Holiday Recipe Club: Beer Braised Brisket with Potatoes and Peppers

I am excited for my first post for the Holiday Recipe Club!    Of course, the upcoming holiday is St. Patrick’s Day so the “secret ingredients” to choose from are beer, potatoes, and/or pistachios.   (Thanks to Veronica at My Catholic Kitchen for putting me on to this new club!)

I wanted a hearty meal so I chose the beer and potatoes.   I will have to say that the beer was a Belgian white (not a Guinness) and the potatoes were Yukon Golds (not Irish).

Sorry, die-hard St. Paddy Day fans, but that is what I had on hand.  🙂

I was inspired by an old recipe from Gourmet (see below) and a great recipe that I saw posted by a fellow blogger that incorporated jarred peperoncini peppers with a roast beef.     For the life of me, I can’t remember who posted that recipe (or find the recipe), but I still thought it was a genius idea.   (If it was you, please leave me a comment so I can set the record straight.)

Aside:   And the winner is Veronica who commented below to remind me that she was the pepper-roast genius!   Please check out her inspirational post for Banana Pepper Roast.

I have to say that this was a most delicious dish.   All of the flavors melded together in a sweet, spicy deliciousness.

Beer Braised Brisket

Beer Braised Brisket with Potatoes and Peppers
Inspired by Beer-Braised Brisket with Root Vegetables

6 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
5 lb. beef brisket, trimmed
salt and pepper
1 large onion, halved and sliced thin (about 2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (12 oz.) bottles of beer (I used a winter white ale.)
2 T. dark brown sugar
1 (16 oz) jar sliced peperoncini peppers
2 lbs.  Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. water

Preheat the oven to 350°F.   In a large Dutch oven or kettle cook the bacon over moderate heat, stirring, until it is crisp.  Transfer cooked bacon to paper towels to drain, and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.

Crispy bacon.

Heat the fat remaining in the pot over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking.   Pat brisket well with paper towels to remove any moisture and then season meat with salt and pepper.   Brown on all sides.

Finish with fatty side up.

When brisket is brown, transfer it to a platter.   Add the onions and garlic  to the pot, sauté them until they are golden (about 5 minutes).   Add beer and brown sugar and stir.   (There should be lots of delicious brown bits to scrape off the bottom of the cooking pan. )

Add the brisket (fatty side up), the cooked bacon,  and the peperoncinis.

Peppers, bacon and beer added.

Add the beer and bring to a boil.   Cover and carefully put in preheated oven.  Braise the brisket, covered, in the oven for 1 hour, 15 minutes.

After braising, remove from oven.

Ready for the potatoes.

Stir in the potatoes and return to oven (for about 45 minutes or until potatoes are done).   (You may also add any other desired root veggies at this point.)

Any variety of potatoes will work.

Transfer the brisket to a cutting board.   Let rest and then slice.

Sliced and awaiting gravy.

Remove peppers, onions, and potatoes with a slotted spoon to a plate and keep them warm, covered.   Mix water and flour well.   The best way is to shake them up until there are no lumps.

This is a great “gravy maker” that my mom got me. We had a real copper one when we were growing up.

Bring the braising liquid to a boil, and then slowly whisk in the flour mixture.  Simmer the sauce for 3 minutes and season it with salt and pepper, stirring constantly.   Arrange sliced brisket,  the potatoes/onions/peppers  on a platter.   Spoon some of the sauce over and serve.

You may also garnish with a bit of parsley.

Leftovers?   Turn this into a soup.   (Might I just say that the leftovers were eaten as leftovers and were delicious.)

Really, I can’t say how much I loved this new recipe!