. What Epicurean could ask for more?