Oven Barbecued Brisket
Instructions:
- If you can’t fi nd a brisket this large, use two smaller ones of equal weight. You can always forgo the tomato puree barbecue sauce here and use about 4 cups of your favorite bottled barbecue sauce.
- 2 large onions, cut into 1⁄2-inch rings
- 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
- 6 garlic cloves, quartered
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 4 allspice berries
- 1 bay leaf
- One 6-pound fi rst-cut brisket, trimmed of most visible surface fat
- Boiling water
- 1 medium shallot, minced
- 3 1⁄2 cups canned tomato puree
- 1⁄2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1⁄2 cup cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1⁄2 teaspoon celery seeds
- Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place the onions, celery, garlic, peppercorns, allspice berries, and bay leaf in a deep roasting pan. Set the brisket on top, then pour in boiling water until the brisket is covered.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake until nearly tender, about 21⁄2 hours.
- Transfer the meat to a large cutting board; discard all the liquid, vegetables, and aromatics in the pan.
- Whisk the shallot, tomato puree, brown sugar, vinegar, smoked paprika, Worcestershire sauce, coriander, ground allspice, cloves, dry mustard, and celery seeds in a large bowl until the sugar has dissolved.
- Return the meat to the roasting pan; slather with the tomato sauce mixture.
- Bake, uncovered, until the meat is fork-tender and the sauce is bubbling, about 1 hour. Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before removing the brisket from the pan and slicing against the grain .
- Note: If you can’t fi nd smoked paprika, substitute 1 tablespoon regular paprika and 1 teaspoon liquid smoke.