What’s the Deal With Doughnuts
Chanukah (or Hanukkah if you prefer) is upon us. On of the things I love about Chanukah are the doughnuts (or is it donuts). Ok, I love doughnuts any time of year, but on Chanukah I have a good excuse. Doughnuts, along with other fried foods such as latkes, are eaten on Chanukah to celebrate the miracle of one night’s worth of oil found after the Greeks invaded the Temple burning for eight nights in the menorah.
Everything is Better With Brisket
If you follow this blog,then you know one of my culinary passions is BBQ. How could I combine doughnuts and BBQ you ask? I happened to have a smoked 2nd cut brisket in freezer waiting for just such an occasion. I felt like I needed some sort of sauce to compensate for the lack of frosting or creamy filling.
This gave me the opportunity to showcase three different regional styles of BBQ sauce. You can choose to serve any or all of them. These included a spicy southwestern chipotle sauce, a sweet Dr. Pepper sauce in the Kansas City style, and finally a tangy South Carolina mustard sauce. I originally thought of adding the sauce to beef filling or tossing the doughnuts in the sauce, but after talking to some friends, I ultimately decided to keep the sauce on the side. This allows the diner to chose the type and quantity of sauce the desire and prevents the doughnut from getting soggy.
Another goal of this recipe was to make something a little more bite sized. Smaller donuts make a great hors d’oeuvre for your holiday party or an appetizer for shabbat dinner. Originally, I planned to make doughnut holes (AKA munchkins), but soon learned they are too hard to stuff with the brisket. I eventually settled on a mini doughnut ball slightly larger than a golf ball, which worked perfectly. As I have said many times before, I am not baker so I did start with Alton Brown’s yeast doughnut recipe and then modified it to be a bit fluffier and to make smaller, rounder doughnuts.
Don’t forget to check out Rachel’s latest Chanukah recipe for the other staple of the holiday: Potato Latke Waffles
A savory twist on a Chanukah treat.
- 12 oz All Purpose Flour Yes, get a scale!
- 2 Large Eggs Beaten
- 1/4 cup (Non-dairy) Milk I used soy milk to keep it kosher, but if you don't need it to be kosher you can use regular milk.
- 1-1/4 oz Vegetable Shortening
- 2 Envelopes Instant Yeast
- 1/3 cup Warm Water About 110°F
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/4 cup Sugar Optional, if you want a sweet doughnut
- Vegetable Oil For Frying. Enough to come 3" up the side of your pot.
- 1 2nd Cut Brisket or Chuck Roast
- 4 Cups Beef Stock Homemade would be best, but boxed will work in a pinch. You may not need all of it.
- 1 Carrot Peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 Onion Peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 Cloves Garlic Peeled and roughly chopped
- Salt and Pepper To taste
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Add the yeast and warm water to small bowl and stir until the yeast is completely wet.
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In another bowl combine the (non-dairy) milk and the shortening. Microwave until the shortening is melted, about 30 seconds. Alternately, you could heat the mixture in a saucepan. Set the mixture aside to cool.
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In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the yeast and water mixture, the shortening and milk mixture, the salt, and the eggs, with the paddle attachment on the "stir" setting. At this point, add the sugar if you want a sweet doughnut. Slowly incorporate the flour until the mixture forms a cohesive mass.
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Switch to the dough hook and and knead for 5 minutes.
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Move the dough to an oiled bowl and cover. Allow the dough to rise on the counter until it doubles in size.
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Divide into 12 pieces and roll each piece in to a ball a little larger than a golf ball and allow them to rise on the counter until they double in size again.
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Add 3 inches of oil to a large heavy pot or dutch oven and put on the stove over medium heat. Once the oil get to 350°F, fry the doughnuts in batches on each side until golden brown.
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Put aside to cool.
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Season the brisket or chuck roast heavily with salt and pepper.
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Add the carrots, onions, and garlic, to a large pot or Dutch oven. Place the meat on top of the vegetables. Add enough of the beef stock to cover the meat about 3/4 of the way.
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Cover the pot and place the it on the stove over medium heat and allow the meat to braise until tender.
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Once the meat is tender, remove from the pot and allow it to rest until cool enough to handle, and shred using two forks.
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Using a knife, cut a slit in the doughnuts and stuff with the meat. Serve immediately with the BBQ sauce of your choice.
Add a kick to your cooking
- 3/4 Cup Ketchup
- 3 Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped These come in a small can is the Latin food section of your local grocery store.
- 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Onion Powder
- 1 tbsp Ground Cumin
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Add all the ingredients to a small sauce pot and simmer until all the solids are dissolved.
A tangy sauce from the south
- 1/2 Cup Yellow Mustard
- 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/4 Cup Prepared Horseradish Mayo Sauce
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Add all the infringements in a bowl. Stir until thoroughly combined.
- 1/2 Cup Dr. Pepper Syrup You can reduce a 2L of Dr Pepper or use Soda Stream Dr. Pete Sparkling Drink Mix
- 1 Cup Ketchup
- 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
- 1/4 Cup Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 Tbsp Garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp Onion Powder
- 1 Tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 1 Tsp Ground Cumin
- 1/4 Cup Molasses
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Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pot and simmer for about 10 minutes on low heat while stirring regularly.