Brisket

I made brisket yesterday for Patrick's birthday. It was soooo good - probably the best brisket I've ever made. That might be because this time our brisket came from a local family farm and not the grocery store. I don't know why we don't have brisket more often, it is so delicious. Maybe because it's just so dang expensive. But it's completely worth it. I could just eat a plate full of brisket and nothing else. Who needs sides?

I need to write down how to do it because I am always forgetting. This is how my mom made it. She taught my friend how to make it, and I have had to email her more than once to ask, "How do you make my mom's brisket?" Ha. I shouldn't forget because it is about as simple as it could possibly be.

Ingredients:

• Brisket, any size
• Fiesta brand fajita seasoning
• Water

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 225 degrees F.  
2. Place brisket, fat side down, in a baking pan and sprinkle generously with Fiesta brand fajita seasoning. Use tongs to hold the brisket on the sides and be sure to sprinkle the sides too. You can also rub the seasoning into the beef. 
3. Now flip the brisket so the fat side is up and sprinkle that side. You will be cooking the brisket fat side up so the fat juices will melt and drip into the meat.
4. Pour water into the pan so the brisket is sitting in about ½ inch of water.
5. Cover the pan tightly with foil. 
6. Bake for at 225 degrees for at least 1 hour per pound of brisket. A little longer doesn't hurt. I made a 4-pound brisket yesterday and set the timer for 4 hours. You can also bake it overnight at 200 degrees. Baste the brisket with the pan juices occasionally. You can turn the oven up during the last hour or so of cooking to speed things along. I made baked mac & cheese yesterday and turned the oven up to 400 for the last half-hour of cooking so that I could bake the macaroni in the oven with the brisket.
7. Remove brisket from pan, place on a cutting board, and trim off any large pieces of fat. Now slice the brisket against the grain, or chop brisket for sandwiches.
8. Transfer sliced brisket to a serving platter and pour a little of the pan juices on top. Serve with your favorite barbecue sauce, warmed. If you are serving chopped brisket, then mix it with a little barbecue sauce for serving.

It is actually delicious with no sauce, and it's zero carbs, of course!