Slow Cooked Beef Brisket with Smoky Tomato Sauce

Serves 4

Time 6 hours

Ingredients

1.2-1.5kg piece beef brisket

2 large red onions

2 tbsp Cajun or Texan Spice Rub or similar

Salt and pepper

3 cups water

Smoky Tomato Sauce

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

½ red onion, finely diced 

410g tin-rich and thick diced tomatoes

1 tbsp smoky paprika 

2 tbsp maple syrup 

Pinch chilli flakes, optional 

Crunchy Salad

Kale

Radish

Red onion

Apple

Parsley

Juice of ½ lemon

Extra virgin olive oil

Method

Heat oven to 160°C. Slice the red onions in half (leave skin on) then trim the ends so that the onion balances flat (and doesn’t tip the brisket off). Place in a deep oven-proof casserole dish. Sprinkle the spice blend all over the top of the brisket, season and place on top of the red onion. Add water to the base of the casserole dish, cover and cook for 6 hours. Check the beef at 2 and 4 hours to ensure the water isn’t too low. I like to keep around 1 cup of water simmering in the base at least, throughout cooking, if it’s drying up too much, just add some more. 

Whilst the beef is cooking, make the smoky tomato sauce to have ready with condiments such as pickles when it’s time to serve. To make the sauce, heat extra virgin olive oil in a small saucepan, add red onion and cook for 5-6 minutes or until translucent. Add the chopped tomatoes, smoky paprika and maple syrup. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer for 30-40 minutes. Once it has reduced to a lovely smoky sweet flavour, blitz it with a stick blender or food processor and set aside. 

Combine all salad ingredients to make a crunchy kale, radish, apple, red onion and parsley salad. Serve the brisket, lathered in the smoky tomato sauce and parsley to garnish.