Brined Brisket
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Brined Brisket

Ingredients

  • One 5-pound well-trimmed brisket

For the Brine:

  • 3 quarts plus 1 cup water, divided

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 1 orange, sliced

  • ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 bunch parsley, roughly chopped

  • Freshly grated black pepper

  • ½ cup Kosher salt

For the Brisket:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 4 tablespoons butter or olive oil

  • 4 large onions, sliced

  • 3 tablespoons fresh thyme

  • 3 cups chicken stock

  • 8 whole medium carrots, peeled

For the Gremolata:

  • Zest of 1 orange

  • 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley tops

  • 1 cup carrot tops

  • ¼ cup almonds, toasted

Preparation

Pat the meat dry and pierce it all over on both sides with the tip of skewer or small, sharp knife tip.

In a large, 2-gallon, re-sealable plastic bag, combine 3 quarts of icy water, bay leaves, orange, Worcestershire, parsley and black pepper. Bring remaining 1 cup of water to a boil and add the salt to dissolve. Add salt water to icy brine. Add the meat, then remove all the air and seal the bag. Place on a tray in the fridge and weigh the meat down under a second tray to keep it submerged. Refrigerate for 1-2 days.

To cook, remove the meat from the brine and pat dry. To a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add olive oil and meat, and brown the brisket on all sides. Remove meat to a plate and add butter or olive oil to pan to melt. Once it foams, add onions, thyme and chicken stock. Bring to a bubble and add brisket back. Cover, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 ½ hours. During the last 45 minutes of cooking, add whole carrots, cover and keep cooking. 

For the gremolata, on a large cutting board, finely chop the orange zest, parsley, carrot tops and toasted almonds together. 

Remove the vegetables to a warm platter, then slice the meat and top with the stock to keep moist. Serve topped with gremolata.

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This recipe originally appeared on the Rachael Ray Show. For more recipes and videos from...
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