The Pioneer Woman Cooks (52 page)

2. In the roasting pan, combine the beef consommé and soy sauce.

3. Halve the lemons, juice them…

4. And add the juice to the pan.

5. Next, chop the cloves of garlic and add to the mix. If you’re a garlic lover, add more if you like; I won’t tell anyone. If you’re using liquid smoke, add it now, too. Some people find the aroma and flavor of liquid smoke to be a little overwhelming, but in my experience, a tablespoon isn’t too tough to take. It’ll give the brisket just a slight smoky flavor reminiscent of barbecue.

6. Place the brisket in the pan, fat side up. Ladle some of the liquid on top, just to get the marinating process going.

7. Next, cover tightly with foil and place in the fridge to marinate for 24 to 48 hours.

When you’re ready, pop the brisket—still covered in foil—into a 300ºF oven and cook for about 40 minutes per pound. This 8-pound monster was done in 6 hours.

8. When the cooking time has passed, peel back the foil and check to see if the brisket is fork-ten-der: stick two forks into the meat and pull them in opposite directions. The meat should come apart fairly easily. If you meet much resistance, cover with foil and return to the oven for 20 minutes.

9. When the meat is fork-tender, place it on a cutting board. With a sharp knife, cut away the large slab of fat from the top of the meat.

As you cut, try not to take any meat with you. The meat just under the fat is some mighty good eatin’.

10. Just keep going until most of the fat is trimmed.

11. With a large serrated knife, slice it against the grain. When the brisket is truly in fall-apart mode, this is what it looks like.

12. Now, here’s the kicker: scoop up the sliced meat with a spatula and return it to the pan, juice and all. This’ll make it extra yummy and moist. Cover with foil and place in the oven to warm up, if necessary.

13. Serve the brisket with mashed potatoes, on toasted rolls, or whatever suits you. It’s a major-league crowd pleaser.

LEFTOVER IDEA: Use shredded leftover brisket for nachos, burritos, or tacos!

We Love L.B.

Meet L.B., the most wonderful, beautiful, gentle ranch horse of all time.

We all absolutely love L.B.

CHEESE GRITS

Makes 12 servings

Did you know that depending on your geographical location, the word grits can be either one, two, or three syllables? It’s true! For instance, if you’re from, say, Iowa, it’s a simple one-syllable word: grits. If you venture down into Texas, it morphs into two syllables: gree-yuts. Get over into the thick accents of Alabama or Georgia? We’re talkin’ three whoppin’ syllables, folks: guh-ree-yuts. I’m still holding out hope that someone, somewhere, will come up with a way to add another syllable. And when they do, I’ll giggle.