Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Slow-Cooked French Onion Beef Brisket



Yesterday I revamped a beef brisket recipe I made as a newlywed. You see, with all my cookbooks packed away, I'm having to stretch my memory back 25 years just to come up with new meals to serve my family.

Ingredients:
1 beef brisket (enough to feed your family and have a little bit left over)
1 small can of Swanson's beef broth
1/2 sliced sweet variety onion
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 large carrot peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1-2 teaspoons Kitchen Bouquet, browning and seasoning sauce

Rub brisket with Kitchen Bouquet on both sides and place inside crockpot. Add the broth, sliced onions, cut up carrot and salt around sides of beef in the liquid if possible. Cook on low if gone all day, or on high for at least 6-1/2 hours (at least until brisket is very tender).

Serving: Remove the brisket from crockpot, slice against the grain and place on a warmed platter. Strain as much of the onion/carrot mix from the broth with a slotted spoon and keep warm resting directly ontop of the meat (cover with foil). Gravy: Mix about 1/4 cup of all purpose flour with 1/2 cup cold water in a plastic container with a lid (shake well to get rid of lumps). Put the broth from crockpot in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Slowly add about half of the flour/water mixture and whisk as it thinkens. Add more flour/water mixture if necessary until you like the consistency. Spoon a bit of the gravy over top the beef and veggies.

Serving suggestions: Serve with mashed potatoes and a veggie or salad of your choice. I happened to bake some autumn butternut squash to go with our dinner. If you decide not to make the gravy, leave the broth and serve the next day as a delicious French onion soup. Enjoy!