I think a sweet/sour chili sauce would be good, but to really bring out the smokey flavor I would use a bourbon based sauce. This is one I go to quite often, sometimes I tweak it slightly, other times I make it as written. It all depends on what I have on hand Alexa david's kentucky bourbon brisket sauce Epicurious : The ultimate finishing sauce for your BBQ brisket. This is served as an accompaniment to a spicy BBQ brisket. If your brisket isn't too spicy then reduce the amount of sugar by half. Thin out the sauce with water and cider vinegar to taste. I have yet to find a suitable substitute for quality Kentucky bourbon. 3 tablespoons of canola oil 1 cup finely minced onion 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup Kentucky bourbon 1/4 cup water (if needed) 3 tablespoon tomato paste 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce Pan juices from brisket 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) Saute minced onions in canola oil over med-high heat until just turning color. Add Tomato past and saute for 2 minutes. Add bourbon and stir until evaporated. Reduce heat to low. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 10-20 minutes. I prefer to use this can be used as a thin finishing sauce. Others like it reduced to make it thicker, sweeter, and a whole lot stickier. Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/DAVIDS-KENTUCKY-BOURBON-BRISKET-SAUCE-50045134#ixzz2GkrbFlr3

I bet the brisket with prunes on it was a Jewish tzimmes recipe. Here are two brisket recipes I use. The first one, which is much simpler, I got from the lady who runs the kitchen at our synagogue. I often add prunes and/or apricots, and usually potatoes and carrots. The second one is a little bit more work, but it is fantastic. Brisket 5-10 lb. Brisket 2 8-oz. Jars apricot preserves 2 packets dried onion soup 2 T ginger salt, pepper, and garlic ppowder optional: prunes, potatoes (peeled and cut up), and/or carrots (scraped and cut up) Mix jam, soup mix, and ginger in a bowl. Add ¼ 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. Add prunes, potatoes, and/or carrots. Cover tightly and bake 350 for 2 ½ - 3 ½ 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. DO AHEAD: 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. More info: Use a slender metal pin, like a turkey lacer, to check whether the brisket is tender. Insert the pin into the thickest part; if it meets no resistance, the brisket is done.

I agree with skipping the browning. I used to, but what a pain! Especially if the brisket is really big, as in, too big to fit in a skillet to brown so that you have to brown it in stages. I finally just quit browning and found that the results were just dandy. Whew! One less step.

Brisket is where three different muscles come together. That's why there are so many competing grains. Do you already have it? If not, it might be a good idea to have the butcher dismember it for you. The "tip" or "front" is a thinner piece. The back, thicker end should have a great big fat pocket in it. It can be separated into two pieces and have the fat trimmed. You don't want to cut it all away--and if you do the braise/chill/skim/heat method, it's a lot easier to skim if there's enough fat melting off to chill into solid chunks, rather than thin rivulets or dots--but while there are some people who revel in gnawing on a big hunk of brisket fat, most don't care for it. If you're just going to lop it in half, maybe give the thick end an extra hour at the beginning. If you do that, you should still be able to get at the fat blob with a boning or utility knife. Also, if you haven't bought it yet, you could just get two five pound tips. That works really well, especially for company. I've never cut up a whole brisket before cooking, but low and slow (300° F or less), I'll do 10 lbs. in one piece for 10 hours the first day and 8 hours the second day. That's well trimmed and with an hour at higher heat to help melt the fat. A civilized (trimmed but with a good fat cap) tip is about 5 hours at 350° then another couple on the rewarm. But all that is approximate depending on proportions, what else is in the pan, what kind of pan, etc. I haven't made the recipe, though it sounds like a good one. For brisket you want some acid and some sugar (in this case, wine and tomatoes) to help dissolve the connective tissue, and plenty of time in the oven. I think it might need cooking longer to be really tender, and much more than double if you do the brisket whole, at 350°. Maybe 10-12 hrs.? For the second heating, after slicing, I spoon the juice between each pair of slices, but I don't make it into warm gravy first. I think the reason for that is to save you time making gravy at serving time, since the sliced meat doesn't need to rest. Good luck!