Cooking Day Three

Sunday was the third Day of our cooking experiment and it was long and yummy! Here was the menu:

B-B-Q Beef Brisket w/ Dry Rub & Quick Barbecue Sauce

Crudites

Herbed Spinach Dip

Brushcetta w/Tomato & Basil

Everything was very tasty! Although a labor of food love, especially the brisket! First, finding the brisket! Wednesday I figured I should call around to the local stores and find out who carried brisket on a regular basis. I just had no idea where to look for it! Of course, I forgot to call until Friday when I called Shaw’s. Apparently it’s not “brisket season” yet (it’s in the winter) and they would have needed four days to get one, should’ve called earlier. Next I called Concord Beef & Seafood, not open yet for the day, whoops! Then I tried the Meat House and was assured that they would have one in stock for me if I stopped by on Saturday to pick it up. While grabbing a salad for lunch at Hannaford I figured I’d swing through the meat department and see if they had one, surprisingly they did, but it was a flat cut, and I wanted a point cut. So Saturday morning I headed out to get the brisket. Of course, it didn’t come off the truck at the Meat House and they didn’t have one for me, despite the promise of the day before. But the butcher who waited on me was very sorry and apologized for the unfulfilled promise I had received on the phone. Next, back to Hannaford, now the briskets from the day before were gone! So I asked at the counter, and luckily they had 5-lb. Flat cut brisket in the back, not exactly the cut I wanted but after all that, it was fine!

Preparing the Meat

First a dry rub early Sunday morning before Church I prepared a smokey & spicy rub for the brisket and let it set for 4 hours. Then the brisket was slowly roasted and smoked over a blend of hickory and mesquite wood chips for 1 1/2 hours. Then into the oven for a braise for 2 hours, followed by a 1/2 hour rest and homemade BBQ sauce, yum!

Everything else was delectable too. The brushcetta was fresh and delicious and so was the spinach dip. I also enjoyed the improved textures of the crudites. I am not a fan of raw broccoli, but a 2 minute blanch in hot water followed by an ice water bath improved the taste and color tremendously!

“Celery, bell peppers, endive, jicama, tomatoes, and radishes taste best raw, but carrots, snow/snap peas, cauliflower, green beans, fennel, broccoli, and asparagus are best served by a quick blanch-and-shock before joining the rest on the platter” The New Best Recipe pg. 9