Baked Beef Brisket with Gems of Fruit

On Rosh Hashanah, it's customary to enjoy sweet dishes in hopes of a sweet year.  This Rosh Hashanah, we enjoyed this baked brisket with a sauce full of sweet, dried gems of fruit.  This brisket is a delightful variation on the traditional baked brisket.  It makes a beautiful presentation for guests and is surprisingly easy to prepare for family.  You can bake the brisket the day before and finish off the dish with the sauce the next day.

My husband was very serious about how his brisket was carved and would always take issue with a restaurant that didn't slice it properly.  He was right....if it's not sliced against the grain, it becomes stringy and a whole different piece of meat that isn't nearly as good as when it's properly cut.

                                              Perfectly Sliced...

                        

                                             How Sweet It Is!

Adapted from Atlanta Caterer Annette Marcus' recipe, Jeweled Beef Brisket, as published in the AJC 9/15/09

Serves approx. 6

Ingredients

The Brisket

• 3 lbs. flat cut beef brisket, butcher trimmed
• 4 TB dry onion soup mix (one 1 oz. envelope)
• non-stick cooking spray  
• 2 c. warm water

The Sauce with Gems of Fruit

• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 3 TB firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 3 TB grated lemon rind (takes about 2 or 3 lemons--reserve 1/2 of a lemon for juice)
• 1/3 c. honey (I use whipped clover honey--fancy pure white honey--Kroger has a good price on their brand)*
• 3 TB orange marmalade*
• 1 TB lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
• 1 TB brandy (or 1/2 tsp. brandy extract)
• 1 (12 oz.) can or bottle of beer
• 1 c. (6 oz.) dried, pitted plums
• 1 c. (6 oz.) dried apricots
• 1 c. (about 1 oz.) dried apples

The Garnish

• Sprigs of either rosemary, oregano, thyme, parsley or similar fresh herbs

*Tip
For easier release, wet your measuring utensils with cold water before measuring sticky ingredients such as honey or marmalade.


Directions

The Brisket

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. Pat the brisket dry with a paper towel on both sides.  Lay the meat onto an 18" x 24" sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil, fat side down, and sprinkle with the soup mix.  Bring the foil up around the brisket and wrap in a tight package.
3. Coat the inside of a roasting pan with the cooking spray.  Pour the warm water into the pan and place the brisket package into the pan.  Cover the pan tightly with the lid to the roaster or a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil.  Bake for 3 hours or until a meat fork slides easily in and out of the meat.  Remove the brisket from the oven.
4. Transfer the hot brisket package from the roaster onto a shallow baking pan with sides. Carefully open the package, as steam will escape, and remove the brisket to a large, shallow container and let it rest.  
5. Pour accumulated natural gravy into a large measuring cup and cover.  Chill the gravy in the refrigerator so the fat will rise to the top.  Cover the brisket and chill in the refrigerator also.  For best results, keep the brisket and the gravy overnight in the refrigerator.  Otherwise, let the meat cool completely in the refrigerator before carving.

The Sauce with Gems of Fruit

In a medium bowl, whisk together the Worcestershire sauce, ginger, brown sugar, cinnamon, pepper, lemon rind, honey, marmalade, lemon juice and brandy.  Stir in the beer.  Gently fold in the dried plums, apricots and apples.  Set aside.

Return To The Brisket

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. Remove the natural gravy from the refrigerator and discard the fat that has risen to the top.  Set aside.
3. Transfer the brisket onto a carving board.  Slice the brisket against the grain into desired thickness, keeping the original shape of the brisket best as possible. (Carving brisket against the grain is very important.  For cutting ease and uniformity of slices, I prefer using an electric carving knife, and I like to carve the meat into about 1/4" thick slices.)
4. Using a large spatula in each hand, and maintaining the brisket's original shape best as possible, carefully lift the carved brisket and place it into a small roasting pan.  Pour the sauce with the gems of fruit and one cup of the natural gravy over the meat.  Cover the pan tightly with the lid or a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
5. Place the brisket in the oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until thoroughly heated.
6. Remove the brisket from the oven.  Lift the meat from the roaster, here again, keeping it's original shape best as possible, and place it onto a serving platter.  With a slotted spoon, scatter the fruit over the brisket and cover with the sauce from the pan, reserving some of the sauce to serve on the side.  Garnish the platter with your choice of fresh herbs.

I wish those of you who celebrate Rosh Hashanah a very Happy New Year...L'Shanah Tovah!  Sorry I didn't get this post up in time for your Rosh Hashanah dinner...maybe you'll try it next year.  It's so good, it still makes a great fall and winter dish and definitely a wonderful company dish..so why wait!  Enjoy!

Printable Recipe