Beef Brisket Ragu

This is very similar in terms of the cooking technique used for the Tex-Mex brisket (in fact its almost identical apart from the rub on the beef and the chilli content).  Once you have sliced the meat add it to a pan with some fried onion and garlic along with the cooking juices/stock. Some mushrooms and a bit of red wine.  This goes really nicely with pasta and some freshly grated parmesan. Would also be great with some potatoes and cabbage/cavolo nero quickly fried off with olive oil, sliced garlic and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Gear

  • Large oven dish/roasting tray
  • Decent knife
  • Chopping board (prob 2 or 3), one for raw meat, one for chopping shallots etc., one for cooked meat
  • Large frying pan
  • Tongs to turn your beef and to help carve it.
  • Big bowl to mix spices/large plate to rub the meat
  • Pestle and mortar

Beef Brisket Ragu

Ingredients

For the roasting

  • 800g – 1kg beef brisket (usually comes rolled in string, I remove the string and unroll for this, try to get one without too much fat on the outside)
  • 3 large shallots sliced in half lengthways, skin off (or on if you prefer)
  • 6 cloves of garlic kept whole, skin on
  • 3 red finger chillies (not mega spicy)
  • About 12 good quality cherry tomatoes/baby plum tomatoes
  • 1 lemon sliced in half
  • 250ml of chicken or vegetable stock (hot)
  • approx. 3 tbsp of good quality olive oil
  • Sea salt and pepper

Here’s the rub

(muck about with this bit; I’ve never made it the same way twice)

  • 1tbsp regular paprika
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • small bunch of finely chopped fresh parsley
  • some chopped fresh oregano if you can get it
  • a few sprigs of fresh thyme (leaves removed from stems and chopped
  • zest from ½ a lemon
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • several black pepper corns (crushed in pestle and mortar)
  • Good pinch of sea salt
  • (Optional) some grated parmesan/grana padano cheese)

I usually mix all of this together in a bowl to make a thick paste/pesto

Method

  1. Get your oven preheated to 180oC. Put 2tbsp of the oil in the bottom of your oven dish/roasting tray. Arrange the shallots in a row with the garlic and chilli arranged regularly between them also arrange the tomatoes around the bottom and a lemon half in opposite corners.
  2. Trim off some of the excess fat from the brisket, whilst it should render down in the cooking, too much can be a bit off putting.  Do leave a bit of fat on if you like this though (I personally do).  Sprinkle a bit of sea salt and freshly ground pepper all around the meat.
  3. Put your frying pan on the hob with the other 1tbsp of oil and get this hot (like nearly smoking).  Then add the beef, fattiest side down first.  Seal for about 2 mins, then turn and seal the other side for about 2 mins.  Then seal each ‘side’ for about 45 seconds each. Remove from pan and place in a bowl with the rub or onto a chopping board or large plate, bowl is probably the least messy option.
  4. Allow the brisket to cool for a few mins and then rub the ‘rub’ all over the brisket. Try to get it fairly even and into any ‘flaps’, basically you want as much meat covered as possible.
  5. Lay the brisket on top of your shallots/garlic/chilli layer and carefully add the stock into the bottom of the dish/tray (don’t pour it over the beef!).
  6. Place the dish in the oven for 10 mins to allow the the rub/lemons/tomatoes to toast a bit.  Remove the tray from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 140oC.
  7. Place a small piece of greaseproof paper over the meat.  Then tightly cover the tray/dish with a double layer of foil.  You want it sealed so none of the steam/juices can get out, otherwise the beef will dry out.
  8. Place the beef back in the oven and cook for about 3 hours. Remove and leave to rest for about 15 minutes (or longer, the meat can even be kept overnight in the fridge, arguably this makes it taste even better later).
  9. Remove the foil and place the beef on a board to carve.  I usually like to slice it horizontally, try and go with the direction where it doesn’t fall apart and remains as slices. You could serve at this stage and it will still be delicious.

For the Ragu

Ingredients

  • Slow cooked beef and stock etc. from cooking
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1 large onion
  • 3 cloves of sliced garlic
  • 2 tbsp of tomato puree (or thereabouts)
  • 5 or 6 sliced chestnut mushrooms
  • 1 large glass of decent quality red wine (a malbec /cab sav/montepulciano work best)
  • squirt of tomato ketchup
  • couple of teaspoons of capers
  • fresh basil
  • parmesan cheese to serve (optional)
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste.

Method

  1. Add olive oil to the chef’s pan/saucepan on a medium/low heat.
  2. Add the onion and ‘sweat’ with a pinch of salt for a few minutes until they start turning translucent.
  3. Add sliced garlic and the mushrooms and turn the heat up a touch.After a couple of minutes add the tomato puree and a squirt of ketchup along with a pinch of salt. Stir in to make a thick paste and fry off for a minute.
  4. Add the beef slices and the juices from cooking, try to discard the lemons and the garlic skins before doing this.
  5. Heat until it just starts to simmer. Then add the red wine and continue heating at a medium/low heat until the sauce thickens and the meat is just starting to fall apart (about 10-15 minutes)
  6. Add a few fresh basil leaves before serving with your favourite pasta and a generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

“Delicious.”

Laura Chuhan Campbell

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