I craved this so much lately that I just couldn’t help it anymore and made it again yesterday. So without much talking around here’s the recipe – it takes time, but it is easy, beginner friendly and entirely rewarding. (The above image was taken just before the final roast.)

 

Ingredients:

(serves 4)

1 kg beef brisket
3 shallots
5-6 cloves garlic
Some dried mushrooms (optional)
1 tbsp tomato paste
250 ml dark ale
250 ml beef stock
3 bay leaves
1/2 tbsp sugar
Some cornstarch slurry (optional)
Salt, Pepper

Method:

Preheat your oven to 120°C ( 250°F). Season the brisket (I only had two halves in the freezer) with salt and pepper. Cut the garlic and shallots roughly.

Heat a fitting roasting tray with some cooking oil to a high heat and sear the beef on both sides until nicely browned. Take out of the pan and set aside.

Turn down the heat a little, and in the remaining oil fry the garlic and shallots until translucent. Add the tomato paste and roast for another 2-3 minutes to reduce it’s acidity and bring out the umami aroma. Then add beer and stock and bring to a boil. Add in the sugar, bay leaves and dried mushrooms (if using) and let cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Place the brisket back in the roasting tray and cover tightly (e.g. using a double layer of aluminium foil). Braise in the oven for at least three hours (even up to four hours for thick pieces of meat).

Remove the cover and scoop some sauce over the meat if you like. Raise the heat to 200°C (390°F) above heat and let roast, uncovered, for an additional 15-ish minutes.Then take out and cut into convenient slices.

If you like you can now thicken up the sauce in a pot with a little cornstarch and water until you reach the consistency you desire. Serve the meat doused with the sauce and with a side of, for example, mashed potatoes and green beans. Enjoy!

The result is an ultra-tender, hearty and filling meal from an inexpensive cut of meat, with very little effort.