Family Meals: Mom's Beef Brisket...Two Ways!

Beef brisket is good not just the first time around: it inspires second act leftover dinners, too

Whether feeding a crowd or making ahead and freezing for a variety of future meals, beef brisket is Rhonda Schuldt’s mother’s go-to meat. She shares two of her favorite versions, both them absolutely delicious results of both! Either way, brisket leftovers inspire some delicious “second act” recipes, which Rhonda shares here.

1. Onion Soup Mix Slow-Cooker Brisket 

·       3-pound beef brisket

·       1 packet of Lipton® Onion Soup Mix

·       2 12-ounce bottles chili sauce

·       2 teaspoons garlic powder

Place brisket in a slow cooker.  Mix together remaining ingredients and pour over the brisket.  Cover and cook 8-10 hours on low, until the brisket is fork-tender.  Remove from the slow cooker and let rest 10 minutes before serving.  

Slice against the grain and serve with the resulting sauce from cooking.

*if you don’t have prepared chili sauce available, you can use these pantry staples to make your own (double for this recipe).

1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

2 tablespoons each:

tomato paste

white or cider vinegar

brown sugar

½ teaspoon chili powder (any variety)

¼ teaspoon each:  

ground cloves

ground cinnamon

ground allspice

Mix together all ingredients. 

Chili sauce can be made in advance (recommended) and stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

2. Marinated Oven-Roasted Beef Brisket

This recipe is from the Hays House, an historic restaurant & tavern in Council Groves, Kansas –  “serving townsfolk & travelers on the Santa Fe Train since 1857”.  It was a favorite stop of Rhonda’s parents when visiting relatives.  

·       5-pound beef brisket (or larger, the marinade can accommodate up to a 10-pounder)

·       1 cup liquid smoke

·       1 cup soy sauce

·       1/3 cup celery seeds

·       1/3 cup black pepper

·       1/3 Worcestershire sauce

·       2 ½ tablespoons granulated garlic or garlic powder

·       2 ½ tablespoons onion salt

Place the brisket, fat side up, in a roasting pan lined with a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil (enough to wrap the brisket).

Mix together remaining ingredients and pour over the brisket.  Fold foil up and seal.  Place in refrigerator overnight (do not open).

Place the pan in a 300-degree preheated oven and roast for approximately 6 hours, or until fork-tender. 

After removing from the oven, let the brisket rest before slicing.

To serve, slice against the grain.

NOTE:  Tougher cuts of meat need time to cook to break down the connective tissues.  

An important rule of thumb is “low and slow” when roasting brisket or other tougher cuts of beef (flank steak, etc.).  For brisket, this means at temperature no higher than 300 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes per pound…or until it can easily be pulled apart with a fork.  So, be patient, you will be reward!!

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