Who knew that brisket, of all things, could make people fight? At our house, a big brisket meal makes us pretty mellow. We even have a song that goes, "Oh, it's good to be a dog on yontif,* 'cause on yontif, a dog gets brisket." * Yiddish for holiday I'm not a food scientist or a chef or a cookbook writer or anything else special, food-wise. But I am a genuine Jewish mother. And I figure it's about time that one waded into this. I've made a lot of briskets. Very many briskets. And I've eaten many many many briskets, cooked all different ways, including smoked brisket, which was indeed very good. But that doesn't mean it's always the flavor you are going for, even if it were possible to say that it's somehow objectively superior to braising or roasting. To me, that argument is as silly as trying to prove that fried chicken is definitively, universally, always better than oven-roasted. Anyway, even if I do think one way is better, sometimes I don't want it to taste "better," I want it to taste like "home." I've always made mine in the oven, sometimes starting it on the cooktop. Here are two recipes we like a lot, one simple and old-fashioned and using onion soup and jam, one more fancy. We never get any complaints, and, the song notwithstanding, there isn't always any left for the dog. Brisket 5-10 lb. Brisket 2 8-oz. Jars apricot preserves 2 packets dried onion soup 2 T ginger salt, pepper, and garlic powder Mix jam, soup mix, and ginger in a bowl. Add 1/4 cup water. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the brisket and pour garlic powder on it. Rub sauce mixture all over roasting pan and brisket. Cover tightly and bake 350 for 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 hours. Remove from pan and slice. Spoon some of the gravy over it. Cover again and bake another 30 minutes before serving. *** BEEF BRISKET WITH MERLOT AND PRUNES 1 4-to 4 1/2-pound flat-cut (also called first-cut) beef brisket, trimmed of most fat 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fire-roasted) 1 cup Merlot or other dry red wine 2 pounds onions, sliced 4 medium carrots, peeled, thinly sliced 16 garlic cloves, peeled 1 1/2 cups pitted large prunes (about 8 ounces) 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon prune juice 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 325 F. Pat brisket dry; sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy extra-large skillet over high heat. Add brisket and cook until deep brown, about 7 minutes per side. Transfer brisket, fat side up, to large roasting pan. Add tomatoes with juice and wine to skillet. Remove from heat, scrape up any browned bits, and pour mixture over brisket. Distribute onions, carrots, and garlic around brisket. Add prunes and thyme; drizzle with 1/2 cup prune juice and 3 tablespoons vinegar. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place pan over 2 burners and bring to boil. Cover pan with heavy-duty foil; place in oven. Braise brisket until tender, about 3 hours 15 minutes. Uncover and cool 1 hour at room temperature. Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with foil and chill. Bring just to simmer over 2 burners before continuing. Remove brisket from roasting pan, scraping off juices. Place on work surface; cut across grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Spoon off fat from top of pan juices. Place 1 cup vegetables (no prunes) and 1 cup braising liquid from pan into processor and puree. Return puree to pan. Add remaining 1 tablespoon prune juice and 1 teaspoon vinegar to pan. Heat sauce; season with salt and pepper. Overlap brisket slices in 13x9x2- inch glass baking dish. Pour sauce over brisket, separating slices to allow some sauce to flow between. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Rewarm brisket, covered, in 350 F oven for 30 minutes. Sprinkle brisket with parsley; serve.

Sharon, this sounds just great, with or without the crema and guacamole - I love all the ingredients but I do think I might like this brisket all by itself. Thanks! Can you please clarify the amount for the cayenne and the cilantro - both numbers come out funny for me - can't read them.

this is the easiest method and it is fabulous, I make it often and there is never any left. Ravens easy brisket: 1large beef brisket (no need to trim fat it will come off easily once cooked) 1 Bottle Stubb's beef marinade (shake well) 3-4 Tbs frenches mustard 1 chopped onion - optional 1/2 cup wine (white or blush) 1/2 cup water Place brisket fat side down in a very large covered oven roasting pan after you Coat both sides of brisket with mustard. Pour in 1/2 cup wine and 1/2 cup water. Pour in 1/2or entire bottle of Stubbs over the brisket (it will be more spicy if you use it all) Put chopped onion in and spread it around. No need for added seasoning!! Place covered roaster in oven at 350 for 5to6 hrs (check for fork tender) Check it occasionally while cooking to make sure there is liquid- if needed add a little water. Ladle the juices over the meat a couple times during cooking. When done remove brisket to platter to cool. GRAVY: Pour juice liquid into a saucepan; pour off most of the melted fat. In a separate bowl or cup mix 1 1/2 Tbs of cornstarch and 1/2 cup of water mix very well. Put gravy saucepan on stove and bring to a lite boil, slowly stir in the cornstarch mixture, continue stirring and heat for about 2 mins. Serve the gravy over hot cooked rice or mashed potatoes. Slice brisket across grain. *If you want a bbq flavor cook in oven as above for 3 hrs then remove brisket and put on grill cook for final 3 hrs. Beef Marinade If you do not want a real spicy brisket just use about half of the bottle.

dcarch - No. There are a couple of "hot" brisket suppliers around these days. I don't know the names off the top of my head. I get mine from Penn Dutch in Margate, FL. Here's an interesting story... About 10 years ago, we invited Paul Kirk to come down here and run a barbecue cooking school. I tied in a Certified Barbecue Judging class with it that was to start around 3 hours later, so that the judges could sample what these newly-trained cooks prepared. I got there very early and joined the cooks as they selected their meat for the class. Paul Kirk laid out 10 different briskets and asked each cook and me to select what they thought the best one was for a competition. Each cook poked and smelled and squeezed the briskets. I was the last one in line and the only one to look at the label. Paul asked for my selection and I pointed to the one with the cheapest price. Mine was the right answer, according to barbecue professor. With the long cooking process, it really didn't matter whether it was Certified Angus, Kobe, or just some unknown brand. Like I've been preaching all along: it's a cheap cut of beef that you're going to cook for many hours. In the end, it will taste as good as your rub, your smoke, and your sauce.