Brisket is one of those great fall dishes in my book. You can make this in a slow cooker too, so you do not have to watch the oven! You may have to roll or cut it to fit in the crock pot, but YUM! Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. If there is room in the pot for the veggies, add them with 1 hour left, otherwise, just cook them on the stove top and add them when you serve the meat. When the meat is finally cooked, lift gently from the pot with a spatula and tongs.
This recipe is great with mashed potatoes or a wide egg noodle. You can thicken up the juice left in the pot with a little cornstarch or a roux (equal parts flour and butter) Brown the roux in a fry pan and ladle some juice into it and then pour the rest in and it will thicken as it cooks. You get a brisket plus the veggies with the noodles, it is like a stew! You can also accompany this with a spinach and garlic side, and do not forget the Ruggelach for dessert!
Place the brisket in a heavy roasting pan. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano. Rub the mixture on the brisket. Pile the carrots, celery, onions, and bay leaves on the brisket and pour in enough tomato juice to come about 3/4 of the way up the meat and vegetables. Cover the top of the pan with 2 sheets of parchment paper, then with aluminum foil. (The tomato juice will react unpleasantly with the aluminum foil if they touch.)
Bake for 3 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Remove the meat from the pan and keep it warm. Place the pan on 2 burners and boil the vegetables and sauce over medium heat for another 30 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened.
To serve, slice the meat across the grain. Serve with the vegetables.
This is a Barefoot Contessa recipe!
**If you are using regular table salt not Kosher salt, reduce salt by 1/2.
**Also, for more flavor, you can also use half the tomato juice, and split the other half, 50% red wine and 50% beef broth. And yes, you can use V8 juice instead of tomato juice!