Tag: brisket

Bubby’s Passover Braised Brisket

For my next Passover/Pesach recipe we are going with a classic red wine braised brisket with apples.  This recipe borrows from the first step of the seder, Kadeish (קדש). In the step of Kadeish, which roughly translates to “sanctification”, we make a blessing on and drink the first of four cups of wine. The apples are also a call back to Charoset that I have have been leaning heavily on in my recipes this holiday season.

The goal here is keep it simple and used ingredients that you should already have in the house to enhance the humble brisket, just like Bubby used to make. Also, this recipe is meant to accommodate the fact that many people have the custom to only eat meat at the Seder if it is cooked in a lot of liquid.

Brisket Buying Basics

Brisket is always a crowd pleaser in my house and is pretty forgiving, especially if you braise it. Briskets are generally a larger cut so they are great for feeding a large crowd. Look for a one with a good amount of intermuscular fat and a thin layer of fat on top.  I recommend going with  domestic grain fed beef for this recipe.  It will help ensure a much more tender final product.  It will be more expensive than an imported grass fed brisket, but it is worth it for the Passover seder in my opinion.  Also, don’t be afraid to buy a whole packer brisket that includes the first and second cut.  It should be a little cheaper and you can have the butcher split it for you.  You can use the first cut for sededr as it slices nicely, and freeze the second cut for future use.

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Pesach Brisket
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Passover Braised Brisket
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
3 hrs
 

A classic brisket recipe with red wine and apples making it great for Passover, just like Bubby used to make.

Course: Main Course, Meat
Cuisine: Holiday, Jewish, Kosher, Passover
Keyword: brisket, Passover
Servings: 10 Servings
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 5 lb First Cut Brisket
  • 3 tbsp Olive oil
  • Salt and Pepper To taste
  • 4 Large Apples Peeled, cored, and sliced in to to ¼" slices
  • 4 Large Onions Peeled and sliced
  • 4 Cups Sweet Red Wine Use something you would drink. Do NOT use cooking wine.
Instructions

  1. Place your skillet on the stove over high heat. Season your brisket with salt and pepper on all sides to taste and lightly coat it in olive oil.

  2. Once your skillet is ripping hot, use it to brown the brisket on all sides.

  3. While the brisket browns preheat your oven to 250°F.

  4. Add a layer of apples and onions to the bottom of your roasting pan.

  5. Add your brisket to the roasting pan and cover with another layer of apples and onions,

  6. Slowly add wine until the liquid comes 3/4 the way up the brisket. You may not need all of the wine.

  7. Cover the pan tightly with foil and place in the oven. Cook for three hours, then carefully flip the brisket, recover with foil, and cook for another two hours or until desired tenderness is reached.

  8. Allow to cool and slice in to ¼ inch slices.

Don’t forget to check out our other Passover recipes:

Passover Potatoes

Seder Salad With Charoset Clusters

Passover Basics: Honey Roasted Chicken

Slow Braised Brisket With Apples For Rosh Hashanah

BrisketSo I may be known for my smoked brisket but sometimes you need something a little more traditional. When it comes to Rosh Hashanah you want something like your Bubby used to make. My Bubby probably thinks a smoker is someone who buys Lucky Strikes, not a cooking apparatus.

This recipe is super simple. If you are hosting a Rosh Hashanah meal for the first time, it is the brisket recipe for you. By going with a slow braise you don’t need to baby the brisket.  You can just pop it in the oven, set a timer, and go work on your tzimmus. You can even put the roast in the oven late at night and let it cook overnight. This recipe will work well with any tougher roast. So if you happen to have a chuck roast or a top of the rib in the freezer, feel free to use that instead of the brisket.

I call for a cook time of four hours, but this recipe should be cooked to tenderness not time. If you like a little more chew in your meat, cook it less. If you like your roast fork tender, cook it longer.

Symbolism at Supper

Apples and leeks are foods traditionally eaten on Rosh Hashanah and are a great compliment to a traditional braised brisket. Jews eat apples with honey as a sign of a sweet new year and leeks are eaten as a symbol that we should be able to destroy our enemies as the word for leek in Hebrew is similar to the word for destroy.

Between the wine and the apples, this recipe is fairly sweet, as opposed to many other traditional brisket recipes that call for things like tomato paste, carrots, and potatoes. I also tried to avoid processed ingredients (unless you count wine as a processed ingredient), so put away the onion soup mix and the duck sauce.

Don’t forget the check out some of our other Rosh Hashanah recipes:

Braised Short Ribs with Apples and Pomegranate Honey Glaze

Delicata Squash Stuffed With Apples Dates and Leeks

Gluten-Free Honey Muffins & Ginger Maple Apple Chip

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Brisket
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Slow Braised Brisket with Apples
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs
 

A classic brisket recipe with addition of apples and leeks that is great for the Rosh Hashana season.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Holiday, Jewish, Kosher
Keyword: brisket
Servings: 5 Servings
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 5 lb First Cut Brisket
  • 4 Large Apples Peeled, cored, and sliced in to to ¼" slices
  • 2 Leeks (or Onions) Greens removed, sliced in to ½" rounds, and cleaned thoroughly.
  • 4 Cups Sweet White Wine Use something you would drink. Do NOT use cooking wine.
  • Salt and Pepper To taste
Instructions

  1. Season your brisket with salt and pepper on all sides to taste and preheat your oven to 250°F.

  2. Add a layer of apples and leeks to the bottom of your roasting pan.

  3. Add your brisket to the pan and cover with another layer of apples and leeks

  4. Slowly add wine until the liquid comes 3/4 the way up the brisket. You may not need all of the wine.

  5. Cover the pan tightly with foil and place in the oven. Cook for two hours, then carefully flip the brisket, recover with foil, and cook for another two hours or until desired tenderness is reached.

  6. Allow to cool for 15 minutes and slice in to ¼ inch slices and serve.

 

 

Pulled Beef Filled Mini Doughnuts With a Trio of BBQ Dipping Sauces

Pulled Beef DoughnutsWhat’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

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Pulled Beef Doughnuts
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Pulled Beef Filled Mini Doughnuts
Prep Time
4 hrs
Cook Time
4 hrs
 

A savory twist on a Chanukah treat.

Course: Appetizer, Dessert, Hors d'oeuvre, Side, Snack
Cuisine: American, Holiday, Jewish, Kosher
Keyword: Beef, brisket, Doughnut, Pulled Beef
Servings: 12 Doughnuts
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
Doughnut Dough
  • 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.
Pulled Beef
  • 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
Instructions
Doughnuts

  1. Add the yeast and warm water to small bowl and stir until the yeast is completely wet.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Switch to the dough hook and and knead for 5 minutes.

  5. Move the dough to an oiled bowl and cover. Allow the dough to rise on the counter until it doubles in size.

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

  8. Put aside to cool.

Pulled Beef

  1. Season the brisket or chuck roast heavily with salt and pepper.

  2. 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.

  3. Cover the pot and place the it on the stove over medium heat and allow the meat to braise until tender.

  4. Once the meat is tender, remove from the pot and allow it to rest until cool enough to handle, and shred using two forks.

  5. Using a knife, cut a slit in the doughnuts and stuff with the meat. Serve immediately with the BBQ sauce of your choice.

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Pulled Beef Doughnuts
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Chipolte BBQ Sauce
Prep Time
5 mins
 

Add a kick to your cooking

Course: Sauce
Cuisine: BBQ, Mexican, Southern
Keyword: BBQ, Chipotle, Sauce
Servings: 1 Cup
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 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
Instructions

  1. Add all the ingredients to a small sauce pot and simmer until all the solids are dissolved.

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Pulled Beef Doughnuts
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South Carolina Mustard Sauce
Prep Time
2 mins
 

A tangy sauce from the south

Course: Sauce
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: BBQ, Mustard
Servings: 1 Cup
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 1/2 Cup Yellow Mustard
  • 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1/4 Cup Prepared Horseradish Mayo Sauce
Instructions

  1. Add all the infringements in a bowl. Stir until thoroughly combined.

5 from 1 vote
Pulled Beef Doughnuts
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Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: BBQ
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 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
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pot and simmer for about 10 minutes on low heat while stirring regularly.

 

Passover Seder Roast

Passover RoastLet’s talk about cheap meat and the traditional Passover Seder roast. There is a lot of meat being sold in the kosher market that is grass fed from South America, primarily Uruguay that tends to cost significantly less than domestic beef.  It tends to be very tough and lean. Some people think it has a metallic taste, while others think it tastes more “beefy”.  I personally think that grass fed beef does lack some texture and flavor due to its lack of inter-muscular fat caused by the cows diet and high activity level.

That being said, with all the costs associated with Passover I wanted to figure out a way to make this more affordable meat palatable. By cooking it low and slow with some strong flavors you can get a decent texture and infuse some flavor back in to the meat.  I figured, why not use some of the items already included in the Seder to help further keep costs down? There always seems to be an open bottle of wine and some extra apples from making Charoset,so I figured it would be both economical and tasty to incorporate them.

I include a lot of liquid to create a braise in this recipe, as many Ashkenazic Jews have a custom that we not to eat dry roasted meat at the seder. This recipe works well with any tough cut of meat. I used a french roast, but it would work the same for a top of the rib or a brisket.  You may want to adjust the cooking time down slightly for a top of the rib if it’s on the smaller side or up for a large brisket.

Making chicken instead of or in addition to your roast, check out my super simple Honey Roasted Chicken recipe. It is great for a smaller crowd.

 

Recipe: Seder Roast

3 from 5 votes
Passover Roast
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Passover Seder Roast
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
8 hrs
Resting Time
15 mins
Total Time
8 hrs 10 mins
 

A classic holiday dish.  This recipe works well with cheaper cuts of beef such as the grass fed meat from South America on the kosher market these day.  It works well with French roast, top of the rib, or brisket, but I wouldn't use this recipe with something like a rib roast. As for the wine, try to use something on the drier side.  I like Rioja for its natural spiciness, but a Cabernet or Merlot should work just fine.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Holiday, Jewish, Passover
Keyword: Passover
Servings: 6 Peoples
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 1 750 ml Bottle Semi Dry Red Wine
  • 1 Large Roast French roast, top of the rib, or brisket
  • 3 Large Onions Chopped
  • 1 Head Garlic Cloves peeled and smashed
  • 3 Large Apples Peeled, cored, and diced
  • 1 tbsp Dried Thyme
  • Salt and Pepper To taste
  • 3 tbsp Olive Oil No need for extra vrgin
Equipment
  • 1 Large Pot or Dutch Oven A deep stove top safe roasting pan will do in a pinch
Instructions

  1. Trim any large pieces of fat or silver skin from your roast.  Season liberally with salt and pepper. 

  2. Add the olive oil to the pot and place over high heat. Once the oil is hot add the roast and sear on all sides. Remove the roast, leaving the fat in the pot.

  3. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions start to brown. Add the apples and cook until the apples soften.

  4. Add wine and thyme. Roast at 275°F until tender about 4 hours. Allow the roast to rest until cool enough to handle, slice, and serve.  Alternatively, allow the roast to cool completely, and slice and rewarm it in the liquid.

Don’t forget to check out Rachel’s new Passover recipe: Broccoli Cheddar Jalapeño Scones For Passover

Check out all of our Passover recipes here!