Braised Buffalo Brisket
When we turn our calendars to December, we all have an image of the Holidays. The image of the Norman Rockwell Christmas with sleigh bells and chestnuts roasting over the open fire has been played over and over in the popular media. However, as a melting pot of a country, the truth is that we are a nation of an incredible diversity in our holiday traditions. In my first job out of college, I remember a fascinating conversation a week before Christmas where four of us — an African-American woman from Mississippi, a polo-playing preppy guy from New Canaan, Connecticut, a woman from a large, traditional Italian family, and me and my Jewish background — shared our own stories about the foods we celebrated the holidays with.
For my family, Christmas typically meant Chinese food and a movie. But right around Christmas we would go to my Grandmother’s house to celebrate Hanukkah. It is hard to say which I looked forward to more, seeing a mountain of presents for the 8 grandchildren, or the smell and taste of my grandmother’s brisket.
While I still love my grandmother’s brisket, in creating my own Hanukah tradition I have taken the liberty of a couple twists on her traditional brisket recipe. First, I now use buffalo to make brisket. In fact it is one of my favorite cuts from Wild Idea Buffalo, not as fatty as beef brisket, but every bit as rich and delicious. Second, I have adapted a delicious recipe (see below) from Gourmet Magazine for braising to use with buffalo brisket. It comes out almost like a stew, and is great with mashed potatoes or even on gnocchi.
Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Festivus, or none of the above, I am pretty confident you will enjoy this brisket recipe. I have gotten rave reviews from friends, family, and even when I cooked it for 100 people at a fundraiser for Mill City Market this spring. Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!
Recipe
- 1 Wild Idea Buffalo brisket (about 2 ½ Lbs)
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 large yellow onions, chopped
- 4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 celery ribs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 (28-ounces) can crushed tomatoes
- Place rack in lower part of oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Season buffalo brisket on each side with 1 tsp each of salt and pepper. On stove top heat oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or pot that can go from stove to oven. Place brisket in hot oil and lightly brown on each side – about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add onions and cook 10 to 12 minutes stirring occasionally until golden-brown. Add carrots, celery, and garlic and cook another 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add cider vinegar, stir in and scrape up any browned bits. Add stock and tomatoes, and bring to a simmer.
- Add browned brisket to the braising liquid. Spoon some of the liquid over the top (liquid will not cover meat). Cover with a tight fitting lid and place in over for 2 hours.
- Remove brisket from oven and place on cutting board for about 15 minutes to cool. Slice brisket about a ¼ to ½ inch thick against the grain. Then stack slices and cut into 1 inch long pieces. Ultimately you want to break up the brisket and achieve a nice shredded quality – this where the magic happens! Place cut brisket back in pot and cook for another 1-2 hours.
- Brisket is best cooked at least one day in advance.
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, October 2009