Braised Brisket & Noodle Kugel
RECIPE
BRISKET
▪Whole trimmed brisket (about 8lb/3.5kg)
▪Olive oil
▪1kg/3-4 large onions, sliced
▪Salt
▪1800g/2 32oz boxes beef stock
▪30g or 1.5Tbsp Better bouillon beef base
▪30g or 1.75Tbsp worcestershire
▪10g or 1.5Tbsp paprika
▪5g or 3/4Tbsp garlic powder
▪3g or 1.5tsp black pepper
▪1-2g or 1-2tsp dried thyme
▪200g or 3/4c canned tomato sauce
▪15g or 1Tbsp anchovies, finely minced
▪200g or 3/4c ketchup
▪50g or 3Tbsp A1, or other steak sauce of choice
▪Bloomed gelatin (4 packets of gelatine stirred with 40-50g water)
Spread oil on each side of brisket then season both sides generously with salt. “Sear” on a rimmed sheet tray in 550F/287C oven for 10-15 minutes. Flip and continue to cook on the second side for 10-15 minutes. When properly seared, the outside should appear nicely browned.
Add a long squeeze of olive oil into a large fry pan (i’m using a 12” cast iron) over high. Add sliced onions. Cook for 10-12 min over high heat (no salt added) until roasty and slightly caramelized.
Add the roasted onions to a roasting pan and place the seared brisket on top. Add a bit of water to the sheet tray you cooked the brisket on and scrape up any brown bits. Add the resulting liquid into the roasting pan with the brisket and onions.
To make the cooking liquid, whisk together beef stock, better than bouillon, worcestershire, paprika, garlic powder, pepper, thyme, tomato sauce, anchovies, ketchup, and A1. Pour the liquid over the beef in the roasting pan. Cover beef with a piece of parchment, and tightly wrap the entire pan with foil. Bake at 300F/150C for 4 hours.
After 4 hours, remove foil and continue to cook for an additional 1-2 hours to reduce liquid and brown the beef. When done, beef should be tender and almost shreddable, but not falling apart. Allow meat to cool slightly, then refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
Once cooled, remove excess fat from the top of the roasting pan. Remove brisket from cooking liquid and transfer roasting pan to the stove over a medium-high burner to reduce liquid by 2-3 times. Add bloomed gelatin if desired and continue to reduce for another 30 minutes or so to continue to thicken. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt if needed.
Slice brisket and shingle into roasting pan spooning the sauce on top. Cover with foil and hold in very low oven until ready to serve.
NOODLE KUGEL
▪1lb/.5kg egg noodles (i’m using no yolks)
▪450g or 1 3/4c sour cream
▪450g or 2c cottage cheese
▪6 eggs
▪12g or 2tsp salt
▪1-2g or 1-2tsp dried thyme
▪2g or 3/4tsp black pepper
▪150g or 1 1/3c gruyere, shredded
▪113g/1 stick butter
▪200g or 1large onion, thinly sliced
▪15g or 3 garlic cloves, minced
▪Buttered breadcrumbs (120g/2 1/8c panko breadcrumbs mixed with 30g/2-2.5Tbsp melted butter)
Boil pasta in well salted water to package instructions.
Spin sour cream, cottage cheese, eggs, salt, thyme, pepper, and gruyere in a food processor until cheeses are broken down and mixture is well combined. It will be quite loose.
Melt butter in a fry pan over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Stir and sweat the onions for 5-8 minutes. Onions should soften, but not take on color. Transfer onions to a bowl.
Add noodles to the onion bowl along with the sour cream/egg custard. Stir to combine and load into a well buttered 9”x13”/22x32cm baking dish. Top evenly with buttered bread crumbs then bake at 375F/190C for 50-60min.
Allow to set before serving.
