D-ED-Fisher 13 BRISKET At almost every holiday dinner with my parents, ...

BRISKET At almost every holiday dinner with my parents, some kind of brisket is served. Though one of the most tough and unforgiving cuts of beef, when cooked successfully it's also one of the most flavorful. My father's was rich and tender-not quite falling apart, cooked just long enough. If he didn't cook it, the meat was presented as naugahyde-like slices in brownish liquid accompanied by carrots and potatoes.

Brisket is a very large cut that comes from the chest of the cow, just behind the front legs. Historically, it's always been a less expensive cut of meat, which may be why it became so popular with working-class immigrants. For American Jews, it was the brisket dinner at Passover. For some of the German and Eastern Europeans who wound up in Texas, it was part of the beginning of barbecue. For the Irish, of course, there's corned beef.

These different cultural influences have led to a surprising variety of uses for the "lowly" and "difficult" brisket. It's the meat at the heart of both corned beef and pastrami. It's good when chopped, chipped or sliced; it's perfect for pot roast, great on a sandwich. Some people use it in chili, or grind it up for sausage. Others shred it for corned beef hash.

In many ways, brisket is actually the perfect cut of meat for traditional barbecue, although it can take as many as 15 hours to cook properly. It has quite a bit of fat that, when cooked well, actually melts into the meat and transforms it from leather to butter

BEER-BRAISED OVEN BRISKET

1 5-6 lb. brisket

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

2 tbsp. canola oil

2 lg. onions, sliced in half circles

1 12-oz. bottle beer of your choice (preferably not stout)

1 bay leaf

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1 lb. new potatoes

4 carrots cut into 2-inch rounds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pat brisket dry, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a wide, heavy, ovenproof pot to medium-hot, but not smoking. Brown meat on all sides and remove. Saute onions until they start to go tender. Remove pot from heat. Add brisket back into pan with onions, add beer and enough water to cover the meat halfway. Add bay leaf, garlic, oregano, allspice and chili powder and stir. Cover, leaving it just slightly uncovered and roast in oven for three to four hours. Continue to add liquid as needed. Add potatoes and carrots 35 minutes before the meat is finished.

It's done when a fork easily slides into the meat and turns with little resistance. Let rest in the liquid, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, then remove to a cutting board and carve the meat, against the grain, into half-inch slices. Spoon pan juices over the meat, and serve with the vegetables.

Note: Beer contains yeast, and may not be kosher for Passover. It may be replaced with broth or water. o