SLOW-COOKED BRISKET WITH CAROLINA BBQ SAUCE

Slow-Cooked Brisket with Carolina BBQ Sauce image

South Carolina BBQ sauce has a mustard-vinegar base that adds a big zing to my slow-braised brisket.

Provided by Food Network

Time 4h

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 22

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
Miss Brown's House Seasoning, recipe follows
One 2-pound beef brisket, fat cap trimmed, sinew removed
4 medium yellow onions, halved and sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
20 ounces pale ale
Sliced white bread, for serving
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup spicy brown mustard
1/2 cup whole-grain mustard
1/2 cup yellow mustard
1 red onion, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
3 tablespoons bourbon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
For the brisket: Add the olive oil to a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the brisket with Miss Brown's House Seasoning. Sear the brisket fat-side down until a deep golden crust forms, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and sear other side until deep golden brown, another 5 minutes. Remove to a sheet tray.
Add the onions and bay leaves and season with salt and pepper. Stir until coated in fat. Add the beer and bring to a boil. Put the brisket on top of the onions, cover and place in the oven for 3 hours.
For the BBQ sauce: While the brisket cooks, add the vinegar, brown sugar, brown mustard, whole-grain mustard, yellow mustard, onion, garlic, bourbon and cayenne to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and cook until the onion becomes slightly translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and puree until smooth, being careful of hot steam. Pour back into the pan and simmer over medium-low until slightly thickened and reduced by 1/4, about 30 minutes.
At the 3-hour mark, pour 1 cup of the BBQ sauce over the brisket, return to the oven and cook until the sauce has melted into the brisket, 30 minutes more. Use a knife to test the tenderness of the brisket. It should pierce the brisket very smoothly, with no pushback.
Remove the brisket from the pot and slice against the grain. Discard the bay leaves. Serve with sliced white bread and all those slow-braised beer onions. Don't forget about the extra BBQ sauce for dipping. Store any extra sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Stir together the onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Keep in an airtight container. Makes 5 teaspoons.