Low and slow beef brisket

Ready when a skewer slides into the thick end with almost no push. The clock is a guide; the skewer is the test.

Serves

4 people

Prep

15 minutes

Cook

5 hours 30 minutes

Buy the cut All recipes

From the shop

Start with a beef brisket, sold as a 1 kg piece. Ask at the counter to leave the fat cap on; it bastes the meat through the long cook.

Slice across the grain. The grain on a brisket changes direction partway along, so look at the fibres before each cut and turn the piece as you go.

Ingredients

• 1 kg beef brisket
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 250 ml beef stock
• 125 ml barbecue sauce

Method

1. Heat the oven to 150°C. Mix the sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Rub it over every side of the brisket.
2. Put the brisket in a roasting dish, fat side up. Pour the stock around it. Cover the dish tightly with foil.
3. Cook for 4 hours 30 minutes to 5 hours, until a skewer slides into the thickest part with almost no resistance.
4. Take off the foil. Brush the brisket with the barbecue sauce. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes until the glaze sets.
5. Rest the brisket on a board, loosely covered, for 20 minutes. Slice across the grain, about 1 cm thick.

Serve it

Serve with coleslaw and soft rolls, or with potato salad and pickles. Spoon the dish juices over the slices.