I don’t do briskets very well. I have tried smoking them, grilling them and have used various and sundry oven tactics and they usually turn out tough, dry or both. But I am a determined chef – hard-headed, my wife might say.
So I bought another one last week for French Dip Sandwiches. I went with a small brisket because my confidence was lacking.
I decided to put the brisket in a slow cooker, turned it on low and let the crock pot do all the work. Things generally don’t dry out in a slow cooker and meats usually turn out to be more or less tender. So I used three things. Salt, pepper and one can of Campbell’s French Onion Soup. That’s it. I put the brisket in at 9 o’clock in the morning and we were eating French Dipped Sandwiches (with the au jus) by 7 that night. And they were delicious – tender, juicy and packed with flavor.
But the leftovers on the following day were the best part. I whipped up a batch of my imitation Arby’s Sauce, heated up the leftover brisket and had a dynamite roast beef sandwich. I think the sandwich and sauce was better than the French Dip.
There’s nothing much to the brisket preparation, just remember to use a crock pot liner to save with clean-up.
I’ll repeat the Imitation Arby’s Sauce in case you missed it the last time.
Arby’s Sauce for Beef Brisket
1 C catsup
1 T water
1 t brown sugar
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t garlic powder
1 t Tabasco sauce (do not substitute)
1 t Worcestershire sauce
S & P to taste
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat until boiling. Reduce to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and let cool. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
