Coffee-rubbed slow-cooked brisket

Darren Robertson and Mark LeBrooy

June 22, 2016

The Blue Ducks' coffee-rubbed brisket (with salsa).Edwina Pickles

Time:2 hours +Serves:4

We love cooking a nice piece of brisket on a chilly night, and our favourite is Tasmanian grass-fed beef from Cape Grim. The meat has an amazing body of flavour, great fat content and marbling. We gently rub brisket with ground coffee and smoky paprika, then cook it slowly overnight. This simple treatment transforms what is often considered a secondary cut of beef into a real showstopper. For a cow, brisket is the equivalent of our pecs – these muscles are used a lot, hence the long cooking time needed to get a super-tender result. Serve the brisket with coleslaw and soft sweet buns or pickles and potatoes.

Ingredients

100g ground coffee
50g smoked paprika
150g brown sugar
75ml brown vinegar
1 bulb garlic, cloves peeled and crushed
50g ginger, finely grated
50g chilli flakes
20g ground cumin
20g ground coriander
30g salt
10g ground pepper
1kg beef brisket
1 litre beef stock (check gluten-free if required)

Method

The day before serving (this dish cooks in a low oven for 12 hours)
1. Preheat your oven to 180C.
2. Mix all the ingredients except the brisket and beef stock in a bowl to make a lovely dark paste. Smear it generously all over the brisket, using all the spice mix.
3. Put the brisket in a high-sided baking tray and add the beef stock – pour it around the meat not over the top, or the rub will wash away. Cover the meat with baking paper then aluminium foil, which will stop the foil sticking to the meat during cooking.
4. Cook in the oven for 25 minutes at 180C.
5. Turn oven down to 95C and cook for 12 hours.*
To serve
6. Remove the brisket and carve it into thick slices. Serve with a healthy spoonful of charred herb salsa on top.
*Tip: After cooking the brisket, reduce the cooking liquid to a sauce. Strain it first, then add a glass of your favourite red before cooking it down.