ROASTED BRISKET OF BEEF

Way back in the day, when Barb and Mark were kids (yeah, WAY back in the day), and Texas style BBQ was popular in, well, Texas, brisket was about the cheapest cut of beef you could buy. My mom found this recipe in the Pontiac Press, and, always looking for an inexpensive way to feed two very large appetites (my dad and me), decided to try it. Not only did it become an immediate family favorite, but for many years, it was the staple of church dinners.

Unfortunately, the growth of Texas BBQ has caused the price of brisket to soar, and it is no longer economical to serve as a church dinner staple. But it is still the single most demanded item for family dinners in my clan. This recipe is tremendously easy, very hard to screw up, and absolutely delicious. It works particularly well in an electric roaster, but does just fine in the oven as well!

ROAST BEEF BRISKET

wide roll Heavy Duty Aluminum foil
1 whole Brisket (NOT corned)
1 box (2 packets) Lipton's Onion Soup Mix

Place brisket fat side down on a double sheet of hd foil large enough to tightly wrap meat in. Spread two packets of onion soup mix across the top of the meat. Wrap tightly and place in roaster. Bake at 350 for 2 hours. Turn heat down to 325 and bake another 2 hours. Turn heat on roaster down to warm.* VERY carefully open foil package. Remove roast to cutting board, and pour liquid from the foil packet into the roaster. With an electric knife, slice meat across the grain in 1/4" slices and add to roaster. Spoon liquid over top of beef.

Any leftovers you might have (and around here that is rare) are wonderful heated and served over toast, or on a good hoagie roll!

* If you are baking in the oven, there are a couple of things you can do to keep the au jus and beef slices warm. If you have an electric griddle, place it on the table, thermostat on warm, and place roaster on top. Or you can transfer the liquid to your electric skillet, set on warm, and add slices to that. I prefer the former because it is one less pan to clean.

posted by mark