Ladrillo de Brisket, Modern Southwest Style
Rioja Chipolte Agave Black Bean Sauce
Smoked Wagyu Brisket @ Laurelhurst
Kirk ordered the 12 Hour-Smoked Wagyu Brisket/Ozark BBQ Sauce pictured right there behind the Grilled Romaine with Romesco at Laurelhurst Market, the exciting new steakhouse inspired brasserie in Portland, Oregon. I have been making brisket for years, but it never occurred to me to cut in any other way than against the grain, into long slices. Here at Laurelhurst was the inspiration for future brisket presentations – serve the brisket as a brick, leave the slicing and shredding to the diner!
Duck “Enfrijolada” with Poached Organic Egg @ Rivera
Another inspiration came from Chef John Sedlar’s Rivera Restaurant in downtown LA. We had a most delightful experience there a couple weeks ago. Our server mentioned that the duck sauce ingredients included chiles, piloncillo (Mexican brown sugar), black beans, and Spanish red wine reduction…it had just a hint of sweetness and a hint of smoky spiciness – a combination of flavors that was bound to be perfect with brisket at our upcoming Modern Southwest dinner party.
Preparing Ladrillo (brick) of Brisket
Season a 5 lb. beef brisket with coarse ground pepper and Kosher salt. Caramelize both sides of the meat under the broiler. Add rough chopped onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Then add equal parts beef stock and red wine (we used Spanish rioja) until the liquid covers the brisket half way. Cover with foil and bake at 275° for 8 hours or until the meat is very tender.
Remove the meat from the pan and let cool completely.
Strain the liquid, discard the solids, skim the fat from the liquid.
Trim the ends off the brisket to make a rectangle.
(The trimmed scraps make a great snack for those waiting around for you to serve dinner!)
Return meat to a baking pan, cover with foil. To serve, simply reheat.
Add agave syrup, chipotle adobo sauce, and a small amount of cooked black beans to the blender. Blend well. Taste for balance. The sauce should be barely sweet, slightly smoky/spicy, and the consistency should be slightly creamy from the beans. Add more agave/chipotle/salt/pepper if needed. Return sauce to a small pan, add cooked black beans and heat through.
To serve, ladle sauce over the brick.
Dig in!
UPDATE:
Read about the entire meal here.
I’ve never made a brisket. I am almost ashamed to say that – I live in middle America and my familyhas never been served brisket. That will change- bookmarking.
L-L, this is the best brisket I’ve ever seen…luscious!
There are simply no words to describe your artistry.
Really first-rate brisket plating and shots, LL. Even though I’ve gone vegetarian, I do have meat-eating guests coming soon whom I will seriously consider serving this to. Bookmarked.
Your dishware and cutlery is also to die for.
Fabulous brisket recipe and I love your presentation. The plates are perfect!
Great looking plate.
great way to serve a square brisket.
I knew this challenge would be a breeze for you~dinner parties are what you do so well, and this one is no exception. Fantastic job–good luck!
Awesome job on the brisket! Just looks stunning – in the same way (almost) that being served a rectangle of roasted pork belly can take the breath away. I have to say, that I’m equally impressed by the beans. Few people (other than Spanish-speakers, it seems) have any real appreciation of how magnificent a perfectly cooked bean dish can be. And, wonderful restaurant-quality presentation also!
My brisket didn’t really lend itself to cutting into bricks, but it is close. I’m going to try to recreate the sauce. I just wish I had a receipe for it. It sounds like it should be fantastic. This series of pictures does allow a person to “taste with the eyes”.