Brisket: Sweet and Sour

Another great holiday meal is brisket. As we get into the fall, this sweet and sour brisket recipe is a great one to keep warm, full, and happy! Below you can see my sister and I getting ready to dig in before the holiday fast last week:


Sweet and Sour Brisket
What You Need:
- 1 3 pound brisket (most fat trimmed off)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 large sweet onions sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons honey (or a bit more!)
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 4 sprigs parsley
- 4 celery stalks chopped
- 4 carrots chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- Optional: potatoes or celeriac cut up into perfect sized pieces

What You Do:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Dust roast with salt, pepper, nutmeg and flour.
3. In a 5-quart Dutch oven, heat oil, brown the roast and remove.
4. Brown onions, garlic, and celery in remaining oil.
5. Return meat to pot and add remaining ingredients.
6. Cover and place in oven and bake for approximately 2 hours.
7. Remove bay leaf and serve. (Or cool dish and remove bay leaf. Refrigerate for several hours, then remove grease on top. Slice meat and cover with sauce. Reheat and serve.)

Remember that brisket shrinks a lot in the cooking. My mother (who gave me the recipe) reminds me to make sure to start with enough meat. She orders a 5 -6 lb brisket for parties of 8 and always has a perfect amount for left overs!