Pat Simons was in last week and bought a beef brisket.  She was kind enough to send me her menu and the recipe for Julia Child’s Smothered Beef Brisket.  I am running this for my blog.  She had a picture included, alas, I was not able to get that to transfer to the blog.  Thank you, Pat, and to our readers, “Bon Appetit”!

Menu
Julia Child’s Cheese Tartlets
Julia Child’s Smothered Beef Brisket (recipe included)
Braised Onions a la Julia Child
Julia Child’s Puree of Pumpkin and White Beans
Julia’s Cranberry Chutney
Julia Child’s White Bread
Julia Child’s Perfect Chocolate Mousse Recipe

Julia Child’s Smothered Beef Brisket
Prep Time
40 min

Total Time

4 hr 40 min

Servings

7 servings

This is a slow roasted recipe, so plan well in advance (no last minute cooks on this one). You can prepare this up to a day in advance.

Ingredients:

1-2 cloves of garlic (pureed)
4 pounds lean, flat 2-inch thick center-cut single brisket
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1-1/2 cup sliced onions
1 cup sliced carrots
2 cups fresh Italian plum tomatoes, cored and chopped
Prep Instructions:

Trim the fat from your beef brisket, leaving a small layer on the fatty side (about 1/8 inch)

Thoroughly mix the thyme, salt, pepper, oil, and garlic together in a small bowl until it’s a pasty texture. Coat both sides of your brisket with the paste.

Mix onions, carrots, and tomatoes together with salt and thyme (light sprinkle). Place half the veggies in the bottom of your roasting pan, and add the brisket, fat side up. Cover the brisket with the other half of your seasoned veggies, and cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil (or use lidded roaster). You can do all of this prep work in advance, so you have a ready to cook meal. Just make sure to refrigerate everything after prepping.

Cooking Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit Place your prepared baking dish in the oven. Cook this dish for 3-4 hours, making sure to baste the meat with the juices every half hour or so if you want an extra tender brisket. You can probably skip this step if time is at a premium, but the brisket will not be quite as tender. Let meat rest for a bit after cooking, and serve hot.

NOTE: I doubled the vegetables except tomatoes and it turned out fine. I think this recipe can handle a lot of veg if cut small; it is a personal preference. I sliced onions thick and carrots into coins, tomatoes rough chop and came out fine. Used lidded roasting pan; I basted as instructed; did it as quickly as possible; due to every half hour of basting I cooked the full 4 hours. Only about a cup of liquid develops but it is enough for basting and for drizzling over the meat and veg. This recipe might be done in a crock pot, not sure about lifting the lid frequently for basting or if it is necessary. Because garlic sweetens as it cooks I doubled the garlic cloves in the paste and it was good.

Until next time…From our Butcher Block to your Table.