Can anyone save my brisket????

[yennyfire]

AAARGGGHHH!! I'm having 20 people over tomorrow for Passover and I put three brisket's in the oven this morning. I got busy doing a million other things to get ready (setting the table, polishing silver, cleaning out the pantry, not to mention taking care of two kids) that I forgot to baste the dang meat. There's 30 minutes left of cooking time. Short of basting it every 5 minutes, any ideas as to how I can save 12 lbs. of meat????

 

[Jennifer W]

Oh no! You can probably rescue it, don't worry quite yet.

What sort of condition is it in? If it's dried out, you can slice it and make gravy, put the slices in an oven proof dish, layering beef and gravy as you go, cover and cook gently until it softens. If it just has a bit of a hard skin, you might be able to carve that off with a very sharp knife, (or turn it upside down).

Good luck! I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow.

 

[luv2sparkle]

I would take it out and put in in the crock post with broth and keep it on warm. Not sure if it would work Yenny, but that is
what I would do. Just and inch or so. Not completely covered. Can you check it and make sure it is dry first. We cook brisket
on the smoker and don't check it for hours and it comes out great. All might not be lost.

 

[yennyfire]

Thanks for the advice and support Jennifer and luvtosparkle....it didn't seem to be dried out. I decided to flip it on the other side (since the top side was what I was worried about...the bottom had been sitting in juices/liquid the whole time) and baste the heck out of it. It's out of the oven now and I'm letting it cool in the fridge. I'll slice it later (it's always easier when it's cold) and then skim the fat off of the juices and put them back on the brisket when I re-heat it tomorrow night. Hopefully, it will be ok. I can't believe I did this....I hope that I didn't ruin Passover dinner.

I'll let ya'll know how it went on Tuesday morning...

 

[somethingshiny]

Did you cut some of the fat off before cooking?? If you did, the meat is just going to be very dry. (You should cut the fat by at least half before cooking, but if you didn't, you may have saved yourself.) If you left the fat, reheating in the juice will be okay. If you cut the fat, reheating is going to toughen it more. Think marinade and spices now. You can still marinate cooked meat. It won't have quite the same effect, but soaking it in anything that will break down the meat will tenderize it and add moisture. If you're having trouble, you can fall back on BBQ. Just cool, trim and slice the beef. Mix a good BBQ with a little broth or water, red wine could be good too. Season to your taste and then reheat with this mixture. It will be great.

 

[JulieN]

Basting is a myth.

 

[yennyfire]

somethingshiny, I didn't cut the fat off before I cooked it. I scraped it off after I took it out of the oven. So, I think you're right that I saved myself. I think that the brisket will be fine. I tasted it after it cooled and I think it's ok. Once the juices have hardened and I can skim the fat off and put the juices back on the meat to re-heat, I think it will be fine.

Why does basting not work? Just curious, as it would sure save me some time if I could skip the basting in many of the recipes I make.

 

[Haven]

It's going to be fine, Yenny! We make brisket every year and never baste it, and it is always moist and delicious! You said it hadn't dried out, and I think it was a good idea to flip it over. I am sure it's going to be DELISH!

I'm hosting seder for 21 guests tomorrow, but my awesome Mom made the brisket this year. We're also having grilled chicken as a main, so DH and I are prepping that (and a million other things!) today.

Your brisket is going to be tender and delicious, don't worry! You did not ruin your Passover seder.

 

[yennyfire]

Haven, too funny...we're also having chicken tomorrow...for the non-meat lovers in the crowd. I wish my Mom had made the brisket, but she made several sponge cakes, that will become strawberry shortcakes, so I can't complain! I'll just be glad when this Seder is over and next year, when it's at my sister's home, I can bring the haroses and wine and sit back and relax. We rotate who hosts and I rarely relax when we host. The timing of the meal with the Seder is tough...willl the matzoh ball soup be ready at the right time??...who wants gefilte fish and who doesn't??? Will the kids like the prizes I selected for the afikoman? It all stresses me out. Add to that one very neurotic mother who gets pissy when the "kids" (we are all over 35, mind you) drink a bit more than maybe we should...it's a ton o' fun! Snort!

Happy Pesach Haven. Hope your Seder is more peaceful than ours, lol.

 

[JulieN]

Basting doesn't work because how juicy (how much liquid is in the muscle fibers) the meat is a function of the temperature the meat is cooked to.

You cannot force muscle fibers to hold onto liquid by pouring liquid over it. If basting does anything at all, periodic opening of the oven door lowers the heat of the oven, preventing you from overcooking it. I suggest covering the meat, cooking at a low temperature if you have the time, and rotating your pan halfway through if your oven cooks unevenly.

And if you don't cut off the fat, you'll be fine. I'm jealous, I wish I had some Passover brisket.

 

[TooPatient]

I like to do my brisket in a red wine & beef stock marinade thing. I usually let it sit at least overnight in the marinade and then shove it in the oven. The liquid is usually about halfway up the meat so I don't really bother with basting but I do flip it about 1/3 of the way through cooking and then again about another 1/3 of the way through. Other than being really full of flavor and moist, I really like that this is pretty flexible for dinner timing so if people get delayed there is no harm done.... or if I'm too busy with the rest of the food that I lose track of time


Sounds yummy!
(I'm stuck with lamb shanks for our seder since FI is Sephardic -- what I wouldn't give for a slice of brisket with some gravy )

 

[yennyfire]

Thanks for the explanation Julie. It does make sense. If you want to come to Georgia, you are welcome to share our brisket!

TooPatient, your brisket recipe sounds really good. We would normally do lamb too, because it's more "traditional", but we don't really care for it, so we do brisket and roasted chicken. I figure if I'm cooking, I can cook what I prefer.

Have a nice Seder!

 

[somethingshiny]

Agree that basting doesn't do anything except waste the heat in your oven. Tenderizing is the best thing for meat. Brine, marinade, or slow moist cook are my preferred methods.

Glad that it'll be good!!

 

[Haven]

So, how did the brisket turn out, Yennyfire? I'm guessing it was delicious!

Chag sameach!

I *so* wish we rotated hosting holidays! I love Pesach, but it is such a difficult holiday to host--so many courses. The dishes are killer. DH and I were up until 1 AM cleaning, and then I had to teach an 8 AM class. Ugh. I would pass this holiday off every other year in a HEARTBEAT!

Our seder was great, there was nothing peaceful about it as it was filled with the usual family mayhem, but great nonetheless. We had 21 people plus a baby, and now I am EXHAUSTED. My mom's brisket disappeared so fast DH didn't even get to try it. I asked her if she bastes and she said "No way! That's too much work. Brisket it easy--just cook it low and slow!"

We tried something new this year and set up our tables end to end in our dining room/living room. I LOVED having everyone sitting at one long table, it was so much fun. We left a couple of feet between each table for easy in and out, and the kids had to sit on the sofas, but it felt so nice to be able to look down the tables and see everyone.

 

[SapphireLover]

I'm intrigued- do Americans always have brisket for Seder? Over in the UK I don't think we have ever had it. It's always egg and salt water, gefilte fish, chicken soup with kneidls (we never call them matzo balls), roast chicken or salt beef and then some deserts (normally including a parev pavlova).

Chag samech everybody! I'm off to eat some rubbish breakfast cereal made out of potatoes.

Oh and I would love to be Sephardi for pesach- I'd love to be able to eat rice, corn etc.