BBQ Beef Sandwiches

If you want the perfect weekend food, this is it!

Brisket is such a versatile meat.  I like it best, slow cooked.  I make it in the winter time, slow roasted with red wine, orange marmalade, orange zest, garlic and dried herbs.  Yet, in the summer and fall months I like to make it BBQ style and serve it on delicious french bread with a side of Asian Cole Slaw.

The recipe calls for jarred BBQ sauce.  Yet over the past few years I have really become even more conscious of what I am feeding my family.  I have never bought a jarred salad dressing (even in college).  Two reasons why;

• they taste lousy 
• there are way too many things in the ingredients list that I can't pronounce.  

And if I can't pronounce it, I am not going to eat it.  I have come to the conclusion that BBQ sauce is no different. I have decided to make my own.  I make a big batch of it and use it for grilling, marinating, roasting and my kids like to dip their oven baked chicken nuggets ( recipe to come ) in it.

I have been making my brisket this way for 20 years and each time I make it it gets rave reviews.  It is a great Sunday evening meal, creating left overs for the next day.  It is also terrific for a big crowd!

BBQ Brisket
yield: lots of sandwiches!

ingredients:
6 - 7 lbs brisket of beef, grass fed
12 oz homemade BBQ sauce
1 large yellow onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves
dash of paprika
dash of garlic salt
1 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes

instructions:
• preheat oven to 325*
• pat dry the brisket with paper towels.  put in a large dutch oven ( I have a large, oval Le Creuset that I use)
• slice garlic.  make slits in brisket and put slivered garlic in the brisket.  season with garlic salt, paprika, kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.
• add sliced onion, tomatoes, and homemade BBQ sauce.
• cover pot and put in oven for 3 1/2 - 4 hours.  check it every 45 minutes and baste.
• remove brisket from the pan and let cool to room temp.  once cooled wrap in foil and refrigerate.
• puree all the sauce from the pan and place in a clean container.  put in fridge until ready to use.
• when ready to serve, slice thin and place in a roasting pan.  cover sliced brisket with pureed sauce (save some for slathering on the bread).  cover roasting pan and put in a 250* preheated oven.  heat brisket when for about 25 minutes or until warm to the touch.
• generally, I make the brisket the day before I want to serve it. this is one of those easy meals; put everything in the pot, put in the oven and forget about it!
p.s.  shred the brisket and put it in fresh corn tortillas with a little bit of pickled onions.  so goooood!

BBQ Sauce
yield: 2 1/2 quarts

ingredients:
1 large yellow onion, diced
9 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbls. avocado oil
1 Tbls. lemon zest
5 Tbls. fresh lemon juice
4 1/2 cups organic ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 Tbls. molasses
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chili powder
4 Tbls. cider vinegar
1 Tbls. chipotles in adobe, pureed
3 cups water

instructions:
• heat pan and add oil.  saute onions and garlic until translucent, about 7 minutes.  add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  let cool completely, then refrigerate.

Chunky Chili

After returning from the farmers market with bags full of organic produce (tomatoes, asparagus, beets, squash, arugula, spinach, leeks, green onions, peaches, plums, cherries, etc), farm fresh eggs, nuts, and sunflowers I was inspired to cook.  With this being a very full week (3 evening baseball games) I need to make things that can be prepared in advance and warmed up when we get home from the baseball field.  On top of all that, it is my in-laws 54th wedding anniversary.  In the midst of playoff games, end of the year celebrations and preparing for summer camp, I wanted to make them dinner.

One pot meals are the only way to go when one has limited time and is spending most of the day driving from here to there.  I decided on a chunky chili which was inspired by a new episode of The Barefoot Contessa (original recipe here ).  I, nor my mother-in-law likes spicy so I altered the recipe.  This is a cross between a stew, a chili, and just a big bowl of goodness!

Anniversary Menu

Chunky Chili

Red Rice

Guacamole

Blackberry-Blueberry Cobbler
(this didn't make it to them...they got a box of sables)

Devon's Award-Winning Chili
altered and adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

ingredients:
5 lbs beef brisket, cut into 1" cubes
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cups chopped yellow onions
6 gloves garlic, minced
2 Tbls. chili powder
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 Tbls. cumin, ground
2 red peppers, chipped
1 bay leaf
7 cups tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbls. kosher salt
3/4 tsp. black pepper, ground
1/2 cup strong coffee
1 (15 oz.) can white beans
2 Tbls. chopped basil leaves

on the side:
guacamole
chopped red onions
grated white cheddar
tortilla chips

instructions:
• pat brisket dry with paper towels.  heat oil in dutch oven ( i use le creuset ) and add brisket in batches.  brown on one side for about 3 minutes, then flip over and brown well on other side.  transfer to a plate and repeat with the rest of the meat ( I did this in 3 batches).
• saute onions + garlic in the same pan for about 10 minutes, until soft.
• add the chili powder, cayenne, red pepper flakes, + cumin.  stir for one minute, until fragrant.
• add the red pepper, tomatoes, bay leaf, reserved meat, and salt + pepper.  bring to a boil.
• reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2 1/2 hours.  taste for seasoning.
• add the coffee, cover and simmer for one more hour
• add beans and chopped basil, let heat through.
• when ready to serve, sprinkle more basil on top