Cranberry Balsamic Braised Brisket with Mushrooms & Onions

Ingredients

4.5lb-6lb/2kg-3kg flat piece of brisket. It’s important that it’s the first cut, the second cut or top flap is a much tougher meat, and will take double the cooking time to soften

2 large sliced onions

4 stalks of celery cut into ⅓ inch (0.7cm) moons

3 cloves crushed garlic

1 pack of sliced white mushrooms

14oz/400g tin whole cranberry sauce

¾ tin balsamic vinegar (use the cranberry tin as your measurement)

¼ tin sweet chilli sauce (use cranberry tin as your measurement)

1 tin boiling water (use cranberry tin as your measurement)

2 Tbsp chicken stock powder

4 sprigs rosemary

½ cup thyme

5 bay leaves

Coarse salt and black pepper

Olive oil

1 bunch chopped chives to garnish

Method

Preheat oven to 350F/175C;

Season the brisket with salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan/dutch oven on high heat; Add oil and sear brisket on all sides until nicely browned (eight minutes). Set aside;

In the same pan, add olive oil. Sauté onions and celery on medium heat till soft and golden brown (10 mins). Add garlic and mushrooms, and sweat till water cooks off and mushrooms are wilted;

Add cranberry sauce, balsamic vinegar, and sweet chilli sauce to a bowl. Mix the chicken stock powder in boiling water to dissolve. Add to the bowl and whisk to combine;

Pour vegetables into the bottom of an oven-proof baking dish/dutch oven. Place the seared brisket on top. Pour sauce over the meat. Tie the rosemary and thyme into a bundle, and add along with bay leaves to the roasting pan;

Cover with lid or parchment paper and foil. Seal well to create a steam bath;

Roast on the middle rack of oven roast for 2½ hours turning halfway through. The brisket should be fork tender. If meat resists, cook for another half hour. Take the meat out, and cover with foil until cool;

If the sauce is watery, cook off the excess liquid on the stovetop till it thickens and is soupy;

Slice meat against the grain on the bias. Place back in an oven-proof dish, and top with the sauce;

Cover with foil, and reheat at 300F/150C until warmed through (45 minutes). Serve with roasted potatoes and garnish with chopped chives.

You can refrigerate the cooled brisket overnight and slice in the morning. Don’t worry if the meat feels hard. It will do so after being in the refrigerator, but will soften up. Bring to room temperature before reheating.

Serves 8-10