The secret ingredient to seductive brisket: canned cranberry sauce. Read Stephanie Pierson’s holiday story of romance and brisket while cooking.
Yields: 10 servings, plus leftovers
Active time: 30 minutes
Total: 5 hours (plus 2 days for marinating)
• 1 (4- to 5-lb.) flat-cut beef brisket, untrimmed
• 1 tbs. kosher salt
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 4 large onions, peeled and cut into eighths
• 2 14-oz. cans jellied cranberry sauce, sliced
1. Sprinkle both sides of brisket with salt, garlic powder, pepper, and paprika. Tightly wrap brisket with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 day.
2. Preheat oven to 500°F.
3. Unwrap brisket and place in roasting pan. Roast for 40 minutes, turning over halfway through. Remove pan from oven, and reduce temperature to 350°F. Place onions under and around brisket, then cover the top of it with cranberry sauce slices. Using caution (pan will be very hot), tightly cover pan with heavy-duty foil. Roast until brisket is fork-tender, about 3 hours.
4. Let brisket cool in pan. Scrape off sauce (leave it in pan), and transfer brisket to cutting board; trim fat. Return brisket to pan and cover with sauce. Cover roasting pan and refrigerate overnight or up to 1 day.
5. About 1 hour before you want to serve the brisket, preheat oven
to 350°F.
6. Skim any congealed fat from sauce. Cover pan with foil. Heat brisket for 20 minutes, then uncover and cook until hot and bubbling and sauce has reduced a bit, 20 to 30 minutes more. Slice brisket and serve with sauce.
