Texas Braised Brisket

Slow cooked, tender braised beef brisket that is the perfect filling for tacos.
Directions for: Texas Braised Brisket

Ingredients

Beef

4 cloves garlic, left whole

2 large onions, sliced

1 3-lb brisket, trimmed of most of the fat

2 tsp ancho chile powder

Kosher saltand freshly ground black pepper

2 15-oz cans red enchilada sauce

Tortillas

6 small corn tortillas

6 small flour tortillas

Avocado Lime Crema

2 avocados

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 cup sour cream

cup milk

tsp salt

tsp ground black pepper

Zest and juice of 2 limes

Basic Brown Beans

4 cups dried pinto beans, rinsed

2 Tbsp chili powder

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Grilled Mini Peppers

12 red and yellow mini peppers

Mango de Gallo

3 jalapenos, seeded and finely diced

3 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 large red onion, diced

2 15-oz cans diced mangoes, drained

2 cups chopped fresh cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

tsp salt

Salsa Diablo

2 10-oz cans diced tomatoes with green chiles, such as Rotel

1 28-oz can whole tomatoes in juice

cup fresh cilantro leaves

cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 habanero chile, seeded and chopped

1 jalapeno, quartered and sliced thin (with seeds and membrane)

1 canned chipotle in adobosauce

1 tsp hot sauce

tsp ground cumin

tsp salt

tsp sugar

Juice of 1 lime

Directions

Beef

1. Put the garlic and onions into a 6-quart slow cooker. Place the brisket on top. Sprinkle over the ancho powder and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Pour in the enchilada sauce. Cover and cook on low until the meat falls apart, about 8 hours.

Tortillas

1. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F. Wrap the corn tortillas and flour tortillas in foil and warm them in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve the meat with the tortillas as part of a taco bar.

Avocado Lime Crema

1. Add the avocados, cilantro, sour cream, milk, salt, pepper and lime zest and juice to a blender. Blend until smooth. Serve as part of a taco bar.

Basic Brown Beans

1. Add the beans, chili powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper to a large pot. Add cold water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until tender, about 6 hours. Serve as part of a taco bar.

Grilled Mini Peppers

1. Heat up a grill pan and slap the peppers on. Cook, turning them occasionally, until blistered on all sides and softened, about 8 minutes total. Remove and set aside. Serve as part of a taco bar.

Mango de Gallo

1. Add the jalapenos, tomatoes, onions, mangoes, cilantro, lime juice and salt to a bowl and stir together. Serve as a taco bar fixing.

Salsa Diablo

1. in a blender or food processor (see Cook's Note), combine the diced tomatoes, whole tomatoes, cilantro, onions, garlic, chiles, hot sauce, cumin, salt, sugar and lime juice. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you like; I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip, if you dare. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Source and Credits

Special equipment: a slow cooker

Cook's Note

I recommend using a 12-cup food processor, as this recipe makes a large quantity. Alternatively, you can blend or process the ingredients in batches and then mix everything together in a large mixing bowl.

See more: Beef, Main, Mexican, Slow Cook