Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Brisket

This is another America's test kitchen recipe, and as usual they NEVER disappoint!  We made this for my dad's 60th birthday this week and it was a hit!  I didn't think it was too difficult either.

First, a little tip about where to buy your brisket.  The best price was Walmart's price for their whole brisket, and they were the only place I could find that had a whole brisket.  Every store I called had 5 lb brisket for about 4 bucks a pound, including walmart.  But their whole ones are 2.69 a lb.  You know how I love a deal!  We used two briskets for the big dinner, I just cut them in half and used 4 crock pots to cook them.  I used this recipe for each half sized piece of meat. (the recipe says 4-5 lbs)

One more thing.  You need a metal loaf pan, or two foil loaf pans inside each other to place the brisket on inside the crock pot.

Slow Cooker, BBQ Beef Brisket

INGREDIENTS

SPICE RUB AND BRISKET

1/2cup packed dark brown sugar

2tablespoons minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

1tablespoon ground cumin

1tablespoon paprika

1teaspoon salt

2teaspoons pepper

1 (4- to 5-pound) brisket roast, fat trimmed to 1/4 inch thick and scored lightly

AROMATICS

3tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped fine

2tablespoons tomato paste

1tablespoon chili powder

1tablespoon minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup water (this is for adding to the crock pot, after you put in your brisket)

SAUCE
(you need your aromatic mixture and the juices from the brisket to make the sauce, so don't dump them)

1/4cup ketchup

1tablespoon cider vinegar

1/4teaspoon liquid smoke

 

The first thing  to do is trim some of the fat off of the brisket.  NOT ALL OF THE FAT, you need some.  They advised trimming it to 1/4 inch.  I am not the best at this, so mine was thicker in some places and slightly thinner in others.  You are going to want to cook it fat side up, so that the fat can get into the meet and make it more tender. 

Before you put the rub on, you have to score the fat on the top at 1/2 inch intervals.  They said this allows the flavors of the rub to get into the meat.  Scoring is to cut into the fat, so when you are done, it will have stripes all across the meat 1/2 inches apart.  I made sure I cut through the fat to the meat to help it get in, then when I was putting on the rub, I made sure I got it down into each cut mark.

I made two versions of this recipe.  I was afraid it would be too spicy for some, so I removed as many seeds and ribs as I could when I was chopping up my chipotle chiles.  I did this same thing for both the rub and the aromatics.  I haven't ever seen them pre chopped, I just buy the whole ones and when I am measuring amounts I add some of the adobo from the can as well as the chiles.  For the other version, I just chopped them as is and even added a few seeds left over from my mild batches as well.  The spicy sauce was too hot for me, but the brisket with the seeds left on the rub, was not spicy at all.  So you can decide which way works best for you.  I thought they were both good.

Basically you mix up all of the rub ingredients and smear it all over the brisket.  Then you wrap it in plastic wrap.  I actually layered two pieces of heavy duty foil and then laid plastic wrap side by side over that so I could make it overlap and have it all ready to go.  Then when I finished putting on the rub, I dropped it on the plastic wrap, washed my hands and wrapped it all up.  The foil didn't totally wrap the top, but the plastic wrap fully encased it.  I just used the foil as extra protection for my fridge without filling it up with pans.  They say you can either leave it out for an hour or place it in the fridge for up to 24 hours before going to the next step.  I left it in the fridge for 12 hours.

The next step is preparing the aromatics.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook until beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Stir in chili powder, chipotle, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. After it is done, you make a pile of it in the middle of the slow cooker and place the loaf pan over the pile.  Then you place the brisket, fat side up, on the pan, add 1/2 cup water to the cooker and cook till a fork that you insert into the brisket can be removed with no resistance.  They say to cook on high for 7-8 hours or low for 10 to 12 hours.  I opted to have it on low, because in general, I like the texture of roasts on low better.  I pulled them out to rest between 11 1/2-12  hours later, but I should mention, that mine had a short trip over to my sister's house in the middle of cooking, so maybe they would be done faster if that hadn't happened. 

They advised placing it on a 9 by 13 pan to rest and then put it back in the crock after slicing to serve.  I just put it on big trays.  They didn't fill up with water or anything.  Whatever you put them on, cover with foil and let it rest. (basically that means just let it sit there without touching it or cutting into it at all)  You have to let it rest for 30 minutes.  RESTING IS A REALLY IMPORTANT STEP any time you cook meat, from steak to roasts.  They will end up more tender and moist if you do.  If you don't let them rest, the water just runs all over and is lost from the meat, leaving it more dry.  (seriously, I learned all I know from America's test kitchen!  They are great!)

While the meat is resting you make your sauce.  Pour off the drippings from the pan.  They said you should have two cups and if you have less, to add water to get it to two cups.  I had more.  Reserve out one cup of this liquid to pour over your brisket.  Then, one cup to make the sauce.  I actually ended up straining the part I used for the sauce.  I didn't use a fine mesh strainer, so there were still chunks, but it had yucky looking mushy stuff from the meat so I wanted to get that out.  If I had my little immersion blender there, I probably would have just blended it up with that.  Add the sauce ingredients to the liquid and whisk it together.  That is all you need to do.  The sauce is runny, so we thickened it a little with instant mashed potatoes, but you could leave it.

After it rests you slice it across the grain.  They said to slice it thin, but I did probably between 1/4 and 1/2 inch slices.  I just sliced it on the tray and left it there for serving.  Then I poured my reserved liquid from the crock over it.  The barbecue sauce is meant to be passed at the table.

They included a tip for making it ahead, just in case that is of interest to anyone.  After it is fully cooked, but not sliced, wrap tightly in foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days. (Refrigerate juices separately in sealed container)  To reheat, place the whole thing, foil and all in a baking pan in a 350 degree oven.  Cook till heated through, approximately an hour.  Reheat juices in the microwave or saucepan.  Then continue the recipe where you left off, starting off with the resting. 

I used larger sized crock pots, so I didn't have this problem, but if the lid doesn't seem tight, you can cover the whole top of your crock pot with foil to seal it closed.  I did that once with a ham.  I left the lid on even though it was slightly lifted, and covered it with foil and it worked great.

We served this with baked potatoes, broccoli, rolls, and cold shrimp for dad's birthday dinner.  America's test kitchen showed it served with cole slaw.

The Best Homemade Chicken Nuggets

America's test Kitchen you've done it again!!!  I have been trying to cut down on our yucky pressed mystery meat consumption, so I was so happy to be watching cooks country when this recipe was being shown.  These are truly the best!  The breading stays on, the coating is crisp and delicious, even after freezing and reheating.  These are AWESOME!  I usually multiply the batch and freeze the extras, both so that I can make good use of my frying oil since I don't save it, and to have more for future meals.  I think it's easier to cook less often in bulk than to have to cook over and over.  But I must say that this one it is a tiring endeavor.  I don't do it that often since it takes hours of work.  But it feels good to feed them something that at least has ingredients I recognize, though I wouldn't claim they are healthy every day fare.  The flavor is worth the extra effort too.

1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts (4 breasts appx)
2 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 cup flour
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 teaspoons onion powder
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 teaspooon (at least) tony chacherie's...I know, I add it to everything!
3 large egg whites
4 cups peanut or vegetable oil

They said to use crushed panko crumbs.  I thought they were crushed enough, and the crunch it created made me think of mimi's chicken fingers which is always a good thing!  So I just measure them as is...  I bought kikkoman panko bread crumbs from winco, and they were only just over a dollar a box.  I share this because they were considerably more at a couple of other grocery stores.  You might want to have extra breading ingredients, or don't get too carried away breading them.  Usually the recipe amt is enough, but one time, when I made a MONSTER sized batch, I used WAY too much.  I had extra crumbs, so I mixed up extra breading mix, and still ran out.  Some of my nuggets ended up less breaded, but they were still good. 

They have a method for cutting the chicken in uniform sized pieces, look up the recipe for better instructions.  Mine weren't very uniform, but I tried!  You cut the breast into thirds the long way.  Then the thickest top portion of the breast is cut in 1/2 inch slices.  The rest I just tried to cut about that same size...  Maybe someday I'll actually take photos, but I wouldn't count on that in the near future :).  After you cut them, you have to brine them.  Whisk water, 1 tbsp salt, and worcestershire in a bowl large enough to hold your chicken.  Dump in the chicken pieces and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.  They say not to do it any longer than that, but I have left it a little longer while I'm cooking earlier batches.  Next time I'll dump off the brine after the 30 min, so the chicken isn't so hard to pat dry.

Now you are ready to bread them!  Whisk your egg whites till a little foamy in one bowl, just to break them up.  Then mix all of the dry ingredients in a large shallow pan.  I use an 11 by 15 deep baking dish.  Pat your chicken dry with paper towels, dip them in your egg whites and then coat them well with your bread crumbs pressing the crumbs into the nuggets.  They say to press gently, but I actually press hard on the chicken, both to press in the crumbs, and to flatten them a little.  That might be how I used too many crumbs.  Then place them on a plate for ten minutes.  You're not done there!!!  Keep your bread crumbs for a second layer.  Meanwhile, heat your oil to 350.  After ten minutes dip them again, pressing the crumbs gently onto your nuggets again.  And they are ready to fry.  They say to fry 1/2 the batch at a time, for 3 minutes till golden brown, turning half way.  Then place it on a wire cooling rack, placed on a rimmed cookie sheet in a 200 degree oven while you cook the other half of the nuggets.  If you want to freeze them for later.  Wait till they are cool, and place them in a ziplock bag.  They say you can freeze them up to a month.  But ours don't last that long ;).  To reheat, bake at 350 for about 15 minutes till heated through.

So when I make a lot, this is how my assembly line works.  I dip 20 nuggets at a time.  First in the egg wash and then the first bread crumb dip.  Then I set my timer for 10 minutes.  I use two plates, one for the first dip and one for after the second one, so I can easily keep track.  After things get going, it works pretty good, but I am busy the whole time.  While I wait for 10 minutes for one batch, I am frying the one before.  I fry the nuggets 10 at a time for about 4 minutes.  After ten minutes pass, I quickly did the second dip in time to put them in the oil after the batch before was done.  Then in open moments I had to dip the next set of 20 for the first time.  I don't know if this is a good explanation, but once you start doing it, you can kind of see how it works.  I had my whole table set up starting with a spot on the far right with a plate covered in paper towels for the raw chicken.  You can keep your chicken in the fridge and just pull out 20 at a time to place on the paper towels.  Then I threw away the towels and put new ones for each batch.  To the left of that plate was my egg whites and to the left of that was my bread mixture.  I placed the plate for after the first dip above my pan, and the nuggets ready for frying to the left of the pan.  Then next in line was my plug in fry daddy pan and next to that was my cooling rack.  I left them on the cooling rack just long enough to cook the next batch and then moved them into the oven into a big pan I kept in there.  The frying part actually went pretty fast, but I had to MAKE SURE that I had no usual interruptions from my children :).  They were strictly confined to the basement with daddy ;).  A lot of the time is in cutting up the chicken and brining, and then setting it all up.  And then the frying part was very tiring because I was running here and there the whole time multitasking and I had to wash my hands a million times every time I would handle different batches of chicken.  I hope I didn't make it sound so complicated that you won't want to try it.  I promise it is worth it!  And if you don't want the big song and dance, just make a small batch. :)  Or get together with friends so each person can handle one station.  That's what I should have done!  I can't wait till my kids are older hehehehe.  Please feel free to ask questions if some of this doesn't make sense.

Easy Chicken Tacos

 

 The source for this recipe is my FAVORITE cooking experts, America's test kitchen.  I LOVE their shows, I love their explanations of why they added a certain amount of an ingredient, and all the different ways they tried it.  I love the scientific theory behind cooking they share.  I love their food and equipment reviews.  They are the best!  They really do have the best, most well developed recipes in my opinion.  I've never tried any I haven't liked.  This particular recipe was on Cook's Country, and I wouldn't have considered it had it not been from america's test kitchen.  It sounded like a weird combination.  But I am SO glad I saw that episode!  They are now our favorite tacos and Jay chooses this every time its his turn for a favorite meal. On Saturdays, our family takes turns picking a splurgy meal.  I make whatever they want, pizza, chicken nuggets, ramen noodles, whatever).  Every six weeks, when it is Jay's turn, we have this.

INGREDIENTS

2-3 tbsp butter

1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon chipotle chilies in adobo sauce

1/2cup orange juice (or 2 tbsp orange juice concentrate)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

Salt (to taste)

Flour tortillas (we use the raw ones usually)

INSTRUCTIONS

The first thing I do is chop up my chilies.  I pull them out one by one, and scrape all of the ribs and seeds out.  Then I chop them up as small as I can, and measure them, making sure I add some of the adobo sauce as well.  While you are chopping, you can start melting the butter in the pan.  Then add the chilies and garlic and let them cook for just a minute.  Then I add the chicken and everything but the salt and cilantro and let it all cook together.  I usually make Jay and the kids pull off the cilantro leaves while I am cooking it, and we add it in whenever they finish.  I add the salt at the end.  I don't know why, that is how they did it, so I copied.  This recipe is done when all of the liquid is cooked out.  I don't like to pour off any flavor, and usually, by the time the water cooks out the chicken is falling apart and perfect.  A couple of times when it has excess water, I have poured some of it into a little sauce pan and let that reduce while I'm reducing the sauce in the chicken.  If you don't multiply the recipe, you shouldn't have as much problem with too much liquid anyway.  I have tripled or quadrupled the recipe for a crowd, or just when Jay wants to eat leftovers for days!  Part of my problem with excess water is also because I always forget to thaw my chicken and it always goes into the pan partially or completely frozen.  When the chicken is cooked, I use a star chopper from pampered chef to chop it up.  This is one of my favorite things they sell by the way!  It is a black stirring instrument.  If  you look at it from the bottom, it looks like an asterisk.  I use it to chop up spaghetti or ramen for my kids, or hamburger meat, and for these and my southwestern egg rolls it does a great job of both chopping it up and mixing it together.  ( I think it is actually called mix and chop...)

Just an fyi, this is not the exact recipe they have.  We've added extra chipotle chilies over time, we add all of the cilantro at once during the cooking time...  If you want their original recipe, just google cooks country easy chicken tacos.  Tons of people have posted it on blogs.  (In fact, any ATK recipes you want, this is the best way to get them off season.  They let you have their current season of recipes, but make you pay for a membership to see all of their recipes.  Any time I can't access one, I just google it and have always been able to find them.)  Of course I do try to support them financially when I can!  I watch their show, and buy some of their books :).