This Red Wine Braised Brisket Is the Perfect December Meal.

As we enter the mid-December cold weather, I encourage you to consider the brisket: this red wine version is braised in a gorgeous glaze with perfectly tender meat. It all starts with the brisket itself. A whole brisket weighs between twelve and fifteen pounds, but is usually divided into two parts: flat and spicy. The flat texture is more like corned beef (which is actually what you cook corned beef with) and the point tends to be fattier, but with fat comes the opportunity to become silky as the fat melts. However, you most likely won’t have to choose. Butchers usually just cut the brisket into pieces that weigh around five pounds, which gives you a bit of flatness and heat. This is the perfect amount for this recipe.

You should see a thick strip of fat running through the middle of the meat; you’re going to cut the meat in half along that fat and then trim most of the fat off both pieces. You only need to leave about ¼ inch of fat somewhere. If this scares you, ask your butcher to do it for you before you leave the store.

Fry the brisket

At this point it just needs a little salt and pepper, generously, throughout; then fry it with peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Because of the fat, you’ll notice that it will brown quickly, in about thirty seconds. Continue turning the pieces of meat with tongs until they are browned on all sides. Once this is done, remove the meat from the pan and place it in a deep rimmed baking dish. It should easily accommodate the meat, and the walls should reach almost to the height of the meat.

To prepare the braising liquid, use two large carrots, three stalks of celery, one whole yellow onion and two large cloves of garlic. Don’t worry about getting them clean, just rinse them thoroughly. Then place everything in a food processor and process until everything is a smooth, coarse chop. Turn the heat back on the pan and fry the chopped vegetables in the oil for eight to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add red wine

Pour out the entire bottle of red wine. An inexpensive Cabernet is the right choice here; I chose the old Clos de Bois stable. At this stage, the heat should be medium; use a wooden spoon to stir the vegetables and wine, trying to get everything out of the pan. Add cherries, pomegranate seeds, herbs, honey and beef broth and stir to combine. Let this sit long enough to reduce by a third.

Now pour it all over the meat. You hope it covers two-thirds of the meat. If you have too much liquid, just set it aside; if you don’t have enough, you can add more stock. This pan will be placed in the bottom third of the oven at 450°F. It will cook for about 3.5 hours, but you should check it every half hour and add more water to the pan to keep the level roughly the same; Turn the meat over each time. The easiest way to add water is to simply fill a wine bottle with water and pour it into the pan.

Roast your vegetables

After two and a half hours – an hour before the brisket is due to be done – add the peeled cipollini, red potatoes and carrots to a roasting pan with the olive oil, salt and pepper and toss well to prevent them from browning. all coated. Add this pan to the oven on another rack or next to the brisket.

After three and a half hours, remove both pans from the oven. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and pour everything else in the pan through a sieve over a bowl. You can throw everything that is through a sieve.

Brisket with bark

Cut the brisket at an angle, against the grain. You will see that you have two distinctive meat textures: flat and spicy. Both should have a striking varnish or bark. Give each person a little of both cuts. Add some roasted vegetables and pour the sauce over everything, sprinkling with salt.

Red Wine, Cherry and Pomegranate Glazed Brisket Recipe

Ingredients:

• 5 pounds brisket, cut crosswise, trimmed to ¼ fat on all sides (should be 4 pounds after trimming)

• Salt and pepper

• 3 stalks of celery

• 2 large carrots

• 1 medium yellow onion

• 2 large cloves of garlic

• 3-4 several sprigs of thyme

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 bottle Cabernet Sauvignon

• 1 pound Cipollini onions

• 1 pound new red potatoes

• 1 pound baby carrots

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• ¼ cup peanut butter

• 1 cup frozen cherries

• 1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 2 cups beef broth

Directions:

1. If the brisket was not trimmed at the store, do so now by separating the flat and sharp cuts and cutting through the layer of fat. Trim off most of the fat so there is no more than ¼ inch of fat remaining anywhere.

2. Season the cuts generously with salt and pepper, then fry them in a skillet over high heat with the peanut butter. Turn them over every thirty seconds or so to ensure they brown on each side.

3. Transfer the meat to a baking dish with high sides.

4. Chop celery, large carrots, yellow onions and garlic by hand or in a food processor. Fry the vegetables in the same pan with the oil you used for the brisket. Stir the vegetables until they soften, about eight to 10 minutes.

5. Add the entire bottle of red wine and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to remove anything stuck to the pan and add it to the red wine. Add cherries, pomegranate seeds, herbs and broth. Cook until the liquid has reduced by a third.

6. Pour the mixture over the meat and place the roasting pan on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Bake at 450°F for three and a half hours.

7. After two and a half hours, take the Cipollini onions, carrots and red potatoes and toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper in a Dutch oven. Place in the oven next to or under the brisket.

8. Remove both pans from the oven when the full three and a half hours have passed. Transfer the meat to a cutting board to rest. Pour the liquid into the pan through a sieve, reserving the liquid but discarding the solids.

9. Cut the meat into thin slices at an angle, against the grain. Serve the brisket with vegetables, topped with sauce.

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