Beef Brisket Pot Roast

Start cooking opens one step at a time with read-aloud and hands-free voice control — “next”, “repeat”, “how much salt”, “timer 10 minutes”.

1. 11 Prepare the brisket for cooking: On one side of the brisket there should be a layer of fat, which you want. If there are any large chunks of fat, cut them off and discard them.
2. 2Large pieces of fat will not be able to render out completely.
3. 3Using a sharp knife, score the fat in parallel lines, about 3/4-inch apart. Cut the through the fat, not the beef. Repeat in the opposite direction to make a cross-hatch pattern.
4. 4Salt the brisket well and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
5. 52 Sear the brisket: You'll need an oven-proof, thick-bottomed pot with a cover, or Dutch oven, that is just wide enough to hold the brisket roast with a little room for the onions.
6. 6Pat the brisket dry and put the it, fatty side down, into the pot and place the it on medium high heat.
7. 7Let it cook for 5-8 minutes, lightly sizzling, until the fat side is nicely browned. (If the roast seems to be cooking too fast, turn the heat down to medium. You want a steady sizzle, not a raging sear.).
8. 8Turn the brisket over and let it cook for a few minutes more to brown the other side.
9. 93 Sauté the onions and garlic: When the brisket has browned, remove it from the pot and set aside. There should be a couple tablespoons of fat rendered in the pot, if not, add some olive oil.
10. 10Add the chopped onions and increase the heat to high. Sprinkle a little salt on the onions. Sauté, giving it a stir often, until the onions are lightly browned, 5-8 minutes. Stir through the garlic and cook 1-2 more minutes.
11. 114 Return brisket to pot, add herbs, stock, bring to simmer, cover, cook in oven: Set the oven to 150°C / 300°F. Use kitchen twine to tie together the bay leaves, rosemary and thyme.
12. 12Move the onions and garlic to the sides of the pot and nestle the brisket inside. Add the beef stock and the tied-up herbs. Bring the stock to a boil on the stovetop.
13. 13Cover the pot, put the pot in the 150°C / 300°F oven and cook for 3 hours. Gently flip the brisket every hour so it cooks evenly.
14. 145 Add carrots, continue to cook: After 3 hours, add the carrots. Cover the pot and leave to cook for 1 hour more, or until the carrots are cooked through and the brisket is falling-apart tender.
15. 156 Remove brisket to cutting board, tent with foil: When the brisket is falling-apart tender, take the pot out of the oven and remove the brisket to a cutting board. Cover it with foil. Pull out and discard the herbs.
16. 167 Make sauce (optional): At this point you have two options. You can serve as is, or you can make a sauce with the drippings and some of the onions. If you serve as is, skip this step.
17. 17To make a sauce, remove the carrots and half of the onions, set aside and cover them with foil. Pour the ingredients that are remaining into the pot into a blender, and purée until smooth.
18. 18If you want, add 1 tablespoon of mustard to the mix. Put into a small pot and keep warm.
19. 198 Slice the meat across the grain: Notice the lines of the muscle fibers of the roast. This is the "grain" of the meat.
20. 20Cut the meat perpendicular to these lines, or across the grain (cutting this way further tenderizes the meat), in 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch slices.
21. 21ServeServe with the onions, carrots and gravy. Serve with mashed, roasted or boiled potatoes, egg noodles or polenta.