Bourbon, Garlic and Honey Brisket

Yes, yes, it’s another pre New Year brisket recipe. What can I say? It’s tradition. It’s not to say I never prepare other cuts of meat, I do, but this cut particularly freezes well and reheats well and is just so delicious, I couldn’t help myself.

As I’ve said numerous times, this takes a long time in the oven but is passive cooking, that is, you put it in the oven and leave it alone, just start at 350 F/180 C and lower to 325 F/160 C after the first hour of cooking. As an added bonus, you are cooking potatoes in with the beef and they come out orangey golden in color from cooking in the fabulous juices and very tender. This is nice since you get a main and a side dish all in one. Now I’ve mentioned in the past, I’m a Scotch girl for drinks but I’ve lately discovered Jim Beam bourbon, it was on sale in the Duty Free on one of our travels and I told DH to snag a bottle and let’s see. Shhhhh, don’t tell anyone, I’m converting, to bourbon! Now I won’t stop drinking a good quality Scotch but I love this stuff. It has lovely flavors and notes to it (not to mention other bourbons by name but I wasn’t crazy about a different known brand, go figure) which I felt would enhance cooking and baking not just drinking. Hence, you find it in this recipe. Don’t have any? Switch it out with other liquor, no pressure here.

So get yourself a nice piece of brisket, with a nice piece of fat on top (yup, you want that to keep it moist and adds to the flavor, if you want to trim it afterward, no prob) and gather your ingredients and turn the oven to 350 F/180 C.

It’s easier to use runny honey (not churned) to shmear about but you can use either one. Shmear the honey on first, then pour the bourbon over and take the chopped garlic and chopped crystalized ginger (you can use fresh or frozen chopped regular ginger if you cannot get crystallized) and press lightly onto the honeyed brisket.

pour the orange juice and soy sauce on the side of the meat (not on top) so as not to wash away the garlic and ginger.

Peel and cut your potatoes in half.

Then tuck them around the brisket in the pan, not under the brisket! You want the meat cooking in the liquid. Good.

Now cover tightly with 2 layers of tin foil or a tight fitting cover for your roasting pan. The idea is to lock the liquid in with the meat, not allowing it to evaporate. Place brisket in the oven and time it for one hour, after the hour, lower temp to 325 F/160 C for an additional 1.5-2 hours. After the additional 1.5 hours, remove from oven and test with wooden skewer. It almost certainly will need more time. I then (using a utensil) sweep the garlic and ginger into the cooking liquid, cover again tightly and cook for the additional half an hour.

If serving immediately, let rest about 20 minutes (no poking it or cutting it) and only then slice and serve. Personally I prefer to let it cool and then slice and refrigerate at least to the next day, letting the meat rest overnight in the liquid and then reheat. Yup, I feel it’s better that way. It freezes amazingly so slice first and freeze in its liquid. Delicious.

Bourbon, Garlic and Honey Brisket

1 1.6 kilo (3.5 pounds) brisket

3 tablespoons honey

4 tablespoons bourbon

6 cloves garlic chopped, fresh or frozen

1 teaspoon crushed or grated ginger or 2 cubes crystallized ginger, chopped

1 cup (250 ml) orange juice

4 tablespoons soy sauce

8 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in half

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C. (after one hour you will lower temperature to 325 F/160 C)!

Place brisket in roasting pan with lid (or you will use tin foil to cover in 2 layers). Slather the honey on the top of the meat and pour bourbon on top. Take chopped garlic and ginger and sprinkle on top of that. Around the sides of the meat (not on top, we don’t want to wash away the garlic and ginger) pour the orange juice and soy sauce. Tuck the potatoes all around the meat, not underneath since the meat should sit in the liquid. Cover pan tightly with lid or aluminum foil and place in oven. Time for one hour and lower temperature to 325 F/160 C. Continue cooking in oven for another hour and a half. Remove and test with wooden skewer. It will most likely need an additional half an hour. Sweep garlic and ginger into the liquid in the pan, cover back up and continue cooking for half an hour. Let rest at least 20 minutes before slicing. Freezes beautifully and reheats beautifully.