Beef

Beef Brisket Pot Roast

Beef brisket is a fabulous cut of meat. The brisket is located between the shoulders and the forelegs of the steer; these muscles get a work-out, and they are also well marbled with fat. So they are highly flavorful and perfect for slow braises. Long cooking time is needed to melt the connective tissue. Upon serving, the meat is cut against the grain, helping it become fall-apart tender.

This recipe is fairly classic, a slow braise with lots and lots of onions. You can do so many things with brisket. One of my favorite beef brisket recipes is just simply slathering it with a BBQ sauce mixture and cooking it forever in the oven. There are versions with ketchup, onion soup, or even cocktail sauce with horseradish. With our recipe, please feel free to mix it up a bit. You could easily use other root vegetables such as parsnips, turnips, or rutabagas. You could use wine or beer instead of the beef stock. Think of this recipe as a starting point for experimentation, or just a good, basic pot roast brisket.
Do you have a favorite brisket recipe? Please let us know about it in the comments.

Beef Brisket Pot Roast Recipe

• Prep time: 35 minutes
• Cook time: 4 hours, 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 4-5 pound beef brisket
• Salt
• 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 large onions, sliced
• 5-6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 3-4 bay leaves
• 2 cups of beef stock
• 2-3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 Tbsp mustard (optional)

Method

1 Prepare the brisket for cooking. On one side of the brisket there should be a layer of fat, which you want. If there are any large chunks of fat, cut them off and discard them. Large pieces of fat will not be able to render out completely. Using a sharp knife, score the fat in parallel lines, about 3/4-inch apart. Slice through the fat, not the beef. Repeat in the opposite direction to make a cross-hatch pattern. Salt the brisket well and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2 You'll need an oven-proof, thick-bottomed pot with a cover, or Dutch oven, that is just wide enough to hold the brisket roast with a little room for the onions. Pat the brisket dry and place it, fatty side down, into the pot and place it on medium high heat. Cook for 5-8 minutes, lightly sizzling, until the fat side is nicely browned. (If the roast seems to be cooking too fast, turn the heat down to medium. You want a steady sizzle, not a raging sear.) Turn the brisket over and cook for a few minutes more to brown the other side.
3 When the brisket has browned, remove it from the pot and set aside. There should be a couple tablespoons of fat rendered in the pot, if not, add some olive oil. Add the chopped onions and increase the heat to high. Sprinkle a little salt on the onions. Sauté, stirring often, until the onions are lightly browned, 5-8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 1-2 more minutes.

4 Preheat the oven to 300°F. Use kitchen twine to tie together the bay leaves, rosemary and thyme. Move the onions and garlic to the sides of the pot and nestle the brisket inside. Add the beef stock and the tied-up herbs. Bring the stock to a boil. Cover the pot, place the pot in the 300°F oven and cook for 3 hours. Carefully flip the brisket every hour so it cooks evenly.
5 After 3 hours, add the carrots. Cover the pot and cook for 1 hour more, or until the carrots are cooked through and the brisket is falling-apart tender.
6 When the brisket is falling-apart tender, take the pot out of the oven and remove the brisket to a cutting board. Cover it with foil. Pull out and discard the herbs.
7 At this point you have two options. You can serve as is, or you can make a sauce with the drippings and some of the onions. If you serve as is, skip this step. To make a sauce, remove the carrots and half of the onions, set aside and cover them with foil. Pour the ingredients that are remaining into the pot into a blender, and purée until smooth. If you want, add 1 tablespoon of mustard to the mix. Put into a small pot and keep warm.
8 Serve the brisket, sliced in 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch slices, against the grain of the meat, with the onions, carrots and gravy. Serve with mashed, roasted or boiled potatoes, egg noodles or polenta.

Yield: Serves 8-12

Beef Goulash with Dumplings

What better on a chilly day than a plate of steaming hot beef stew with light, fluffy dumplings? My super-hero father decided to make goulash for us recently and when the first recipe he tried didn’t work out (go figure – it asked for a quarter pound of paprika), down the drain it went (just the base, thank goodness), and back to the drawing board went dad. The recipe we did end up with dad pulled from one of his thick recipe binders, with his own notes from a Wolfgang Puck Food Network show. The dumpling recipe comes from my friend Elizabeth who brought it back with her from a summer in Prague. The combination is a knock-out. Rich, flavorful, spicy beef stew balanced with light dumplings.

Beef Goulash with Dumplings Recipe

Ingredients

Goulash

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cups onions, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp caraway seeds, toasted and ground
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
• 1 teaspoon spicy Hungarian paprika
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh marjoram leaves
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 1/2 pounds chuck roast, cut into 2-inch cubes (remove excess fat)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Dumplings

• 2 cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp melted butter

Method

1 In a large covered sauté pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions and sugar until caramelized. Add the garlic and caraway seed. Cook another minute.
2 Add the sweet and spicy paprika, marjoram, thyme and bay leaf. Sauté another minute, until fragrant.
3 Add the tomato paste. Deglaze with the vinegar and the stock and add the pieces of beef, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cover and cook until very tender, about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
4 To prepare the dumplings, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Combine with the milk and melted butter, mixing lightly. After the stew has cooked until tender in step 3, drop the dumpling batter by (heaping) teaspoonfuls into the simmering stew. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Once you have covered the pan, do not uncover while the dumplings are cooking! In order for them to be light and fluffy, they must steam. If you uncover the pan, the steam will escape and the dumplings will boil instead. After 15 minutes, test the dumplings with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, the dumplings are done.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6.

Bacon Cheeseburger Bake

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Yield: 6 servings


This classic casserole dish is easily made with ground beef, potatoes, cheddar cheese and tomatoes.

What you'll need

• 1 (4.9 oz.) package Cheddar & Bacon Potatoes
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3 tablespoons Tomato Ketchup
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 medium tomato, sliced
• 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

How to make it

1. Heat oven to 400°F. In ungreased 8x8-inch glass baking dish, combine potato slices, cheese sauce packet, butter and boiling water. Mix well. Stir in milk. Bake 20 minutes.
2. Cook ground beef and onion in large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until beef is browned and onion is tender. Drain. Stir in ketchup and pepper.
3. Remove baking dish from oven. Stir potatoes gently. Spoon meat mixture over potatoes. Top with tomato slices. Sprinkle with cheese.
4. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender and cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving to thicken sauce.

Cheesy BBQ Sloppy Joes

 Add cheese and barbecue sauce to the ground beef in a traditional sloppy joe mixture and serve over Texas toast for an easy, family-friendly main dish meal.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Recipe Time

Prep Time: 28 Minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef $
• 1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup ketchup $
• 1/2 cup bottled barbecue sauce $
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeño peppers (optional)
• 1 tablespoon liquid from pickled jalapeño peppers (optional)
• 1 (11.25-oz.) package frozen garlic Texas toast
• 1/2 cup (2 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Preparation

1. 1. Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 8 to 10 minutes or until beef crumbles and is no longer pink; drain well. Return to skillet. Stir in tomatoes, next 3 ingredients, and, if desired, jalapeño peppers and liquid. Cover and cook 10 minutes.   
2.  Meanwhile, prepare Texas toast according to package directions. Serve beef mixture over Texas toast; sprinkle with cheese.

 

3 Envelope Roast

Ingredients:
3 pound beef roast such as chuck roast
1 envelope of dry Italian salad dressing mix
1 envelope of dry ranch salad dressing mix
1 envelope of dry brown gravy mix
2 cups water

Instructions :
Put the water in a measuring cup that is larger then the amount of water you are using. Now add and mix all three envelopes to the water. Mix until blended completely.
Brown the roast (if desired). Add the meat to your cooker. Pour the water, salad dressing mixture over the roast. In the slow cooker cook it on high for about 4 hours on low about 8 hours.

Slow Cooker Beef Tips With Gravy

Great for those cool days coming soon!

slow cooker beef tips with gravy
1 1/2 lb beef tips or cubed beef stew meat
1 package of dry onion soup mix
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of beef broth
add beef to slow cooker
in a bowl combine dry onion soup mix and cream of mushroom soup and beef broth stir to combine and pour over beef in slow cooker
stir all ingredients together
cook on low for at least 6 to 8 hours give everything a good stir before serving serve on top of mashed potatoes or egg noodles"

Parmesan Meatballs

 Meat mixture:
1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons dehydrated onions

Gravy:
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
2 cup beef stock

Mix all ingredients for the meat mixture and form into balls.
In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons on butter and then brown the meatballs on all sides.
Remove meatballs from the skillet and set aside. Add 2 more tablespoons of butter to start your gravy. Once melted, whisk in the flour and whisk continuously until your rue is formed.
Slowly whisk in the milk and beef stock until your gravy is smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Replace meatballs in the gravy and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover skillet, and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve over hot mashed potatoes or rice.