- 1½kg avg. flat brisket
- 1½ tbsp smoked paprika
- 60g tomato sauce
- 1½ tbsp Demerara sugar
- 1½ tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1½ onion
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 400ml boiling water
- 1.
Get started: Heat your oven to 160°C/Fan 140°C/Gas 3. Unwrap the beef brisket and pat it dry. Leave it to come to room temperature (about 30 mins).
- 2.
Sprinkle 1 tbsp paprika into a large bowl or jug and stir in the tomato sauce, 1 tbsp each sugar and mustard, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well, then stir in 400ml boiling water to make a sauce. Set aside. Peel and thinly slice the onion.
- 3.
Place a heavy-based casserole or large, ovenproof pan on a medium-high heat for a few mins. When smoking hot, add 1 tbsp oil and the brisket. Sear for 3-4 mins on each side, turning often, till well browned. Take the pan off the heat.
- 4.
Add the onions to the pan and pour over the sauce from the jug. Turn the brisket over a couple of times to coat in the sauce, then pop a lid on the pan (or cover with a double layer of foil). From this point, follow either cooking option below.
- 5.
Cooking indoors: Slide the brisket into the oven. Roast for 3½ hrs, turning a couple of times and basting the brisket.
- 6.
Remove the brisket from the oven, lift out onto a board, loosely cover with foil and rest for 30 mins. Put the pan of cooking liquid over a high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce till about 150-200ml of the sauce remains. Remove from the heat. Return the brisket to the pan. Spoon the sauce over the meat to glaze it. Slice thinly with a sharp knife or shred with forks and serve.
- 7.
Cooking outdoors: Slide the brisket into the oven. Roast for 3 hrs, turning a couple of times and basting throughout.
- 8.
With around 1 hr of cooking time left, light the coals on your barbecue and bring to a medium-low heat. When the brisket has cooked for 3 hrs, remove the lid and place the pan directly onto the coolest part of the grill. Cover the barbecue and gently cook the brisket for 20-30 mins, basting it once or twice with the sticky sauce.
- 9.
Carefully remove the brisket from the barbecue (the pan will be very hot!), lift out onto a board, loosely cover with foil and rest for 30 mins. Put the pan of cooking liquid back on the hottest part of the barbecue. Bring to the boil, and reduce till 150-200ml of the sauce remains. Return the brisket to the pan and glaze. Thinly slice or shred with forks, tossing the strands through the sauce.
- 10.
Get 10% off selected summer wines when you order this box. Grab a bottle of chardonnay to pour alongside your rich and unctuous ribs.
- Tip
Know your grill
When lighting your barbecue, lay the bulk of your coals to one side, gently sloping 3/4 of the way to the other side. This helps to regulate the heat, giving you fierce 'direct' heat to brown your meat over, and gently 'indirect' heat to slowly finish it off. - Tip
A brisket for all seasons
If this barbecue brisket ever tried it's hand at cricket, it would be an all-rounder. In the summer pile it into brioche buns and serve with a crunchy yogurt and lemon slaw. When the colder weather arrives, fold it through pappardelle, adding some fried mushrooms and torn sage. - Tip
Next week in the Summer Roast Box
Sticky Sesame Ribs: two racks of fine British slow cooked till it's almost falling off the bone, then barbecued and covered in a sticky marinade. They sure won't hang around for long. - Tip
Something on the side
Next week look out for our kitchen genius Jassy's delicious speedy salads in the Super Salad Box. Turn your sticky ribs into a sunshine spread with platters of Caramelised Lime & Avocado Chopped Salad and Griddled Nectarine Salad with Honeyed Seed Brittle. Go to www.abelandcole.co.uk/super-salad-organic to order.