A Dedicated Brisketeer

I used to tell people that I was doomed to develop premature liver spots because I made good brisket before I hit puberty. My ancient Yiddish curse was mythical, but my brisket-making was all too real.

In reality, I was embarrassed that even as a 12-year-old, I was spending so much time in the kitchen. I would practice clarinet with the school band, run track and then go home and experiment cooking with briskets. I think I became a food writer so I would have less explaining to do. People would say, “Oh, well then, that makes sense. You always were cooking.”

With Hanukkah around the corner (it begins Thursday at sundown), I am on the brisket trail once again. Brisket is the quintessential Jewish holiday main dish, especially for Hanukkah, a holiday during which we are encouraged to eat as many fried foods as is humanly possible.

Although some of us would be content with platters of latkes and sour cream and never even want anything protein-based, the Hanukkah menu demands a brisket with a commanding presence. Only something as hefty as a dense but tender brisket could hope to compete with those mounds of potato pancakes.

The trouble with brisket is that it is so traditional that we tend to make it by rote. Brisket is home food, deli food (except in Texas, where it crosses over into barbecue food and people start talking about pits and rubs--terms that would make most bubbes blink, even blush).

We use the same tried and true recipes our families expect. We make bubbe’s brisket, or Aunt Ida’s, or dad’s mother’s aunt’s sister-in-law’s second cousin’s. It is comforting because it is the same. It is boring because it is the same.

But wouldn’t it be great one year to have something new, something marvelous, something (I jest) heart-stopping? Something that tastes different; something that tastes, well, not like the same old brisket?

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Forty Cloves of Garlic Brisket

Active Work Time: 25 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 5 hours

Once the meat is done, mash roasted garlic cloves into pan sauce and serve with meat and mashed potatoes.

1 (6- to 7-pound) brisket

Salt, pepper

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon French mixed herbs (bouquet garni or salad herbs)

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 cup red wine, plus more if needed

1 cup beef bouillon, plus more if needed

2 to 3 heads garlic, separated into cloves but not peeled

* Dust brisket with salt, pepper, paprika, French herbs and garlic powder and place in large roasting pan.

* Smear on mustard, then pour red wine and bouillon over brisket. Surround roast with garlic cloves.

* Cover well with foil and roast at 350 degrees until tender, about 3 to 4 hours.

* Reduce heat to 325 degrees. Once brisket is cool enough to handle, cut into 1/4-inch (or slightly thinner) slices, removing fat. Return slices to pan, spoon juices over and add bouillon and wine if required to barely cover.

* Continue roasting at 325 degrees until very tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

8 to 10 servings. Each of 10 servings: 623 calories; 440 mg sodium; 259 mg cholesterol; 27 grams fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 86 grams protein; 0.33 gram fiber.

Famous Coca-Cola Brisket

Active Work Time: 30 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 3 hours

1 (4-pound) brisket

2 tablespoons oil

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

Salt, pepper

2 teaspoons paprika

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup hot water

1 tablespoon onion soup powder

1 (1 1/2-ounce) package dry spaghetti sauce mix

1 cup Coca-Cola

* Place meat in large roasting pan and coat with oil on all sides. Sprinkle with onions and celery. Season with salt and pepper to taste and paprika. Place crushed garlic on top.

* Mix ketchup with hot water, onion soup powder and dry spaghetti sauce mix to dissolve dry ingredients. Add cola and pour mixture over meat.

* Cover with foil and roast at 350 degrees until very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours, opening to baste with pan juices every 20 to 30 minutes. Slice and serve immediately, or slice, refrigerate and reheat in gravy next day (30 minutes in a 350-degree oven for extra tender slices).

6 to 8 servings. Each of 8 servings: 531 calories; 395 mg sodium; 189 mg cholesterol; 23 grams fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 64 grams protein; 1.10 grams fiber.

Traditional Hanukkah or Friday Night Brisket in Red Wine

Active Work Time: 15 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 3 hours 15 minutes

A dry or medium wine is perfect for this classic brisket.

1 (5- to 7-pound) brisket

Salt, pepper

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can mushroom soup

2 tablespoons onion soup powder

3/4 cup red wine

2 tablespoons minced parsley

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, sliced

2 tablespoons light olive or vegetable oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

* Place meat on large piece of foil. Season with salt and pepper and rub with paprika.

* Combine mushroom soup, onion soup powder, wine, parsley, garlic, onion, oil and lemon juice and spread on meat. Wrap brisket snugly in foil. Place in roasting pan. Roast at 350 degrees until very tender, 3 hours.

* Slice and serve hot, or wrap whole brisket well and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Skim excess fat, slice thin and reheat at 325 degrees, 1 to 2 hours.

8 to 10 servings. Each of 10 servings: 703 calories; 591 mg sodium; 272 mg cholesterol; 32 grams fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 91 grams protein; 0.58 gram fiber.

Hickory ‘n’ Honey Smoked Brisket

Active Work Time: 40 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 6 hours 40 minutes plus 8 hours chilling

This brisket is appealingly sticky with glaze and blackened (but not burnt) and sticky on the outside, pinkish on the inside and suffused with deep barbecue and smoke flavor. If you don’t have a smoker, see the variation. Choose a brisket that is not too lean; it should be marbled as well as have nice fat coverage on one side with a lighter coat of fat on the other.

This fat helps flavor the meat as it cooks and ensures that it does not shrink or get too dry as it slow cooks. Soak chips 1 hour before smoking.

6 large cloves garlic, mashed

1 small onion, minced

1 tablespoon coarse salt

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

2 tablespoons steak sauce

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/4 cup molasses

2 tablespoons honey

1 (5- to 7-pound) brisket

* Mash garlic, onion and salt together to make a paste or blend as best you can. Stir in paprika, garlic powder, pepper, barbecue sauce, steak sauce, mustard, molasses and honey.

* Place meat in shallow, nonaluminum roasting dish. Smear marinade all over meat. Dust with a little more salt, pepper and paprika, if desired.

* Prepare smoker according to manufacturer’s instructions (I used two layers of briquettes). Place 4 to 6 medium to large chunks of hickory on top of hot briquettes. Fill water bowl with water or add a can of beer and a sliced onion to further flavor the meat. Place meat on grill, cover smoker and leave vents partly open. Replace about 8 to 10 briquettes every 1 1/2 hours, and add additional hickory chunks--about 4--as required (if you notice they are burning out, if fire is too hot, or if there is insufficient or no smoke). Cook until meat thermometer inserted in middle registers about 145 degrees (temperature will climb quickly from that point, and final inside temperature will result in meat that is medium cooked), about 5 to 7 hours. Cover and refrigerate brisket overnight. Slice, reheat, then serve.

Variation: Prepare brisket in same manner, adding 1 to 3 teaspoons Liquid Smoke to ingredients for smoke flavor, if desired. Roast in oven at 325 degrees until very tender, 4 to 5 hours. Once brisket is tender, add broth or bouillon to make additional sauce (or use favorite barbecue sauce with some water), if required. Refrigerate meat overnight, covered, then slice and put, with sauce, in roasting pan and roast at 325 degrees 1 to 2 hours to further tenderize.

8 to 10 servings. Each of 10 servings: 562 calories; 607 mg sodium; 215 mg cholesterol; 22 grams fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 72 grams protein; 0.35 gram fiber.

Beer-Braised Brisket

Active Work Time: 15 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 5 hours

This recipe is from “Grandma Doralee Patinkin’s Jewish Family Cookbook” (St. Martin’s Press, 1997).

1 (5- to 7-pound) brisket

2 teaspoons seasoned salt

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 cup chili sauce

1 (12-ounce) can beer

* Season brisket well with seasoned salt. Sprinkle or rub meat with brown sugar, then drizzle with vinegar. Cover with chili sauce using back of a spoon. Sprinkle with beer.

* Bake at 325 degrees uncovered 2 hours. Cover and continue cooking until done, 1 1/2 to 3 hours.

* Remove meat from gravy and cool. Allow gravy to cool. Skim fat. Add water to dilute, as gravy will be a little strong. Taste and adjust seasonings. Slice meat, then place slices in an oven-proof casserole. Cover with gravy and seal tightly with foil. Heat at 325 degrees until very tender, another 45 to 90 minutes.

10 to 12 servings. Each of 12 servings: 478 calories; 261 mg sodium; 180 mg cholesterol; 18 grams fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 60 grams protein; 0.01 gram fiber.

Goldman runs the Baker Boulanger Web site, https://www.betterbaking.com.

On the cover: Plates, board carving set and bowl from Sur la Table stores.