Guest Post: A Brisket, a Tasket

Guest chef Dusty here with a recipe for mouthwatering brisket that will make you cry.

Braised Brisket With 36 Cloves of Garlic
from Epicurious

Ingredients:

About 36 fat unpeeled garlic cloves (1 2/3 to 2 cups) or an equivalent amount of smaller cloves, plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
A first-or second-cut beef brisket (about 5 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, wiped with a damp paper towel, and patted dry
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade or good-quality low-sodium purchased
3 or 4 fresh thyme sprigs, or 2 teaspoons dried leaves
2 fresh rosemary sprigs, plus 1 teaspoon chopped leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 325.

Peel all that garlic. You can boil it for 30 seconds and that makes it easier.

Heat the olive oil in a large roasting pan, then add the brisket and brown on both sides. Don't overdo it though, because you don't want it to develop a crust. Transfer the brisket to a platter and set aside.

Pour out all but about 1 tablespoon of the fat left in the pan. Add the garlic and cook over medium heat until the little suckers are tinged gold. Then add the vinegar and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add the stick, thyme, and rosemary, and reduce heat to a simmer.

Salt and pepper the brisket on both sides, then put it in the pan, fat side up. Spoon the garlic cloves over the meat.

Place the brisket in the oven, cover with a lid or foil, and cook until the meat is tender, about 3 hours. Baste that meat every half hour, and if the liquid is boiling, lower the oven to 300.

This isn't necessary, but if you can leave the house for like, 20 minutes, then come back, you will realize how amazing your place smells with this dish in the oven.

Once the brisket is done, take it out and let it rest. It's very tired from becoming delicious. While it's resting, scrape the fat off the top (without waking it, if possible).

To make the gravy, pour the braising mixture through a strainer. Save the garlic, toss the herbs. Skim as much fat off the liquid as possible, then puree 1 cup of it along with half of the cooked garlic (you can toss in all the garlic if you want it really smooth). Pour the pureed mixture into a skillet, add the rest of the braising liquid and garlic, along with some freshly chopped rosemary and lemon zest. The recipe says to add more minced garlic but I was like, really? More garlic? So that's up to you. Boil this down over high heat.

Slice the brisket then rewarm it.

Place it on a platter, pour gravy all over it, then eat it while moaning in ecstacy.