This is the one for the weekend when the house fills up. Brisket is a hard-working cut that asks for nothing except time, so you put it on before you have properly woken up and then go and do something else entirely. A jar of our chef-made Beef & Rib Sauce over the top, a splash of water, the lid down. By late afternoon the smell has got everyone drifting into the kitchen. What comes out is dark and glossy, deep and smoky from the Colombian espresso coffee, sweetened with thick apple syrup and lifted by a twist of lemon. Pile it into warm tortillas with coleslaw and let everyone build their own.
Ingredients
1.5 to 2kg beef brisket, from your favourite butcher
1 jar (270ml) Beef & Rib Sauce
1/4 cup (60ml) water
Directions
-
1
Trim the fat on top back to a thin covering. Leave the meat alone, you only want the hard cap gone.
-
2
Sit the brisket fat side up in the slow cooker. Pour the whole jar of Beef & Rib Sauce over the top and spread it down the sides with the back of a spoon, so the whole piece is coated. Add the water around the edge.
-
3
Lid on, low, 8 hours. Now leave it. Do not lift the lid, do not turn it, do not add more liquid because you think it looks dry. It is not dry, it is working.
-
4
Push a fork into the thickest part and twist. It should turn with no resistance at all. If it fights you even slightly, put the lid back on and give it another hour. That is not a failure, it just needs longer.
-
5
Rest the brisket on a board for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, spoon the fat off the sauce and have a taste. Thick and rich, smoky from the coffee, with the apple sweetness and a twist of lemon lifting it at the end. This is the moment you realise dinner is sorted. Shred the meat with two forks, return it to the slow cooker and fold it through until every piece is coated.
Recipe Notes
To serve: warm tortillas, a bowl of coleslaw, the brisket in the middle and everyone helps themselves. That is the one for a crowd. For a quieter night it is just as good over mashed potato, and leftovers go into soft rolls the next day.
One jar covers a 2kg brisket with room to spare, so there is no need for a second. Tough brisket has never been cooked too long, only not long enough, so if it resists the fork, give it more time and do not worry. Make it ahead: cook, rest and shred, then keep it in its sauce in the fridge and warm it through gently. It freezes well for up to three months.
Make this recipe
Beef & Rib Sauce