Hellobee Boards

Ehh I ruined one the other day. I wanted to make pulled pork so I gave it a rub and put it in the crock pot on top of tin foil balls. It didn't shred DH said it didn't cook long enough to pull apart.

Are you talking corned beef (wondering because of the timing), or plain brisket?

My family doesn't have a "recipe" for corned beef...we just get a corned beef brisket, add about an inch of water to the crockpot, and cook away.

I'm not Jewish nor a Texan so grain of salt.

I don't like tomato-ey or overseasoned brisket. I like it simply flavored because I want to taste the beef.

Here's the 2nd Ave Deli recipe, it's along the lines of what I would do:

https://www.google.com/amp/www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/brisket-363275/amp

Basically, I take a brisket, sprinkle it in dry seasonings (Montreal steak seasoning mixed with extra onion powder is a favorite around here).

Crockpot is fine but the size of the brisket can be limiting. An equally easy way is to get a disposable aluminum pan and bake it slowly in a low 250-275 degree oven tightly covered in heavy duty foil for several hours on a bed of thickly sliced onions.

I think letting the brisket sit in the rub in the fridge for a few days is smart because its pretty fatty as a cut of meat so it gives it time to season and the salt draws the water out of the brisket so that it will crust up nicely in the oven. But it's not really necessary if you don't have the space. Just make sure to spoon the sauce over it.

Before baking, I squirt the top of my meat with Worcestershire sauce so that there's a thin coating over the top. I also add a cup of beef broth or red wine to the pan, with a bay leaf. The time depends on the size. I would say 4 hours for a 5-6 pound brisket at 275F. In a crockpot I would do 6-8 hours on low. Great overnight crockpot dish. Then you can stick the covered crock out in the snow to chill and slice later for dinner.

Many recipes for brisket have you make it in advance and chill the meat. Then you can skim and trim the fat easily and slice it easily before reheating the whole shebang.

An alternative method if you're short on time is to pull the brisket out before it's falling apart, maybe an hour before it's done, trimming and slicing it hot, skimming off the excess fat, putting it back in the pan, and letting it cook the rest of the way. I do this with corned beef quite often.

When you're ready to serve, I put the slices on a platter. I skim the fat off the juices, then whisk a little flour into a scoop of the pan juices. Then I add the flour to the pan and whisk until the sauce is thickened. Then I taste for seasoning (taste a piece of meat to gauge the seasoning level you need for the sauce) and pour over the top. If the juices are too salty, pour off part of it and replace it with beef broth or wine and proceed.

I like cooking the veg separately. Usually steamed tiny potatoes tossed with parsley and whatever other veg you like.