Holiday Brisket

Holiday Brisket (Nancy's)

1 5 lb. brisket
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp oil
3 onions peeled + chopped
1 14oz crushed marzano tomatoes
1 cup wine (red)
3 cups beef stock
4 stalks celery chopped
6 carrots chopped - 1 inch chunks

Herbs:
3 branches rosemary
3 branches thyme
1 bay leaf
handful fresh parsely
salt + pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place chopped onion in roasting pan, set it aside.

Rub brisket with generous salt pepper and garlic. (save the garlic)

Heat oil in large skillet or pan over medium heat sear the brisket on each side.

Remove the brisket and set on the onions, fat side up in roasting pan.  

Chop the garlic cloves and add to the oil in the skillet, saute for a minute on low heat (garlic should be soft, not brown).  Add the wine and turn the heat up to medium high and let boil for 2 minutes, stirring, to slightly reduce the wine and loosen any brown bits in the pan.  Turn heat off and stir in 3 cups beef stock.

In the roasting pan, mound the carrots and celery on top of the brisket.  Then pour the can of tomatoes with their juice on top.  Place the herbs on top of the tomatoes.

Carefully pour the wine and stock mixture over the top of the vegetables, trying to keep them on top as much as possible.

Cover the roasting pan tightly with foil and cook at 350 degrees for 3.5 to 4 hours until tender.  Stick a fork in to check if its tender.

Gently scrape the vegetables off the meat. Place meat on a board to rest.

Remove and discard herb stems and bay leaf and veggies from the juices left in the roasting pan.  Pour the juices into a bowl and blend with a hand blender until smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Let rest and cool all the way (at least 1 hour).  Slice against the grain and pour juices on top around all sides in a pyrex. Refrigerate over night.

Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes prior to reheating.
Reheat at 250 degrees for 1 hour.

**FOR GRAVY:

Scrape the cooked vegetables and herbs off the top of the meat and into the roasting pan. Add 2-3 cups beef stock to the roasting pan and stir so all the roasted veggies and meat juices and brown bits are well mixed.  

Put a mesh sieve over a saucepan and pour over the brisket for reheating and additional to pass.