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Pulled Brisket Sandwiches with Coleslaw
Total 5 hours (includes braising time)
Active 60 mins
Makes 6 servings
I often make these hearty, flavorful sandwiches when friends and family come to help out on the ranch. I can prepare most of this meal ahead of time—the meat and coleslaw can be made the day before I need to serve them (see Cook’s Note)—and the sandwiches are big and meaty enough to fill everyone up on a day full of hard work. (They’re also a favorite of Austin’s, because he loves sandwiches so much that he thinks of them as his favorite food group.) This recipe feeds six, but I usually double it to serve a crowd.
TIP: When you’re cooking brisket, make sure to leave all of the fat on the meat; it will melt off as it cooks and will add a lot of flavor to the finished dish. You can cook the brisket and assemble the slaw (without the dressing) a day ahead of time. When it’s time to eat, reheat the meat in the oven and dress the slaw.
Ingredients
Brisket:
Coleslaw:
Sandwiches:
Directions
- Make the brisket: Cut the brisket into large chunks and put them in a large bowl. Rub the meat with the chopped garlic, then season it generously with salt and pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Put the olive oil in a Dutch oven, squeeze the juice from the orange into it, and warm the mixture over high heat. Working in batches, brown the pieces of brisket on all sides until they have crusty, browned edges, 10 to 15 minutes. (Be careful not to crowd the pan or the meat will not brown properly.) When the meat is done, set it aside.
- Add the onions and the peppers to the Dutch oven, along with any remaining garlic from the bowl, and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the vegetables begin to soften and brown, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of the beef broth and the red wine and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, and bay leaf and bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Put the beef back in the Dutch oven and add more beef broth if the meat is not fully submerged. (If the beef is not covered by liquid, it will dry out in the oven.) Cover the Dutch oven and put it in the oven. Braise the brisket until it is tender enough that you can easily pull it apart with a couple of forks, about 4 hours.
- While the brisket is braising, make the coleslaw: Put the red and green cabbage, peas, radishes, and carrots in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Put the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and salt in a medium jar. Add the parsley, close the jar securely, and shake the dressing well to mix. Set aside.
- When the brisket is fully cooked, use 2 forks to tear and shred it. Add the dressing to the coleslaw and mix well.
- To assemble the sandwiches, cut the French rolls down the center, leaving them connected along one side. Dip the cut sides of the rolls into the liquid in the brisket, divide the meat between the rolls, and top each with some of the coleslaw.
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