Beef Brisket Recipe

Are you looking for the most simplistic and foolproof beef brisket recipe? You can only succeed with this slow-cooked shredded beef brisket recipe; instead, you will become famous and achieve legendary status for this meal.

Beef brisket makes the best weekend meal to serve the family. Simply 15 minutes of preparation and cooking, then place in the oven. Then, 6 hours later, you have this spoon-shreddable beef brisket. While beef is cooking, make a light, refreshing, tangy salad and serve it with rice if you want some carbohydrates.

THE BEST BEEF BRISKET RECIPE

Cooking from scratch does not need to be a chore or deliberating. It should be enjoyable, fun and relaxing. Your grandmother likely cooked as a hobby and enjoyed it, as life was much slower back then. That has changed in our rush rush rush lifestyle.

Whilst our modern lifestyle has changed the nutrition and home cooking dynamic, we can still adapt by making the best choices in front of us functionally and practically.

I do not expect my clients or anyone, even myself, to eat ideally or cook every meal from scratch. Doing what is best at that moment in time will work towards your goals. The weekday for most people can be compromised with little flexibility or time available to cook. However, the weekend is often an opportunity to invest your time cooking. In addition, free up your time to enjoy spending it outside the kitchen. We can make it easier and more productive with this beef brisket recipe.

Opting for a slow cook meal hits the mark here. Whilst we head towards the summer in the Northern Hemisphere, the barbeque gets more action and eating outside with the family and friends in the garden becomes more of a ritual.

Creating and showcasing a meal which is:

A: Tasty AF
B: Not complicated
C: Takes no effort or energy
D: Easy to serve at the end in a buffet-style manner

You will have your family and friends singing your praise with you thinking, “this is easy” or “I should have cooked this type of meal sooner.”

HOW TO COOK BEEF BRISKET

There is no right or wrong way to a degree, but there are some rules and principles to follow.

The bigger the piece of brisket you buy, the longer it will take to cook. To create the sauce, you must use a cooking liquid such as tomato passata, chopped tomatoes, homemade or high-quality barbeque sauce, bone broth, or coconut milk.

A few herbs, spices and, of course, a base of onions and garlic.

Extra perks include - soy sauce or coconut aminos, raw honey, hot sauce and fresh herbs at the end to give it the beef brisket zing.

This beef brisket recipe calls for a caramelization/char at the start of the recipe to lock in the juices and retain the water in the protein. Then sauteeing a bunch of garlic and onions until caramelized in a wide pan with a cover/lid or the ability to parchment paper and tin foil to fit around.

Once the caramelization of the brisket and the onions + garlic is done - the herb/spice rub can be added. The spices for the beef brisket include cumin seeds, coriander seeds, black pepper, sea salt, smoked paprika, turmeric and ginger. I also add fresh herbs, which have a large sprig of rosemary. I do not like to go crazy here and opt for around 1 tbsp worth of spices in total. 

Once the herbs and spices have been added, I add the liquid. For this recipe - I keep it super simple with tomato passata.

Tomato passata is sieved tomatoes minus the seeds and skin. This is authentic Italian tomato sauce. It is also the ideal tomato sauce for autoimmune or poor gut tolerance.

Once the sauce has been added, leave it to bubble away, put the lid on, and place it in the oven at 150c for 6 hours or keep it on the stovetop on a very low burner.

You can turn the brisket over every hour to ensure both sides are basted in the liquid gold juice.

After 6 hours of slow cooking, the beef brisket - should be ready to be pulled apart. You can do this with two forks. Get in there and pull it apart gently without splashing yourself with the hot liquid.

I like to mix the shredded beef into the tomato sauce and add the zing ingredients, then return the beef for a final 20 minutes of cooking.

After this, remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Cooking tip: Ensure the lid or the cover on the beef brisket pot or dish is tight, which will cook the beef brisket quickly and keep it more tender.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH BEEF BRISKET

My preferred side dish served with this is crisp romaine lettuce with fresh tomatoes and cucumbers and ripe avocado with a splash of lime juice and fresh basil leaves.

For those who need some added carbs - white basmati rice would make an excellent absorber of the sauce and add a neutral taste allowing the beef to be the star of the show.

Depending on the size of the beef brisket you opt for will rely on the leftovers and the servings you have.

A 4-pound beef brisket joint typically has around 8-10 decent serving sizes = 180 grams raw weight.

Beef brisket recipe

Serves: 8
Skill level: Easy
Prep time: 10 minutes
Marinated time: N/A
Cooking time: 6+ hours

BEEF BRISKET INGREDIENTS

• 4 pounds of grass-fed local beef brisket

• 600ml tomato passata

• 2-3 red or white onions - finely sliced or diced

• 6 garlic cloves - finely chopped

• 1 TSP sea salt

• 1/2 tsp freshly ground cumin seeds

• 1/2 tsp freshly ground coriander seeds

• 1/2 tsp ginger powder

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp fresh ground black peppercorns

• Fresh rosemary sprig or thyme leaves

The zing options at the end:

• 1 tbsp raw local honey

• 1 tbsp soy sauce or coconut aminos

• Fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves or parsley

• 1/2 thinly sliced red onion

• Habernanro sauce or fresh habanero sliced thinly

• Squeeze of fresh lime

Optional for the spice mix

• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

• 1/2 cinnamon powder

HOW TO COOK

1. Preheat oven to 150c.

2. In a wide pan or using the barbeque heat on high.

3. In another bowl - on medium heat, the onions and garlic.

4. Add the brisket to the barbeque or add a little ghee to the pan and brown for 3 minutes on all sides to caramelise the exterior.

5. Whilst step 4 is cooking - caramelise the onions and garlic in a separate pan. Add ghee to a pan. Add the onions first. Cook for a few minutes, then add the garlic. Do not burn.

6. Once the beef brisket is caramelised, transfer it to a pot, pan, or tray, which can take the brisket + tomato passata.

7. Add the onions and garlic to the brisket. Follow this with the tomato passata and fresh herbs.

8. Bring to the boil. Then place the lid/cover on the pot or tray. Transfer to the oven for 4 to ideally 6 hours.

9. If desired, you can check and baste or turn over the beef every hour.

10. After 6 hours, remove from the oven. Using two forks, shred the beef. It should be falling apart with ease.

11. Remove any fat that has not melted or is not edible.

12. Add the zing ingredients of your choice. I typically use honey, fresh coriander (cilantro) and lime juice.

13. Serve the beef brisket directly from the pot onto plates. Lay out the sides on the side and let people help themselves.

14. Keep any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container lasting four days.

Beef Brisket Nutritional Value (per serving - sides)

CALORIES: 527
PROTEIN: 45g
CARBS: 8g
FAT: 35g
FIBER: 2g
VITAMIN B1: 0.13MG
VITAMIN B2: 0.25MG
VITAMIN B3: 7MG
VITAMIN B5: 0.8MG
VITAMIN B6: 0.7MG
VITAMIN B7:
VITAMIN B9: 24UG
VITAMIN B12: 3.5UG
CHOLINE: 150MG
VITAMIN A: N/A
RETINOL: N/A
VITAMIN C: 3MG
VITAMIN D: N/A
VITAMIN E: 0.5MG
VITAMIN K: 5UG
CALCIUM: 36MG
COPPER: 0.16MG
IRON: 3.1MG
MAGNESIUM: 37MG
MANGANESE: 1MG
POTASSIUM: 550MG
SELENIUM: 35UG
ZINC: 8MG
OMEGA 3: 0.5G
OMEGA 6: 1G