RECIPE: HOW TO DO MEXICAN-STYLE BARBECUED BEEF BRISKET WITH QUICK-PICKLED ONIONS

Beef brisket can be a tough joint, but this recipe guarantees fall-apart-tender meat with a Mexican flavour that will make your taste buds sit up and take notice.

RECIPE MEXICAN-STYLE BARBECUED BEEF BRISKET WITH QUICK-PICKLED ONIONS

Dificulty: Medium
Portion: Serves 6-8
Time: Hands-on time 45 min, oven time 5½ hours, grill/barbecue time 10 min, plus marinating

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 red onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1-2 green or yellow jalapeños, sliced
2 tbsp chipotle paste
6 tbsp dark muscovado sugar
2.25kg British beef brisket
3 dried cascabel chillies (available from Waitrose, Ocado or online from Souschef)
500ml good quality beef stock
250ml fruity red wine
200ml fresh orange juice
200ml passata
2 red onions, thinly sliced
Juice 3 limes
1 tbsp sea salt
Large handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Sliced green or yellow jalapeños
2 ripe avocados, chopped
Juice ½ lime, plus extra wedges
Steamed rice or warm tortillas

Step by step preparation

Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan. Add the chopped onion and fry for 5 minutes or until beginning to colour. Stir in the garlic, cumin, coriander, jalapeños, chipotle paste and sugar, season generously with salt and pepper, then cook for 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. If you like a smooth consistency, whizz in a mini food processor or pound in a pestle and mortar (optional).
Rub the cooled onion and spice marinade all over the brisket, then transfer to a large food bag with any leftover marinade. Marinate for at least 2 hours or ideally overnight in the fridge (see Make Ahead).
Meanwhile, for the pickled onions, toss the sliced onions with the lime juice and salt in a glass bowl, then leave for at least 2 hours until they’ve turned pink.
Put the dried chillies, stock, wine, orange juice and passata in a large jug and stir until well combined.
Once ready to slow-cook, heat the oven to 140°C/120°C fan/gas 1. Put the brisket and any marinade from the bag in a large, deep roasting tin and pour over the stock mixture (including the chillies). Cover the meat with a layer of baking paper, then tightly cover the tin with 2 layers of foil, scrunching the edges to form a tight seal. Slow cook for 5-5½ hours, turning the meat over in the roasting tin halfway through the cooking time.
Once the brisket is fully tender (see tips) remove from the oven and set aside on a chopping board, loosely covered, to rest. Carefully pour the cooking liquid from the roasting tin into a saucepan and bubble over a high heat for 25-30 minutes to reduce to a sauce consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning (see Make Ahead).
Heat the grill to medium-high and cook for 5 minutes on each side, basting every 2 minutes with more sauce to give a charred sticky crust.
To serve, mix the coriander, jalapeños, avocados and lime juice in a bowl and serve alongside the brisket with the quick-pickled onions and steamed rice or warm tortillas.

RECIPE: HOW TO DO MEXICAN-STYLE BARBECUED BEEF BRISKET WITH QUICK-PICKLED ONIONS

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