Perfect Brisket

Photo: flickr user Longhorn Nation

Ingredients

4 pounds brisket

2 onions, sliced not too thin

3 cloves garlic, crushed

4 tablespoons apricot or other stone fruit Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons paprika

2 teaspoons thyme

2 teaspoons oregano

1 teaspoon marjoram

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon winter savory

1 teaspoon crushed juniper berry

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

Salt and pepper

1 can Coca Cola (do not substitute natural

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Arrange onions over the bottom of a heavy roasting pan.

Combine preserves, lemon juice, garlic and spices, and rub the mixture on the meat. Lay the meat on top of the onions.

Pour 1 cup of the cola over the meat.

Roast, covered, for ~ 45 minutes per pound, basting occasionally; uncover for the last 30-45 minutes to allow the top to brown if it hasn't already.

You can make a fabulous gravy by simply cooking the pan juices down with some red wine and a pinch of flour on the stovetop.

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About

I hated brisket at a kid. Then I wanted to host a Jewish Christmas at my house, so I researched recipes by interviewing all of my friends who had grown up with it as well.
Discovering that there were 2 camps of brisket makers: the Lipton instant onion soup camp, and the tomato-based camp, I knew I had to look further. I recalled that my grandmother always had a few liters of Coca Cola in her pantry, which she only used for 2 things: unclogging her kitchen sink, and tenderizing meat. I thought - this is it...
Upon further inquiry (including discovering a website with 500 brisket recipes that only confirmed my first discoveries) I cobbled together my own version, using an herb combination that I had invented a few weeks earlier, some leftover jam that I had canned that summer, and some coke to tenderize the otherwise not-so-forgiving meat.
What happened was the perfect combination of flavor, texture (my friend Ricky calls it "breaky meat") and almost no work to get it there.