Sorry that this is a little late. My son and family are coming to visit next week, and we postponed our seder until they get here. My wife is in charge of holidays, so I don't mess with her. She always makes brisket and always makes it the same way- dry rub of salt and pepper, paprika and garlic powder, covered with ketchup and sitting on a bed of sliced onions. When the meat is done, she purees everything in the roasting pan into a gravy. The only change I've gotten her to accept is using a meat thermometer, lol. Just a tip that may or may not be obvious to everyone- make sure you slice the meat against the grain or it can come out tough. And it's easiest to find the grain before you cook or put anything on the brisket.
Everything else is pretty traditional, except for a charoset recipe she got from a friend several years ago. It's called Panamanian, but the origin is seemingly European. Everyone, loves it, especially the kids, so I thought I'd print it. It's essentially the same as making a truffle.
Ingredients
4 oz dried figs
4 oz raisins
4 oz prunes
4oz pitted dates
1 1/2 cups peanut or almond butter
2-3 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup sweet wine
Ground cinnamon, to roll balls in
Directions
Put dried fruits in food processor and process until a smooth paste. Add peanut butter and sugar, pulse a few times to start combining. Remove to a large bowl and continue blending by hand until uniform. Add the wine, little by little and mix until you have a firm, sticky ball. If too sticky, refrigerate for 1/2 hour to firm it up. Roll into small-walnut sized balls, wetting hands if needed. Roll each ball in cinnamon to coat
Note- if making in advance, before adding cinnamon, place balls on a lined cookie sheet and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to freezer bags. Defrost before using and roll in cinnamon.
Also. rather than dates, figs, prunes, and raisins for charoset, we just hand chopped some Granny Smith and Delicious apples. It was traditional.
Thanks, Bill
Also. rather than dates, figs, prunes, and raisins for charoset, we just hand chopped some Granny Smith and Delicious apples. It was traditional.
Thanks, Bill
hey, Marty. First off, I never rely on cooking time, I always go by temperature of the meat. I've seen recipes for brisket with the oven temps anywhere from 225 to 350. Smoker temps might even start lower. We're cooking ours right now. I've got an oven thermometer in, originally set for 185 with the roasting pan covered. At 185 I removed the brisket from the oven and checked the temp with an instant read. In doing so, I still felt too much resistance in the meat, so it's not near done yet. I uncovered it, and put it back with the thermometer set for 200. I'll check it again then. (Btw, I didn't expect it to be done until 200-203 internal) If it still doesn't feel done, I'll let it rest about 30 minutes, then slice it and continue cooking until tender. Then we'll refrigerate it and reheat it next week.
As for the brisket, it was on point, as it always is. And a solid matzo ball soup. I really can't complain and I'm looking forward to the repeat tonight.
As for the brisket, it was on point, as it always is. And a solid matzo ball soup. I really can't complain and I'm looking forward to the repeat tonight.
I ate the "normal" charoset my whole life until about 6-7 years ago when we got this recipe. Mostly, I picked at it, I'm not crazy about walnuts or eating it on matzah. I don't know the definition of charoset, this is almost like a different dish, but it's terrific. The grandkids treat it like it's dessert. If anyone's curious, maybe next time try this along with your regular.
As for the brisket, it was on point, as it always is. And a solid matzo ball soup. I really can't complain and I'm looking forward to the repeat tonight.
My sister in law is Israeli-Indian. She's always made the best charoset. So simple too. Date syrup you can buy in the store, mix it with nuts. Takes minutes and its delicious.
We just did a 6.25 lb flat. Total time with resting will be about 4 1/2 hours (it's got 10 more minutes to go in oven). Internal temp of 200-205 is actually a very common endpoint for brisket. About the same for pulled pork
[quote] and temperatures do you suggest?
Btw, in what regard was the brisket disappointing? Flavor, texture?
The gravy was delicious, but there was not a whole lot of it. So that also makes me think it was cooked too long.
The gravy was delicious, but there was not a whole lot of it. So that also makes me think it was cooked too long.
I'm not an expert and I wasn't there, but my best guess is that it was undercooked rather than overcooked. Did you/she ever check for toughness along the way? To get to too tough, you'd have to first go through the long initial tough stage and then a tender stage and come out the other side. My brisket was still tough at 180 degrees and didn't really get tender until over 200. If there was very little gravy, I'd also guess the brisket was cooked uncovered. That would let the steam evaporate whereas a cover would keep most of the steam/liquid inside. I didn't add any liquid at the beginning, unless you want to consider ketchup but I had several cups of liquid at the end. Also, I have a friend who is really "health conscious" and trimmed away too much fat on her brisket, which made it much drier.
I hope that works out. Just don't reheat in the microwave :)