mama urchin

Do you ever dream of owning a restaurant? Papa and I do. We’re pretty good cooks and we love good food. We don’t go out to eat that much but when we do we are amazed at the really mediocre options out there. The Urchin Bistro would be a family gathering place with good family food. Things like homemade mac-n-cheese, ham and bean soup, Irish soda bread, and brisket. There would most definitely be brisket, the best you’ve ever had:

Papa’s Brisket
* 4-5 lb beef brisket
* 1T minced garlic
* Pepper
* 1/4t ground mace (clove might work if you don’t have mace)
* 3 medium onions
* 2T oil
* 2/3C beef broth
* 2/3C red wine
* 1/2C cider vinegar
* 3/4C brown sugar
* 1 1/2C BBQ sauce (we prefer bulls eye for this)
* 1C ketchup
* 1T hot sauce

Preheat oven to 350.

Trim brisket and season with pepper. Lightly sprinkle with mace (about 1/4t, but this is important) and then rub in garlic. Heat a roasting pan over medium-high heat on the the stove and then add oil. Brown meat on both sides approx 4 minutes per side. Remove meat and lower heat. Add onions and brown until limp. Deglaze pan with the beef broth and red wine, scraping the bottom clean. Remove from heat. Add the remaining ingredients and mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place meat back in pan and flip to coat with sauce. Cover the meat with some of the onions. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and cook for 2-3 hours until tender. Serve with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or on bread.

This will be even better if made a day ahead. After cooking, slice and refrigerate then reheat in the oven when you are ready to serve. Get a bigger piece — or more than one piece — of meat than you think you need. We rarely find we have leftovers.