Brisket in the oven

D

DCLonghorn

1,000+ Posts
I live in a townhouse and do not have access to a smoker and wanted to know if it's possible to make brisket in an oven? Actually, my girlfriends mom made brisket in the oven last year and I was not impressed. Seemed dry and tuff. I want to make brisket tacos. Recommendations/Suggestions/Recipes?
 
If you have to do it in the oven, I'd recommend getting HEB's pre-made brisket. You cook it for an hour and it's pretty decent, since it's already been smoked. You don't have to tell anybody it's precooked.
 
Brisket can be cooked in the oven, but it's not BBQ. I once went to someone's house who said they were having "BBQ brisket". It was brisket with BBQ sauce, cooked in a crock pot!!! Shameful.
 
Baking or braising briskets is very common in the Northeastern USA. It's not BBQ of course, but I suppose there ARE other ways to cook meat. I just don't want to hear about them.

I can't think of any good way to duplicate the flavor or texture of a BBQ brisket using solely an oven. Don't know where you are, but if you have access to the pre-made stuff like HEB sells as suggested above, that's probably your best bet.
 
I live in Washington DC, so access to HEB is out of the question. Plus, I'm pretty picky about my brisket so I'll wait until I can do it the right way.

Can brisket be smoked or cooked on a charcoal or gas grill?

Any suggestions on what to cook in a crock pot or oven that I can put on a tortilla? What about roast or barbacoa?
 
I did my first briskets on a barrel grill - had charcoal on one end of the barrel, brisket on the other. You gotta know somebody in town that has a large enough grill. Maybe call W?
 
Back when I was in school, with no access to a smoker, I cooked a brisket or two in the oven. Rubbed them with liquid smoke, rub, etc., then cooked it low and slow in the oven. It was passable. It wasn't really bbq, and it wasn't fanfreakingtastic or anything, but it was edible. It was a semi-smoky flavored hunk of roast meat.

Brisket can be roasted just fine, but you just need to make sure you don't call it bbq, that's all.

If you just want something for tacos, I would STRONGLY suggest doing barbacoa -- you can often get just the cheek meat. Wrap it tightly in foil packets and put them in the oven for 6 hours or so, and there you are.

Oh, and you can smoke a brisket just fine on a 55 gallon drum type pit. Just build a SMALL charcoal/wood fire at the end away from the chimney, and put the brisket on the opposite end. The fire will take some tending, but you will get things done, at least passably.
 
DC,

Might I make a quick suggestion? Try Smokey Denmark. Not only do they make a great product, they'll ship it to you and you can freeze one for reheating later. Also, you support a HornFans sponsor while enjoying a good brisket in DC.

What more could you ask for?
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D'oh!

Can't believe I missed a chance to pimp Smokey Denmark. Good job, Rob!

And, I would add, they were a BFN sponsor before they were a Hornfans sponsor...
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Rub, broil and braise is a great way to cook meat.

Brisket is right - it isn't BBQ, but you can get some great flavor with a braise. It is also deliciously tender.

That said - I am not a fan of braising brisket. It is just too dense (not enough marbling) for an easy braise. It is the perfect BBQ meat.

I would get another cut for the oven (short ribs?). Rub them, broil them for 20 minute to get some good carmelization, then braise them low and slow. I have a great French recipe for braised short ribs over parsnips if you are interested in a day of cooking for a great - great meal. I also have some simple dishes you can cook in a dutch oven (I am not a fan of the crock pot).
 
Yes, I'll leave the brisket to the experts and order online whenever I need my fix. Thanks for the link.

Washpark - Yes, recipes would be greatly appreciated.
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Does anyone have a good recipe for Tri-tip or Barbocoa?
 
DC-- if you have the briskets shipped to you, and you don't want to eat the full 4-6 lbs in one sitting, you can slice it and freeze portions of it as well. It's not as good as the first time you re-heat, but it still tastes fine. I mean, you live in DC, how picky can you really afford to be?
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Anyway, I've sliced, frozen, and re-heated after catering events in the past, and it works out okay.
 
Smokey Denmark has been around for a LONG time. However, about 10 years ago they were bought by a couple of UT grads and have expanded from simply being a supplier. For now, the only retail is online and at their plant (on east 5th). As their retail business slowly gets going, I expect that they will open a couple of small stores, but that is definitely in the future.

If you have any trouble ordering online, call the 800 number on the site and tell Janie (the wonderful lady that will probably answer the telephone) that you are ordering a shipment to DC and that Robert at HornFans referred you.
 
My Dad used to buy his sausage bulk from Smokey Denmark when we owned a BBQ restaurant back in the late 70s/early 80s. Like Rob said, they were strictly a vendor back then, but now they're selling to the public. It's quality stuff that both Rob and I use at our tailgate parties-- you won't be disappointed.
 
The oft-cited Legends of Texas cookbook has a brisket-in-the-oven recipe in it from a guy in prison.

I've only read the background of the story, not the how-to part so it might be worth checking out.
 
DC -

Sorry for the delay on this.

Here it is - Braised short ribs:

Ingredients:
6 pounds short ribs (bone-in, take off the silver skin)
Bottle of good red wine (less one glass that you drink at the end of the preparation).
3 white onions - chopped
2 carrots - chopped
1 rib of celery - chopped
9 cloves of garlic - chopped
1/4 of flour
4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) of diced tomatoes (drain it)
2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary - minced
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme - minced
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon of tomato paste
1/2 pound of bacon - chopped
8 oz. pearl onions
4 parsnips (cross between a carrot and a potato - peel it, cut it into carrot type slices - GREAT flavor - you are going to be making hashed parsnips essentially)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons fresh parsley - chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 - get a beer.
2. Rack in the middle position
3. Put the short ribs bone down in a single layer in a roasting pan.
4. Season them with salt and pepper
5. Roast the ribs for 45 minutes (they will brown, carmelize and release a lot of fat. Have another beer.
6. Drain fat.
7. Put pan with ribs back in oven. for another 15 minutes (you are getting a lot of carmelization - that is the goal). Beer time.
8. Put ribs on a plate and SAVE THE LIQUID/FAT in a bowl.
9. Oven to 300 degress.
10. Put roasting pan on stove top burners set to medium. (You are about to deglaze the roasting pan - much easier than you think). Pour a glass of wine.
11. Pour the rest of the wine in the roasting pan.
12. Once it starts simmering, scrape up all the brown off the pan (that is the great flavor) with a wooden spoon/spatula.
13. Crack another beer.
14. Take the roasting pan off the burner.
15. Get out a dutch oven (they are cheap or expensive - I have a $29 one I bought at Bed Bath and Beyond that works great.
16. Heat 2 tablespoons of the fat you save from Step 8 into the dutch oven over high heat
17. Throw the onions, carrots, and celery into the dutch oven.
18. Drink more beer.
19. Saute the veggies for 15 minutes (you want them soft, not crispy)
20. Add the garlic.
21. Cook the garlic for a minute (don't burn garlic - it gets bitter)
22. Take the wine/brown bit mixture from the roasting pan and add it to the veggies in the dutch oven.
23. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, tomato paste, salt, pepper.
24. Bring it to a boil
25. Put the short in - dunk them in the liquid.
26. Put the cover on the pot.
27. Put it in the 300 degree oven for 2 1/2 hours.

Take a break.

28. Pull the dutch oven out of the oven.
29. Let it rest for 2 hours (it will cool down to a warm, rather than hot).
30. Take the ribs out (the bones will fall off many of the ribs - that is okay - just throw the loose bones away or give them to your dog); put them on a plate.
31. Strain the remaining liquid in the pot.
32. Put the liquid in a bowl.
33. Put the bacon in the dutch oven and cook until it is crisp.
34. Take the bacon out and put on a paper towel BUT LEAVE THE FAT IN THE DUTCH OVEN.
35. Put the pearl onions, parsnips, sugar, and salt in the dutch oven over HIGH heat.
36. Cook those ingredients for 5 minutes
37. Put the braising liquid back into the dutch oven and bring to a simmer.
38. Put the ribs back in the liquid and reduce the heat to medium.
39. Drink the glass of wine.
40. Cook for 5 minutes
41. Put bacon in - stir it gently - you want the bacon to remain crispy and whole.
42. Serve - garnish with parsley.
 
Easy Easy brisket in the oven recipe. It is more of the northeastern style with some texas flavor. This is from someone i know in Gainesville, TX.

Involves 5 things

-Brisket
-Shiner Bock
-Salt
-Pepper
-Tin Foil

Rub brisket with s and p. Make tin foil dutch oven. Pour 1-2 bottles of shiner to cover meat. Wrap foil. Cook 200-250 for 10 hours or so.

Not bad....not bbq....but not bad and very very easy.
 
Thank you both for the recipes. I bought a new Charbroil grill and assembled it yesterday. Tonight, I'm having a few people over for Guinness Ribeyes.
 
The new issue (July/August 2007) of Cook's Illustrated has an article about how to make "authentic Texas brisket" on a regular grill.
 
If that were the only equipment I had, then that's the way I'd do it. One way or the other, I MUST make BBQ, and I consider myself very fortunate that my FIL was kind enough to give me a kick-arse smoker as a Christmas present one year.
 
I will start this by saying it is not BBQ brisket and will not pretend that it is. However my mom makes a brisket in an electric skillet. In my opinion is as good as any smoked brisket I have eaten. Keep in mind this is a different taste than smoked.

She buys a trimmed brisket usually 3-5 pounds. Season it by rubbing fiesta fajita seasoning liberally all over the meat. Turn your electric skillet to 350 and let heat up. Cook covered in electric skillet until desired doneness is achieved, turning periodically. It will take a few hours to cook. If it looks to be getting dry add a little water to the skillet. Remember a little water, you are not boiling it. When the meat is finished you can make a very nice brown gravy in the same skillet.

Again this is a different taste than smoked brisket but it is very good if done right. Serve brisket and gravy with mashed potatoes, salad, pinto beans and hot rolls/corn bread.
 
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