Strikingly Tasty Brisket
Learning to make a good brisket is a key skill to learning how to make a festive meal. But the working-class origins of this delicious dish are not to be overlooked! Brisket cuts have a lot of connective tissue, so handling the meat well takes time and skill. Because the meat is so tough, it was considered a less desirable cut. They are often sold at a cheaper price, making them the cut of choice for working-class folks and immigrants alike.
Picketing is hard work, and striking workers are cut off from their primary income. Folks on strike — like the union workers of Law360! — can reflect on the wisdom of our working-class and immigrant ancestors and choose the brisket as an affordable and sensible protein choice to shore up flagging energy levels while stretching our dwindling supply of available pennies.
This article will be adapting a Rosh HaShana, or Jewish New Year, recipe for our picketing needs. Let’s get ready for a sweet new year with a sweet new contract!
Ingredients
Brisket, second cut, about 3 lbs.
Neutral oil (like canola or vegetable oil)
2 large sweet onions (or more, if you like)
Several cloves of garlic (when in doubt, add more garlic)
Dried apricots, about 1-2 cups. Measure with your heart.
Prunes, or other dried fruits with a jammy texture, another cup or two
A couple of large carrots
Cumin, to taste
Paprika, to taste
Cinnamon, to taste
Fresh ginger, to taste
1 cup red wine and/or ½ cup balsamic vinegar. If you don’t have balsamic, apple cider vinegar will also work.
⅓ cup honey, or whatever you think is equivalent of sugar, preferably brown sugar if you’ve got it
2 cups broth (chicken or beef, but use whatever you have on hand. I’ve used vegetable broth before, because it is cheaper and I had it in the pantry.)
Cilantro or parsley, if you like it and it doesn’t taste like soap
Salt
Black pepper
Directions
Season the meat with salt and pepper and sear it on the outside in a neutral oil. (Canola oil or vegetable oil if you have it on hand. Olive oil is not preferred, due its relatively low smoke point).
Make a paste with the dried fruits and spices. Spread this spice rub over the meat. Or, if you’re like me and are lazy, cover the meat in spices and chuck all the fruit in the slow cooker right now.
Cut the onions into rounds. Chop up the carrots into rounds, too. Think about the circle of life and the way upper management keeps resources hoarded away from the workers who provide the means for them to profit in the first place.
Sauté onions and carrots in the same pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Or skip this step if you’re running late, it will cook in the oven. Your grandmother might be disappointed, though.
If you do sauté the veggies, be sure to scrape up all the browned bits in the bottom of the pan. The bits are where the flavor is!
Place the meat on top of the onions and put it into the oven at 400° F for 1 hour, uncovered.
Take the pan out of the oven, add the balsamic vinegar and honey, and cover the baking dish tightly. Return the pan to the oven, lower the temperature to 250° F, and cook for another 4 hours, until the meat is fork tender — meaning a fork goes in with almost no resistance. Cooking time will vary, depending on the size and thickness of your brisket, the type of pan you use, and your oven, so make sure to use the fork test.
Flip the meat every hour, if you feel like it. Or don’t! But try to flip it once somewhere in the middle.
The slow cooking part can happen while you are on the picket line.
When you come home, let the brisket chill out overnight in the fridge while you chill out on your bed and rest your aching feet after a long day of picketing.
On the second day, slice brisket into thin slices and return the slices to the pot with the sauce and fruits.
Reheat in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes, or in the slow cooker for 60 to 90 minutes.
Serve hot. Goes great with mashed potatoes or rice. You need the carbs to keep your energy up.
Brisket is very versatile and can be made a multitude of different ways. The key to making it soft and tender is to cook it long and slow, making it perfect for throwing into a crockpot while you are on the picket line.
It makes for a luxurious meal while being relatively affordable, and you can even use the slices of meat in a sandwich for lunch on the go. The broth and the veggies and fruits in it will last longer than the meat, but do not throw it away! That broth is an excellent addition to mashed potatoes or rice, which means this meal will continue to fuel you for as long as it takes to get a fair contract from intransigent management.
A strong union runs on solidarity, and union membership deserves to eat well, even on a budget.
B’teiavon!
—Editing by Dave Trumbore and Ben Jay.
