One of the great things about Southern cooks is that we have access to a melting pot of flavors. We take the best of French, African, Greek, Italian, Spanish, and Mexican cuisine, and make it our own. Our renditions of lasagna, enchiladas, and trout a la meunière may not be authentic, but they’re damn tasty.
Take this traditional Jewish recipe for oven-braised beef brisket. I’m not sure of its humble roots, but I do know that it has been shared amongst friends, enjoyed at holiday gatherings, and passed down in true Southern fashion — on a 3″ x 5″ handwritten index card. Not much of a recipe mind you (it only has 4 ingredients including the brisket), but it’s a solid one. Walt has been requesting it for months, years even, so I finally gave in. As he dug into the pot with his fingers, all I heard was a quiet, “This is good. Yep, this is really good.”
As the weather here in Georgia gets colder (freeze warning this weekend!), we enjoyed this brisket with a side of garlicky grits, a crisp green salad, and a glass of Pinot. A Southern meal if you ask me. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did, and maybe even pass it on.
RENEE’S BARBECUE BRISKET
Source: Walt’s purple recipe folder
2 jars Heinz Chili Sauce
2 packages Lipton’s Dry Onion Soup Mix
1 cup brown sugar, divided
1 large beef brisket
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
In the bottom of a dutch oven, combine 1 jar chili sauce, 1 package onion soup mix, and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Place beef brisket on top of this. Pour (remaining) 1 jar chili sauce, 1 package onion soup mix, and 1/2 cup brown sugar on top. Cover and cook until fork-tender, approximately 3 – 4 hours.
Serve with roasted vegetables (carrots, onions, and potatoes) and mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or grits.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
YUMMMM!!!!
Looks delicious! My dutch oven and I have never made brisket – always pot roasts. I will have to give it a try, the boyfriend is a fan of the brisket. I love how simple this is and I’ve been looking for a reason to buy a jar of the Heinz chili sauce – I just had no idea what people really used it in.
I bought a brisket today to make this! Yay! Now….my question. Would this be better if I made it tonight to have for dinner tomorrow? I’ve heard before that brisket is better if cooked a day ahead and then reheated, but I don’t know if that’s true or not.
Any advice?