Slow-Cooker Brisket Tacos

[echelon_john]

This one isn't rocket science, but it's pretty fool-proof, easy, and delicious. I've cooked brisket lots of times, and typically served it kind of traditionally, with veggies and mashed potatoes on the side, maybe some mustard or horseradish. I made one the other day, and midway through decided we should have it with tacos. Here's the lowdown:

1 Brisket. I think the one I had was about 5lbs. Good sized. Maybe $30 at the store?
1 small can chipotles in adobo sauce. I like Goya.
6-8 white/spanish onions
12-15 carrots
1 head garlic, chopped fairly fine
1/2 a bottle (6oz) beer. I don't think it matters what kind; I used Anchor Steam since that's what I grabbed.
1 bottle Heinz Chili Sauce
1 empty bottle of Chili Sauce filled up with red wine vinegar
1/4 c brown sugar (light or dark; doesn't matter)
Some olive or canola oil
Salt
Pepper

- Remove the brisket from the packaging; pat dry and trim extra fat. Leave a little bit. Salt and pepper the outside liberally, let come up toward room temp.
- In large bowl combine chipotles in adobo, beer, chili sauce, vinegar (use chili sauce bottle; this rinses the extra chili sauce out) garlic and brown sugar. Stir well; the sugar won't dissolve completely at this point, but no worries.
- Drink the rest of the bottle of beer, unless it's early in the morning; then just have some Jameson in your coffee.
- Cut onions; I just peel and halve them; you could cut them in quarters too.
- Cut carrots into 1/2" - 3/4" pieces. Size not critical.

Heat dutch oven or slow cooker insert (if stovetop compatible) on the stovetop over high heat. Add just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Put the brisket in the pan, fat side down. Cook for 10 minutes each side on high; don't fear the sear! Once meat is browned, put carrots and onions on top of meat in dutch oven or slow cooker insert (can transfer meat to slow cooker insert once browned to make life easier) and pour the sauce mixture over the whole shebang. Don't worry if it's not quite enough to cover everything; things will cook down.

Cover and set the slow cooker to high, or if you're using a dutch oven, cover and put in a 225 degree oven. As long as it's covered, it will be nearly impossible to overcook this, since there's so much liquid both in the sauce and the veggies. In the slow cooker, I shoot for 6-8 hours; 10 wouldn't hurt, and 4 is probably enough.

Uncover occasionally to stir the onions and carrots and make sure they all do some time in the hot liquid.

When cooked sufficiently, do the following:

- Remove all solids from cooker. Beef onto a platter where you can carve/pull it, veggies into a bowl. Place liquid into a saucepan; reduce over medium heat to 1/2 its original volume. Cube/carve/decimate brisket into small chunks. Put back into crockpot. Put veggies back in as well. Add sauce back once you've reduced it. If you want to be fancy and add time, you can put everything in the fridge at this point; once it cools down, you can scrape the fat off the top. Personally, I leave it in there (that's why you trimmed the excess at the beginning, right?) but then again, I'm fat and slow. Maybe there's a correlation.

Now it's time to go to town. I like soft flour tortillas with this, but hard corn tacos will work too. I use Greek Yogurt instead of sour cream, cheddar cheese since I live in VT, and lots of jalapeno peppers on top. Avocados/red onions/lettuce/tomato are all nice options. I didn't feel the need for rice; between the meat, cooked veggies and topping veggies, these seemed reallyw ell-rounded without it. But if it floats your boat, add it.

This makes enough for a LOT of tacos, so plan to freeze some for a rainy day.

Let me know if you make it?
JC

[maunahaole]

that looks good.