[Photograph: Arthur Schwartz] I don't know how, why, or when Jews started making brisket for holiday meals, but it's one ritualized aspect of the Jewish culinary tradition I wholeheartedly embrace. My friend Arthur Schwartz has written many, many wonderful cookbooks, including Jewish Home Cooking. Arthur set out in a wonderfully obsessive way to come up with the definitive, most seriously delicious potted brisket recipe. He experimented with cooking first cut and whole briskets, using liquid and not using liquid, and here's what he eventually came up with. Over on his website Food Maven, he shares all of the great and gory brisket experiment details. And what better way to top off a belly full of beef than with two...
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Apples and honey for a sweet new year. [Flickr: ForestForTrees] When we wanted to find some seriously delicious recipes for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, I immediately reached out to Joan Nathan, the queen (not named Esther) of Jewish cooking in this country. My wife and I have repeatedly cooked for both of our families from three of Joan's cookbooks: Jewish Cooking in America, Jewish Holiday Cookbook, and The New American Cooking. The finished dishes never fail to elicit oohs and ahhs, even from my brothers, who are certainly among the world's toughest lay food critics. Pay particular attention to Jim Cohen's Sephardic Brisket It will convince you that dried apricots and prunes are perfect complements to beef...
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Serious barbecue freaks (like me) were shocked, not to mention curious, when a little-known, only-open-Saturdays barbecue joint, Snow's BBQ, was named the best Texas barbecue joint in Texas Monthly Magazine's "100 Best Barbecue Joints in Texas" issue. Soon after Snow's started shipping nationwide (Calvin Trillin's piece in the New Yorker on Snow's tipped us off) the Serious Eaters ordered some Snow's brisket, which turned out to be powerful good. With the Super Bowl coming up, we're giving away 3 pounds and 7 ounces (a big old hunk) of Snow's fantastic brisket. Thanks to the good folks at Snow's, one lucky serious eater (and the seriously lucky friends) will score the tender, smokey meat for the big game. To enter...
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Well, today is the last day of Hanukkah. The eighth and final candle was lighted last night, and the only question that remains is what to do with any leftover latkes. To solve this one, I will go back to my time-tested formula. Item of leftovers + the word sandwich + exclamation point = delicious treat. Put this one through the machine, and voila: latke sandwich!...
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Get Your Grill On suggests a new holiday tradition: Brisket for Christmas! Brisket is a standard barbecue item at my house, though not all areas of the country would include it as standard. What I like about using brisket for parties is pretty simple: It’s versatile. I can serve it with horseradish sauce, redeye gravy or wine reduction sauce, and it works well with a variety of sides. It can also go from basic barbecue to fancier meals with red wine pairings. It feeds a lot of people. I can plan on feeding 10 or more people per each brisket. It’s just plain good! The prep sounds pretty straight-forward (you will need a smoker) and the end product is sure...
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