I am a big fan of brisket, even though I only started making it a few years ago. I had never had brisket before then – except for corned beef brisket. Martha has a recipe for braised brisket  with carrots, parsnips and garlic in the April issue of Martha Stewart Living. I usually use Emeril’s recipe for brisket, so I was interested in giving Martha’s version a whirl to see how they compared.

Emeril’s recipe requires you to make the brisket a day ahead, refigerate it and then reheat it before serving. Martha’s version is a one day plan. Emeril’s recipe creates this wonderful tomato-y sauce which is really tasty.

I started Martha’s brisket on a weekday afternoon. I knew both kids would be home for dinner and Mr. MarthaandMe too, and I was thinking Teen Martha’s boyfriend might also make an appearance, so I would have a crowd.

First I browned the brisket on both side, then I cooked the onion and garlic. Next I added tomato paste, broth and wine and bay leaves, creating the liquid the meat would cook in.

I put the meat in and put it in the oven. The recipe says to cook for 2 hours, then to flip the brisket and cook another half hour. Then you’ve got another hour in which you cook the veggies you’ve added. Then you’re supposed to take it out, cover the beef and let the liquid cool so you can skim off the fat. Then you need 20 minutes to cook the liquid down.

After the meat had been in the oven an hour and a half, our power went off. Praying to the gods of the brisket, I called the power company and found out they would not have it back on for another 2 1/2 hours – 6:30 pm (also known as dinner time). So that was that for my brisket that day. Instead we went out and had hot dogs. The brisket went in the fridge.

The next day, I planned to continue the cooking process once I returned from an important excursion – prom dress shopping with Teen Martha and Big MarthaandMe. Silly me, I didn’t realize it would take SEVEN HOURS of hard labor to obtain the perfect dress. I got home at 5 pm. Quickly, I shoved the brisket in the oven and put it on convection roast. After an hour, I added the vegetables. I let those cook about 25 minutes (I used baby carrots and had my parsnip cut thin). No time to cool the cooking liquid and skim fat. Instead I boiled the hell

out of it and added flour to make it a gravy.

So there I am with this lovely brisket ready for dinner. Dude Martha announces he doesn’t feel well and doesn’t want to eat. Teen Martha says she’s tired and is going to bed. So there Mr. MarthaandMe are with a giant brisket before us. He unfortunately forgot the adage about slicing against the grain, so our slices were not very nice looking. We each had a few slices. I thought it was quite good, but I still like Emeril’s recipe better. The sauce/gravy was good. The veggies were good. I enjoyed it,but am going to

stick to my usual recipe. Sorry Martha!

I am a big fan of brisket, even though I only started making it a few years ago. I had never had brisket before then – except for corned beef brisket. Martha has a recipe for braised brisket  with carrots, parsnips and garlic in the April issue of Martha Stewart Living. I usually use Emeril’s … Read more →

I am a big fan of brisket, even though I only started making it a few years ago. I had never had brisket before then – except for corned beef brisket. Martha has a recipe for braised brisket  with carrots, parsnips and garlic in the April issue of Martha Stewart Living. I usually use Emeril’s recipe for brisket, so I was interested in giving Martha’s version a whirl to see how they compared.

Emeril’s recipe requires you to make the brisket a day ahead, refigerate it and then reheat it before serving. Martha’s version is a one day plan. Emeril’s recipe creates this wonderful tomato-y sauce which is really tasty.

I started Martha’s brisket on a weekday afternoon. I knew both kids would be home for dinner and Mr. MarthaandMe too, and I was thinking Teen Martha’s boyfriend might also make an appearance, so I would have a crowd.

First I browned the brisket on both side, then I cooked the onion and garlic. Next I added tomato paste, broth and wine and bay leaves, creating the liquid the meat would cook in.

I put the meat in and put it in the oven. The recipe says to cook for 2 hours, then to flip the brisket and cook another half hour. Then you’ve got another hour in which you cook the veggies you’ve added. Then you’re supposed to take it out, cover the beef and let the liquid cool so you can skim off the fat. Then you need 20 minutes to cook the liquid down.

After the meat had been in the oven an hour and a half, our power went off. Praying to the gods of the brisket, I called the power company and found out they would not have it back on for another 2 1/2 hours – 6:30 pm (also known as dinner time). So that was that for my brisket that day. Instead we went out and had hot dogs. The brisket went in the fridge.

The next day, I planned to continue the cooking process once I returned from an important excursion – prom dress shopping with Teen Martha and Big MarthaandMe. Silly me, I didn’t realize it would take SEVEN HOURS of hard labor to obtain the perfect dress. I got home at 5 pm. Quickly, I shoved the brisket in the oven and put it on convection roast. After an hour, I added the vegetables. I let those cook about 25 minutes (I used baby carrots and had my parsnip cut thin). No time to cool the cooking liquid and skim fat. Instead I boiled the hell

out of it and added flour to make it a gravy.

So there I am with this lovely brisket ready for dinner. Dude Martha announces he doesn’t feel well and doesn’t want to eat. Teen Martha says she’s tired and is going to bed. So there Mr. MarthaandMe are with a giant brisket before us. He unfortunately forgot the adage about slicing against the grain, so our slices were not very nice looking. We each had a few slices. I thought it was quite good, but I still like Emeril’s recipe better. The sauce/gravy was good. The veggies were good. I enjoyed it,but am going to

stick to my usual recipe. Sorry Martha!

I am a big fan of brisket, even though I only started making it a few years ago. I had never had brisket before then – except for corned beef brisket. Martha has a recipe for braised brisket  with carrots, parsnips and garlic in the April issue of Martha Stewart Living. I usually use Emeril’s … Read more →