The in-laws were coming for dinner and I had a lovely brisket in the freezer. It was too small to feed all 6 people but as a pie, it was more than enough. The brisket cost me £10 – half price at Borough Market. So cheap dish, but amazing taste.
I created a rub for the beef and gave it a couple of hours to soak in. Then I slow cooked the brisket dry. I did this the day before and then cooked the pie the next day. I’ve reduced the salt in the rub for this post, I thought the dish was a little salty, but still delicious.
Serves: 6 hungry people
Cooking Time: 10 Hours, split over 2 days
Ingredients
- 1.5kg Brisket
For the rub
- 8g paprika
- 8g English mustard powder
- 8g garlic powder
- 25g light muscovado sugar
- 50g salt
For the Pie
- 2 kg potatoes – I use maris piper
- 50g butter
- 30ml milk
- 200g grated cheddar cheese (optional)
- 3 medium white onions
- 1 bulb garlic
- 6 carrots
- ½ bottle of big red wine
- 12 twigs of thyme
- 2 tbsn flour
Method
For the rub, simply mix the ingredients together and rub it all over the brisket. Wrap the brisket in cling film and leave it on the side for a few hours.
Heat the oven to 140oC and place the brisket above a roasting tray full of warm water. This helps recreate the conditions of a smoker and keeps the atmosphere moist. You’ll need to baste the meat every hour or so. I use a turkey baster and the water from the roasting tray – the fat from the brisket drops in and makes a lovely stock. Top up the water in the roasting tray if it gets low. Cook the brisket for 6 hours and leave to cool. Cut the brisket in to strips, place it in a plastic box, cover with the water from the water bath and top up to cover the meat if needed, seal and leave overnight.
The next day, dice the onions and carrot, fry them off in a casserole dish for 15 mins. Add the flour and cook out for 2 mins. Add the wine and stir until thick. Chop the bulb of garlic in half and add it to the pot. Add the meat and the soaking liquid. Bring pot to the boil and add the thyme.
Simmer, uncovered, for 4 hours until the meat falls apart and resembles pulled pork, add more water if it’s looking dry. Make the mash by boiling the peeled potatoes for 15 mins and mashing with the cheese, butter and milk. Empty the casserole dish in to a large roasting dish. Cover with mash and cook for 40 mins at 180oC
