In a couple weeks it will be Hanukkah, and time to make the latkes. And for many during this festival the latkes will be served with brisket for a holiday dinner. Brisket and latkes just go together so well.
As I mentioned in previous posts I planned to serve latkes to some friends at an early holiday party at my home. Last year I served chili but this year I had brisket on my mind.
I decided to make Pulled Barbeque Brisket Sandwiches… not your mama’s traditional brisket, but, oh, so good!
I found this recipe in a small paperback cookbook from the days when I worked in Cook’s Mart, a kitchen specialty shop in Chicago.
One of the perks we enjoyed was being able to copy recipes from the cookbooks that were for sale (most likely when the manager was not looking), and this is one that remains in my recipe collection today, on the original paper it was copied on.
It comes from Jane Butel’s Finger Lickin’ Rib Stickin’ Great Tastin’ Barbeque book, and it’s a winner.
It’s a Yankee version of the famous pit-cooked “pulled” barbeque, but instead of pork it’s done with brisket. It’s a great dish to prepare ahead and will only improve as it sits.
It’s really great for a large gathering on a buffet, as it only improves with the waiting. In fact, when my younger son had his Bar-Mitzvah, we celebrated that evening under lit tents in our backyard complete with deejay, dancing and a Bar- B- Q. I prepared a good deal of the food myself, and this Yankee Brisket Pulled Barbeque was on the menu.
Serve it on a soft roll, but one that will hold up to the sauce.
Here’s the recipe…
Pulled Barbeque Brisket Sandwiches (serves 12 to 16)
(adapted from Yankee Brisket Pulled Barbecue from Jane Butel’s Finger Lickin’ Rib Stickin’ Great Tastin’ Barbecue Book)
5 pounds beef brisket
3 and ½ ounce bottle liquid smoke (or less depending on your taste)
1 cup chopped onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
¼ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1 tablespoon dark molasses
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
¼ teaspoon liquid hot pepper sauce (or to taste)
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cups ketchup
½ cup chili sauce (ketchup type)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon kosher salt, more or less, to taste
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Put the meat on a rack in a roasting pan, fat side up. Sprinkle the meat with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Pour the liquid smoke around it.
Seal the pan with foil and place in the oven. Roast the brisket for approximately 5 hours, or until it is very tender, turning once. Uncover the meat for the last 30 minutes to brown.
Remove the meat form the oven and let it cool.
Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate. Pour the pan juices and fat into a glass jar or bowl, cover and refrigerate.
The next day, remove the meat from the refrigerator and trim away any extra fat. Pull the meat into small shreds (this is called “pulling”). For full “pulled” meat, pull the meat into shreds with your hands or two forks. For partially “pulled” meat, pull the meat into 1-inch chunks.
Remove the hardened fat from the pan juices. In a large pot, melt 3 tablespoons of the hardened fat over medium heat, add the remaining ingredients and 1 cup of the pan juices. Stir well and simmer for 20 minutes over low heat.
Add the pulled meat to the sauce, allowing ½ cup sauce per pound of meat, or to taste, and simmer very slowly, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring frequently. Add more pan juices, or water, if necessary, to keep the meat moist. The barbeque should be heated through.
