Slow-cook Brisket with Carrots and Sweet Potatoes | Everyday Dorie

Among the many appliances I have in the kitchen, slow-cooker is not one of them, surprisingly. To slow cook, I prefer sous vide or use a Dutch oven in a 350°F oven. It’s the latter method I approach the slow-cook brisket with carrots and sweet potatoes. However, the result is nothing like Dorie’s picture of the dish in Everyday Dorie.

You can never go wrong starting with a high-heat treatment, searing the brisket as well as the carrots, aromatic vegetables (onion, garlic, celery) and sweet potatoes on the stovetop. The kitchen starts smelling the roasted flavor of beef. After the preliminary sear, pour red wine, a can of diced tomatoes together with spices (bay leaf, star anise and paprika) in a Dutch oven. That forms the bases for the long braise in the oven. In addition, the surprise ingredient is the prunes which provide a pleasant fruity chew to the mix.

After three and a half hours in the oven, the brisket becomes fork tender. But the texture is more like that of pulled pork that falls apart, than a tender slice of meat with a bite to it. What’s bewildering is I have no clue how I can improve on the texture of the beef? I start to think that I didn’t get a good cut of meat. Valid or not to compare, the unit cost of brisket is more than that of chicken, pork or salmon.

Somehow, the final texture and flavor disappoint, especially after hours of cooking and waiting. The vote is unanimous among the family members. There seems to be something missing; I’ve certainly given it a lot of love!

Merry Christmas to all our friends at Cook-the-Book-Fridays.