This hearty Hairy Bikers Beef Brisket Recipe is made by slow-braising a joint of beef in a rich gravy of dark ale, beef stock, sweet carrots, and onions. This recipe creates a perfectly tender and deeply savory pot roast that literally falls apart with a fork, filling your home with the most incredible aromas. It’s the ultimate one-pot comfort food for a Sunday dinner or family gathering, where the oven does all the work, and serves 6-8 people.
Hairy Bikers Beef Brisket Recipe Ingredients
- 1.5kg (about 3.3 lbs) rolled beef brisket joint
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, thickly sliced
- 3 large carrots, cut into thick chunks
- 2 celery sticks, cut into thick chunks
- 2 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed
- 500ml (about 1 pint) brown ale or stout
- 500ml (about 1 pint) beef stock
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 bay leaves
- A few fresh thyme sprigs
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
How To Make The Hairy Bikers Beef Brisket
- Prepare the brisket: Preheat your oven to 160°C (140°C Fan) / 325°F / Gas Mark 3. Pat the brisket joint dry with paper towels. Season the plain flour with a generous amount of salt and pepper, then dust the beef with the seasoned flour.
- Sear the beef: Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based, ovenproof casserole dish or Dutch oven over a medium-high heat. Carefully place the brisket in the hot pan and sear it on all sides until it is deeply browned. This step is key for building flavour. Once browned, remove the brisket from the pot and set it aside.
- Sauté the vegetables: Add the sliced onions, carrots, and celery to the same pot. Cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they have softened and started to caramelise. Add the crushed garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Create the braising liquid: Stir the tomato purée into the vegetables and cook for one minute. Pour in the brown ale or stout, bringing it to a boil and scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release any flavourful stuck-on bits.
- Assemble the pot roast: Stir in the beef stock, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Return the seared brisket to the pot, along with any juices that have collected on the plate. The liquid should come about halfway up the side of the beef.
- Slow-cook in the oven: Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and transfer it to the preheated oven. Cook for 3.5 to 4 hours, or until the brisket is completely tender and you can easily pull it apart with a fork.
- Rest the meat and make the gravy: Carefully lift the tender brisket out of the pot and place it on a warm carving board. Cover it loosely with foil and let it rest for at least 20 minutes. While it rests, strain the cooking liquid through a sieve into a saucepan to create a smooth gravy. Simmer the gravy on the stovetop for a few minutes until it has thickened to your liking.
- Serve: Carve or pull the brisket into thick slices and serve with the braised vegetables and the rich gravy spooned over the top.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t Skip the Searing: Searing the brisket until it’s deep brown on all sides is the most important first step for flavour. This process, known as the Maillard reaction, creates a rich, complex, and beefy taste that will infuse the entire dish and its gravy.
- Low and Slow is Key: Brisket is a tough cut of meat full of connective tissue. The magic of this recipe is the long, slow cooking time in a low oven. This gentle heat breaks down all that tissue, transforming it into juicy, melt-in-your-mouth tender meat. Do not rush this process.
- Use a Heavy-Based Pot: A heavy-based, ovenproof casserole dish with a tight-fitting lid (often called a Dutch oven) is the best piece of equipment for this recipe. It distributes heat evenly and maintains a constant, gentle temperature during the long braise.
- Resting is Crucial: After cooking for hours, the meat needs time to relax before you carve it. Resting the brisket for a full 20 minutes allows the juices to redistribute throughout the joint, which is essential for ensuring the meat is moist and flavourful.
What To Serve With Beef Brisket
This rich Hairy Bikers Beef Brisket is a classic pot roast that calls for traditional accompaniments to soak up the delicious gravy. Creamy mashed potatoes or fluffy roasted potatoes are the perfect partners. It’s also fantastic served with horseradish dumplings, a simple Yorkshire pudding, or some steamed greens like cabbage, kale, or green beans.
How To Store Beef Brisket Leftovers
Refrigerate: Store any leftover brisket and its gravy together in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The flavour is often even better the next day as it has more time to develop. Freeze: Beef brisket freezes exceptionally well. Place the cooled meat and gravy in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it completely in the refrigerator overnight before reheating gently on the stovetop or in the oven.
Hairy Bikers Beef Brisket Recipe Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 1/8th of the recipe
- Calories: 580 kcal
- Total Fat: 30g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Total Carbohydrate: 15g
- Sugars: 9g
- Protein: 55g
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I cook this recipe in a slow cooker? Yes, this recipe is perfect for a slow cooker. Follow the steps of searing the beef and sautéing the vegetables on the stovetop first. Then, transfer everything to the slow cooker pot. Cook on ‘Low’ for 8-10 hours or on ‘High’ for 5-6 hours until the brisket is tender.
- What if I don’t want to cook with ale? If you prefer not to use alcohol, you can simply replace the 500ml of ale with an equal amount of extra beef stock for a still rich and delicious, but different, flavour profile.
- My gravy is too thin. How can I thicken it? After straining the cooking liquid, you can let it simmer and reduce on the stovetop until it reaches your desired consistency. For a quicker method, mix a teaspoon of cornflour with a tablespoon of cold water to make a smooth paste (a slurry), then whisk this into the simmering gravy until it thickens.
- What is a “rolled” brisket? A rolled brisket is a cut of brisket that the butcher has trimmed and then rolled into a neat, cylindrical joint, holding it together with string. This shape makes it easier to handle and promotes even cooking.
Try More Recipes:
- Hairy Bikers Tartiflette Recipe
- Hairy Bikers Stuffed Pork Tenderloin Recipe
- Hairy Bikers Filo Pastry Quiche Recipe
Hairy Bikers Beef Brisket Recipe
Description
The Hairy Bikers’ Beef Brisket recipe is the ultimate one-pot comfort food. A joint of beef brisket is seared and then slow-braised for hours in a rich, dark gravy made with ale, stock, and vegetables until it is so tender it falls apart with a fork. A perfect, foolproof showstopper for a Sunday roast.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 160°C (140°C Fan). Pat the brisket dry and dust with the seasoned flour.
- Sear: In a large, ovenproof casserole dish, heat the oil and sear the brisket on all sides until deep brown. Remove the brisket.
- Sauté: Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the pot and cook for 5-8 minutes until softened. Add garlic for 1 minute.
- Braise: Stir in the tomato purée, then pour in the ale, scraping the bottom of the pot. Stir in the stock and herbs. Return the brisket to the pot.
- Cook: Cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 3.5-4 hours, or until the meat is fall-apart tender.
- Rest and serve: Remove the brisket and rest it under foil for 20 minutes. Strain the cooking liquid to make a gravy, simmering to thicken if needed. Carve the brisket and serve with the gravy.
