B is for Brisket

I try to use our slow cooker at least once a week because it's so nice to come home to good smells in the kitchen and a super easy dinner.  I especially like to set up a crock pot meal on days that I tutor after school so that I can come home later than usual, yet not feel like I have more work to do.

We have the Cuisinart 4-quart slow cooker that came from Crate & Barrel as a wedding gift.  Peter wishes we'd registered for the larger 6-quart one, but honestly, I think it's just right for us.  Many people think of crock pot meals as dry and bland or lacking quality ingredients.  It can be true.  We've all seen those Man-with-a-Can style cookbooks where you toss some beans and cut up frankfurters in the crock pot with some ketchup.  I don't cook like that.

In my slow cooker, I make soup and chili that can simmer all day to meld the flavors.  White bean chicken chili, chicken tortilla soup, and potato soup are some of my regulars.  During autumn's apple season, I like to fill the pot with local apples, water, cinnamon, and sugar and let it cook all day until the apples mash up with a spoon and make the most wonderful apple sauce.  Imagine that served with a pork tenderloin and roasted green beans...hungry?  If that isn't enough to tease your taste buds, Peter makes a killer chicken BBQ.  I'll share some more of those recipes in the future, so look out for a few slow-cooker specials that will make your life easier, but won't require you to compromise the quality of your meals.  

This week I made a new recipe for coffee-braised brisket with potatoes and carrots from the January 2011 Real Simple.  I prepared the veggies and cooking sauce the night before and Peter tossed it together before he went to work in the morning.  If I made it again, I'd use more coffee and a stronger variety.  The flavor of the brisket was nice, but for coffee-braised brisket, I expected a real coffee flavor and I just couldn't detect it.  Instead of new potatoes, I used red potatoes.  I also served the brisket with steamed broccoli and cauliflower instead of country bread, as Real Simple suggested.

Coffee-Braised Brisket with Potatoes and Carrots
January 2011 Real Simple

1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 lb. new potatoes (about 12)
1 lb. carrots, cut into 2 1/2 inch lengths
2 1/2 lbs. beef brisket
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1/2 c. brewed black coffee
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

In the bottom of the slow cooker, combine the onion, potatoes, and carrots.  Season the beef with salt and pepper and place on top of the vegetables.  In a small bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, coffee, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar.  Pour over the beef and vegetables.  Cover and cook on low until the beef is tender (7-8 hours).  Slice the beef across the grain and serve with the vegetables and sauce, sprinkled with the parsley.