1 - 1 Prepare the brisket for cooking: On one side of the brisket there should be a layer of fat, which you want.
2 - If there are any large chunks of fat, cut them off and discard them.
3 - Large pieces of fat will not be able to render out completely.
4 - Using a sharp knife, score the fat in parallel lines, about 3/4-inch apart.
5 - Slice through the fat, not the beef.
Beef Brisket Pot Roast | Taste Board
6 - Repeat in the opposite direction to make a cross-hatch pattern.
7 - Salt the brisket well and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
8 - 2 Sear the brisket: You'll need an oven-proof, thick-bottomed pot with a cover, or Dutch oven, that is just wide enough to hold the brisket roast with a little room for the onions.
9 - Pat the brisket dry and place it, fatty side down, into the pot and place it on medium high heat.
10 - Cook for 5-8 minutes, lightly sizzling, until the fat side is nicely browned.
11 - (If the roast seems to be cooking too fast, turn the heat down to medium.
12 - You want a steady sizzle, not a raging sear.
13 - )
Turn the brisket over and cook for a few minutes more to brown the other side.
14 - 3 Sauté the onions and garlic: When the brisket has browned, remove it from the pot and set aside.
15 - There should be a couple tablespoons of fat rendered in the pot, if not, add some olive oil.
16 - Add the chopped onions and increase the heat to high.
17 - Sprinkle a little salt on the onions.
18 - Sauté, stirring often, until the onions are lightly browned, 5-8 minutes.
19 - Stir in the garlic and cook 1-2 more minutes.
20 - 4 Return brisket to pot, add herbs, stock, bring to simmer, cover, cook in oven: Preheat the oven to 300°F.
21 - Use kitchen twine to tie together the bay leaves, rosemary and thyme.
22 - Move the onions and garlic to the sides of the pot and nestle the brisket inside.
23 - Add the beef stock and the tied-up herbs.
24 - Bring the stock to a boil on the stovetop.
25 - Cover the pot, place the pot in the 300°F oven and cook for 3 hours.
26 - Carefully flip the brisket every hour so it cooks evenly.
27 - 5 Add carrots, continue to cook: After 3 hours, add the carrots.
28 - Cover the pot and cook for 1 hour more, or until the carrots are cooked through and the brisket is falling-apart tender.
29 - 6 Remove brisket to cutting board, tent with foil: When the brisket is falling-apart tender, take the pot out of the oven and remove the brisket to a cutting board.
30 - Cover it with foil.
31 - Pull out and discard the herbs.
32 - 7 Make sauce (optional): At this point you have two options.
33 - You can serve as is, or you can make a sauce with the drippings and some of the onions.
34 - If you serve as is, skip this step.
35 - To make a sauce, remove the carrots and half of the onions, set aside and cover them with foil.
36 - Pour the ingredients that are remaining into the pot into a blender, and purée until smooth.
37 - If you want, add 1 tablespoon of mustard to the mix.
38 - Put into a small pot and keep warm.
39 - 8 Slice the meat across the grain: Notice the lines of the muscle fibers of the roast.
40 - This is the "grain" of the meat.
41 - Slice the meat perpendicular to these lines, or across the grain (cutting this way further tenderizes the meat), in 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch slices.
42 - Serve with the onions, carrots and gravy.
43 - Serve with mashed, roasted or boiled potatoes, egg noodles or polenta.
