Southwestern Braised Beef Brisket Recipe

Servings: 6-8
Prep Time: 40 minutes, plus an overnight dry brine
Cook Time: 3-4 hours

A smoky, tender brisket brimming with southwest spices that you can braise in your oven. No smoker required! A naturally more flavorful grass-fed brisket, such as one from New Zealand, perfectly complements the earthy spice rub. Good news for you, this brisket recipe is mostly hands off, getting its tender, moist meat from an overnight dry brine in the fridge, and a crispy bark from a quick broil right before serving.

Ingredients:

For the Brisket:

1 2-3 lb Taste Pure Nature certified grass-fed beef brisket, preferably point cut
Kosher salt
½ teaspoon liquid smoke
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
½ teaspoon cayenne powder
1 cup low-sodium beef stock

For the Sides:

24 soft corn tortillas, warmed
1 ½ cups green cabbage, finely shredded
1 ½ cups red cabbage, finely shredded
½ of a red onion, thinly sliced
1 green apple, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced, seeds removed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 lime, juiced
Kosher Salt

For the chipotle crema:

½ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon chipotles in adobo sauce, finely chopped
Lime wedges, for serving

Directions:

1. The day before, dry brine the brisket. Pat dry then season liberally with kosher salt on both sides, using about a ½ teaspoon per pound. Place the brisket on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet then set it in fridge to rest overnight.
2. The next day, take the brisket out of the fridge, then set your oven to broil.
3. Mix together the onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne, black pepper, and brown sugar in a small bowl, breaking up any clumps of sugar.
4. Rub all over with liquid smoke then pat the spice mixture firmly onto both sides of the brisket.
5. Place the brisket under your broiler for 5 minutes, until crispy and well browned then flip and repeat on the other side.
6. Remove the brisket from the oven and reduce your temperature to 300 F.
7. Transfer the brisket and any accumulated juices to a stainless steel roasting pan (without the rack insert) or a deep disposable aluminum pan. Add beef stock and seal the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
8. Place in oven and allow to cook for 3-4 hours or until fork tender.
9. Remove from oven and allow to rest, keeping the pan covered with foil, while you assemble your sides.
10. For the cabbage slaw: In a medium bowl toss together the green cabbage, red cabbage, green apple, red onion, and jalapeno. Drizzle the olive oil, lime juice, and a pinch of kosher salt over the slaw and toss to combine. Set aside.
11. For the chipotle crema: in a small bowl mix together the sour cream, milk, and chipotle pepper until smooth. Set aside.
12. Set your oven to broil, then transfer the brisket to a rimmed sheet pan and broil for a couple minutes until bronzed and crispy.
13. Slice the brisket thinly against the grain and serve by placing 2-3 slices on a warm tortilla, along with a handful of slaw, a drizzle of chipotle crema, and a squeeze of lime. Enjoy!