guess no one cooks brisket in a pressure cooker

Nope never....always the oven.

There are two ways most of the world cooks brisket - Jewish and Texan.

Jewish style, the one I grew up with, requires a big pot of water, chopped vegetables, some spices, and three days to cook. Texas style is smoked, low and slow 225 to 250 degrees for hours and hours until the deepest part of the meat hits 200 degrees.

I've never cooked one in an oven, but the only difference between the oven and the smoker is the smoke.

If you're going to cook one Texas/oven style, here's a great rub. I took 1st Place in the Brisket category three times with this rub. Apply it liberally to the raw meat and refrigerate it overnight. Cook it fat side up in a throwaway pan. I always cut the flat from the point since the flat is going to finish cooking first and the point or deckle has the best flavor and is done around 185 degrees.

Boca Boys Brisket Rub - also good for beef ribs

• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

I remember Ina making a brisket one Friday nite for Jeffrey. In the oven, wrapped in foil with some tomato type sauce. I still think of it, and am always tempted to try a brisket, just because of her.

I could not offer advice as i do mine in the oven or the wood fired side box smoker.

Covered tight on a bed of thick sliced onion, dry rubbed. Low and slow. Only once twice a year but a couple weeks ago in the oven was so good i might do another for the 4th.

There's a website called Hip Pressure Cooking that features methods for pressure cooking foods that are usually cooked by other methods.

All I've done with brisket in a PC is corned beef. I had to cut it in two, but was the best one I've made since I've been corning my own brisket.

Here's an Emeril recipe for PC brisket:

http://emerils.com/127953/emeril%E2%80%99s-fastest-bbq-brisket

A pressure canner would hold a large brisket.

Most likely, cooking a brisket in the PC is going to yield a shredded product (maybe controllable by how long you cook it?) vs something that you can slice (low & slow in the oven.) But I don't really know since I have only cooked brisket in the oven.

thank you for all the responses, I think I will have to roast it in the oven maybe a couple of days before the day of serving so i can free up the oven for other dishes. I want slices served with gravy and vegetables not shredded . i have about 6 months to practice .

That will work fine! The only question is whether you intend to warm the sliced meat, and which oven you'll do it in, when (been there, done that). Also, if you have the fridge space for holding your cooked meat.

Six months sounds like Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year's, when there are a lot of demands on a fridge. Think about clearing out bottles and jars (salad dressings, condiments, jams, etc.) starting a few months previous, if you don't have a lot of extra fridge space.

When I do a whole brisket in the oven, I do a braise that has some sugar and acid, as well as the liquid, to help break down the connective tissue which makes it tough. I'll work out the number of hours for the weight of the meat and temperature I'm using (add a little if you're putting a lot of dense vegetables in), and divide it into a few hours for the second cook, and the rest for the first. On the first day, start with a higher temperature to get the fat to start melting, and after 30-60 minutes (depends on the oven) reduce to low temp. Cover and refrigerate over night. Next morning, lift off the chilled fat--most of it rises and makes a clump, with enough left to give body and flavor to the gravy. Remove the brisket and slice while cold, then return it to the pan, spooning some of the juice between each slice, but keeping the shape of the piece of meat so it stands up nicely and cooks better with the slices leaning on each other. Alternatively, if it suits better to reduce the size of the pan, scrape all the juices, etc., into the new pan, and put the brisket in, in sections of slices, so that it all fits, and spoon the juice between, etc. Cook as scheduled, but check 90 min. before serving to make sure that there isn't any white fat left--if there is, raise the temperature.

After you open the PC, let the brisket cool down before you try to lift or slice it. The collagen in the meat has converted to gelatin, and gelatin is liquid at higher temperature, so if not cooled, the brisket will fall apart. After the gelatin solidifies, the brisket will hold together.

You can place the brisket in a large bowl in the PC, then you can pour off the liquid (which will be very flavorful, so use it for something - a sauce, a stock, etc), then lift out the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to cool faster.

fawnridge, would you mind posting the recipe for the brisket you grew up with.

The way I've always prepared brisket is below, but I sure would like to try your growing up recipe.

Brisket
Woody's Concentrated BBQ Cooking Sauce*
Dried Onions

Pepper

Salt
Garlic Salt
Oregano
Seasoning Salt
Cumin

START THIS 2-3 DAYS (BETTER IF IT
MARINATES FOR 3 DAYS) BEFORE YOU PLAN TO COOK IT. THEN YOU HAVE TO
ALLOW 7-8 (OR 12) HOURS TIME TO COOK
IT.

Before buying brisket, look at the bottom -- the more meat you see
the better. Buy the one with the most meat visible from the bottom.

Tear off piece of heavy duty aluminum foil large enough to completely enclose
the brisket. Place brisket on the foil.
Brush (I just pour about 1/2 jar
of Woody's on brisket and spread evenly with hand) one side of brisket with
Woody's -- be liberal. Then sprinkle on the garlic salt, oregano,
seasoning salt, salt, pepper, dried onion, and cumin -- be liberal with
the seasoning too. Turn brisket over and repeat this on the other side.
(I like to start with the bottom
side of the brisket then turn it over and finish the top side. That way it is
ready to put in refrigerator when I am finished.) Wrap the heavy duty aluminum foil and place
on a large platter, a roaster, whatever will fit the brisket. Marinate in
refrigerator for 2 or 3 days.

When ready to bake, leave in foil and do not open it up. Put in 300
degree oven and cook for 7-8 hours. (I
put in 250-275 degree oven and cook for 12 hours.) You
can bake this overnight; for cooking 7-8 hours just turn oven on before you go
to bed, put the brisket in the oven and it is ready in the morning. (I put in oven at 6:00 p.m. and take out at
6:00 a.m.)

Remove from oven and unwrap foil (be careful, there are lots of juices in the
foil so open the foil carefully and leave cupped so the juice does not run
out). After cooking, you may take the fat off or leave it on. (I also like to drain off the juices and put
the meat on a large platter.)

This has an incredible flavor and is extremely tender. IT IS WONDERFUL!
You can slice and serve on plates. You
can use for sandwiches. It is great served on hamburger buns with a slice
of onion as a sandwich, served with pepperoncini and cherry peppers and either French fries,
potato salad, or potato chips.

*Can purchase at Kroger's;
it is with BBQ sauces. Italicized remarks are my additions.

"fawnridge, would you mind posting the recipe for the brisket you grew up with."

1/2 fill the largest pot in your collection with water. Take your brisket UNTRIMMED and put in the pot. Obviously, the size of the pot is going to limit the size of the brisket. If the one you bought is too big, slice off the thinnest part and put it in the pot separately.

Add to the pot some peeled, chopped turnips and potatoes, some chopped celery, a large chopped onion, some fresh basil, and a couple of big bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, garlic powder (p.s. I use garlic powder in everything.) and oregano.

Bring the water to a boil and then reduce to the lowest simmer and let it cook for most of the afternoon. The pot usually came off the stove when it was time to cook dinner. Put it in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day and the day after, take the pot out after lunch and let it simmer for at least a couple of hours.

You can serve it on the third day but it will taste better on the fourth, and even better on the fifth day - cold on Jewish rye with lettuce and mayo.

Thank you so much, fawnridge, for the Jewish-style brisket recipe. It sounds so good. I plan to make it in the late fall when weather gets cooler here. Can nearly taste those great sandwiches.

Very interesting recipe Fawnridge! I've never heard of cooking a brisket on the stove rather than in the oven.

I cook mine in the slow cooker - don't have a pressure cooker. 10-11 hours works fine for me. Saves on taking over a holiday oven, and in my case it is great for cooking while I'm at work.

first brisket (5#) last month I did in the oven until tender followed Joan Nathan recipe Jewish Cooking In America, it was great

this month, I did cut one in half and did it in the pressure cooker using same ingredients ,I browned the brisket in the pc added the onions, celery, wine, etc, timed for 1 hour let pressure come down on its own and let it cool as John Liu suggested so the collagen / gelatin solidified ( I chilled it overnight) i saved the pc juices and ran it through the blender for gravy, so now the brisket sliced up beautifully and the gravy is delicious. Baking the Challah now . that's what for dinner tonight. sorry no pictures i don't know how to post pictures.

I think I will be ready for the christmas/Hanukah dinner.

Latkes , no problem make it all the time

JN91871 That dinner sounds delish. Definitely making that brisket this week.

Congratulations! It sounds like the rehearsal was a smash!