Brine, Brine everywhere and not a drop to drink!

I took on this month's Daring Kitchen challenge and decided to use it to do something that I have always wanted to try....brining for an unusually long time.
I scoured various recipes but I also wanted to brine a cut of meat that I have never done before.  Brisket was the winner and so was a recipe that had me sugar brining it for 5 days.  Perfect!








On Sunday I began the long process by creating the seasoned brining liquid.  Lots of herbs and spices went into this concoction, as did a big hunk o' beef.

Coriander, mustard seed, whole allspice, and black peppercorns sit in a bed of salt, brown sugar, marjoram, bay and thyme.  The smell was amazing.  The perfect rub for a big slab of luscious brisket. Now it was time to add the beef and drown the whole shebang for 3-5 days.


















I lovingly made sure that the brisket was covered in the scented liquid and then made sure to seal and label the container so that I wouldn't forget when it needed to come out of the brine.

Now all that there was left to do was wait.  Did I mention that waiting is a very hard thing for me to do?  I should have because it is!

Everyday I would open that fridge and see the container with the brisket and do the simple mathematical calculations that would require me to close the door again and continue to WAIT!


Finally it was Thursday and that meant that when I was done with work I could race home and complete the process and then actually taste what 5 days of a flavorful brine can do.

I rinsed the meat and loaded it in my big roaster oven with carrots, celery, a whole head of garlic and an onion as it's bed.  For the next two hours brisket and his friends all got to know each other...intimately.  When it was done it was a thing of beauty BUT it did require a quick turn under the broiler to add some additional color and crunch tot he fat cap.

This was all working out very well.  Isn't he beautiful?!  My poor husband got ignored for a while as I flirted with this hunk o' beef.  But alas, it was time to carve and eat my new crush.

The slices cut like butter and there was a beautiful pink hue to the meat.  My favorite part is the crispy fat on the top.  This picture makes my mouth water.

The brisket was served with roasted carrots, parsnips, shallots and baby potatoes.  Look how happy they all look.  We were twice as happy once we finally got to eat this meal.

The meat was sublime!  It had a wonderful flavor and was not as salty as I thought it might be, after 5 days in the briny deep.  I happen to LOVE roasted veggies and the parsnips were my favorite...well, parsnips AND potatoes.  Parsnips, potatoes, and shallots...OK I really enjoyed ALL of the food and thought to myself, "Thank you Audax, for thinking of such a great challenge."

If you are feeling adventurous and have to practice patience, this is the perfect payoff for your efforts.  As always, be sure to check out what other Daring Cooks did with this challenge by visiting the Daring Kitchen website.

If you want to read the recipe I used, you can find it here.

I am counting down the days till I find out what the next tasty challenge will be, and remember that I am not good at the whole waiting thing............still waiting.........still waiting............ahhhhhhh!

Audax of Audax Artifax was our November 2012 Daring Cooks’ host. Audax has brought us into the world of brining and roasting, where we brined meat and vegetables and roasted them afterwards for a delicious meal!


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