It's interesting. Whenever Mark and I entertain at his place, there are certain parameters that must be taken into account. The most significant being, there's no dining room. He's fortunate enough to have a generously sized kitchen with good counter space, which during gatherings, serves as the bar, and a cute little table in the middle, which we typically use as the buffet. So after guests swing through and load up their plates, they have no option but to return to the living room to eat, balancing their plates on their laps or perhaps on the coffee table. This limits the kinds of food I can prepare. For example, I probably would avoid anything that requires both a fork AND a knife and the cutting of meat. Slicing through a steak or a chop while struggling to balance a plate on your lap - that's a precarious situation, likely to end in embarrassment and food spilled on the floor. Taking this into account, I try to prepare foods that can be eaten with just a fork. Things like fish, slow-cooked or braised meats, or in the cooler weather, stews and curries.
When Mark and I made plans with our friends James and Wendel for dinner this past Sunday, I briefly toyed with the idea of making home made ricotta gnocchi, using a beautiful recipe from Sunday Suppers at Lucques, but the more I thought about it, it seemed a little ambitious. I decided to take influence in Wendel's southern roots (she is from North Carolina). I consulted Sara Foster's increasingly reliable cookbook Fresh Every Day (she is ALSO from North Carolina) where I found this alluring recipe.
INGREDIENTS
(For the Chipotle-Maple Barbecue sauce)
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3 chipotle peppers in adobo, diced
1 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup apple cider or unfiltered apple juice
Juice of 2 lemons
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Colman's dry mustard
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
(For the spice rub)
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
(For the brisket)
1 3 1/2 to 4 pound beef brisket, at room temperature
1/4 cup spice rub
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup Chipotle-Maple Barbecue sauce
1 cup beer
METHOD
First make the barbecue sauce.
Combine the tomatoes, maple syrup, brown sugar, chiptole peppers, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt and black pepper in a heavy bottomed saucepan and stir to mix. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the sauce is thick and has reduced by about 1 quarter.
The sauce will keep, refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Makes about 4 cups.
Next make the spice rub. Combine the paprika, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, chili powder, brown sugar, and cayenne, in a small bowl and mix well. The rub will keep, in an airtight container, stored in a cool dark place for up to 6 months. Makes about 1/2 cup.
And now, the brisket.
In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and the vinegar. Place the brisket in a shallow baking dish and season the brisket on both sides with the spice rub. Pour over the brisket and turn several times to coat the meat evenly. Cover the dish and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight. Bring the meat to room temperature before cooking.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and heat a cast iron grill pan or a large saute pan over high heat for about 2 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium high and remove the meat from the marinade and sear in the pan until the outside is slightly charred, about 4 to 6 minutes per side.
Most likely you'll have to cut the brisket into 2 pieces and sear the meat in 2 batches. Return the seared meat to the marinade and turn to coat again. In a medium bowl, combine the barbecue sauce and the beer and pour over the brisket. Turn to the meat evenly on all sides. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and roast the brisket in the oven for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, until it pulls apart easily with a fork. Remove the brisket from the oven and shred it into large chunks.
You could use the brisket to make sandwiches, but at the book's intriguing suggestion, I made soft tacos. I placed a few heaping forkfuls of the brisket in warm, corn tortillas, drizzled it with more barbecue sauce and topped it with roasted sweet potato salsa.
To go along with the brisket tacos I roasted some corn on the cob in their husks and made a salad of roasted butternut squash, black-eyed peas and goat cheese. And for dessert, plumb sorbet and molasses cookie sandwiches.
The flavors and textures of the brisket, barbecue sauce and the roasted sweet potato salsa work so well together. Although it seems a bit fussy to prepare (a rub and TWO marinades, grilling AND braising in the oven) and I question the necessity of some of the steps, I would be hesitant to change anything because the resulting brisket is so fantastically flavorful and tender. It just falls apart but is not so supple that it's mushy. The barbecue sauce is wonderfully thick, garlicy, sweet and smoky with just a little heat which is complimented by the salsa. In the book, Sara Foster describes it as substantial, which is a great way to put it and as such, a little goes a long way. The sweet potatoes are sweet with a suggestion of spice, the red peppers crunchy, while the tomatoes and fresh herbs lighten it up.
It's also a great dish for entertaining, since most of the componants can be prepared in advance. The meat reheats well and the sauce and salsa will keep for days.
One 4 pound brisket can serve about 8 people.
Yum! Your blog is quite a treat, what with the mouthwatering pictures, practical tips and multiculti recipes. Your prep work is admirable. Stupid question: How did you season your cast iron grill pan? I have one but I never figured out how to season it properly. I think the grill's ridges throw me off. Thank you!
Posted by: Khanh | August 15, 2006 at 01:29 PM
damn that soft taco looks good!
on the same note as the previous question, have you ever used lye to clean/strip your cast iron pan? i've tried to season but failed and i'm trying to start over.
Posted by: yoony | August 16, 2006 at 12:14 PM
I don't ever really season my pan. When I first got it I coated it with vegetable shortening and heated it in the oven, but even since then I just use it and then use a scrubber sponge and no soap under hot water to clean it. The ridges kind of make it a pain in the ass to clean, but that's pretty much all I do. I've noticed that things are starting to stick occasionally, so I guess I need to reseason it.
Posted by: Grant | August 16, 2006 at 12:38 PM
You make cooking seem like the best thing in the world to invest time in - I love your blog so much!
Posted by: jennie | August 18, 2006 at 02:29 PM
Oh wow - what a gorgeous brisket! With fall well on its way, the idea of this kind of long-roasted meat is just dreamy. Thank you for posting the recipe, Grant!
Posted by: Molly | September 26, 2006 at 12:07 PM
Stonewall Kitchens makes a delicious "Maple Chipotle Grille Sauce" but at $7.00 a bottle, I knew I could do better on my own, both in terms of cost and quality (plus, I hate when anyone adds an unnecessary "e" to the end of words for effect). Thus, a web search last year of MAPLE and CHIPOTLE led me to this wonderful blog. I have since made this recipe many times - modified by the cut of meat (I prefer a more fat-laiden roast) and the manner of cooking (slow-cooker, as I am a full-time working mom), cooked right in the sauce. The results are terrific and the sweet potato salsa is a great compliment. I have enjoyed playing with other recipes on this site as well! well done, well fed
Posted by: 10KDiamond | February 17, 2008 at 11:27 AM