← Nouns Cooking · American

Ingredients

• 2.5 kg beef brisket (flat), with a thin fat cap
• 1 tbsp coarse salt
• 2 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp Smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp Garlic powder
• 1 tbsp Onion powder
• 1 tbsp Chilli powder
• 1 tbsp Brown sugar
• 1 tsp Mustard powder (dry mustard)
• ½ tsp Cayenne pepper
• 360 ml Beef stock
• 1 tsp Liquid smoke (optional)
• BBQ sauce, pickles and white bread, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Trim the fat cap to about 5 mm. Mix all the rub spices with the salt and sugar and press it firmly over every side of the brisket.
2. Set the brisket fat side up in a roasting tin. Pour the stock (mixed with the liquid smoke, if using) around the meat, not over it.
3. Cover the tin tightly with a double layer of foil and roast for 4–4½ hours, until a skewer slides into the thickest part with almost no resistance (about 95°C/203°F inside).
4. Uncover, raise the oven to 200°C (400°F) and roast for 15–20 min more, until the crust darkens and firms up.
5. Rest the brisket loosely covered for 30 min. Meanwhile skim the fat from the pan juices.
6. Slice across the grain into pencil-thick slices and spoon over some of the juices. Serve with BBQ sauce, pickles and soft white bread.

Tips

• Look at the lines in the meat before you rub it and nick a corner to remind you which way to slice: across the grain is the difference between tender and chewy.
• Leftovers reheat beautifully, wrapped in foil with a splash of the juices.
• Serve with gluten-free bread and check the BBQ sauce label to keep it gluten-free.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Taste of Home Once Upon a Chef Taste of Home