Pulled Firecracker Brisket is a modern British recipe for a classic Mexican-inspired dish of beef slow cooked in a tomato sauce with a chilli-based spice paste. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Pulled Firecracker Brisket.
(click this button to prevent the screen from sleeping so Cook Mode is 'ON')
Beef brisket is a tough but flavourful cut of meat that needs slow cooking to make it tender. Here it’s slow cooked by braising in a smoky tomato sauce and spread with a spice paste that flavours the meat. The meat is served shredded and can be presented in the sauce. It’s great as a filling for Mexican-style dishes like tacos, chimichangas, fajitas, empanadas and tamales but can also be used as a filling for baked potatoes or simply served with steamed vegetables and new potatoes. This is also really great pulled and served in buns for Bonfire Night festivities.
I’ve suggested cayenne pepper as the chilli in this recipe, though I used aromatic habanero powder for this recipe myself.
Ingredients:
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2-2½kg piece beef brisket, rolled (ask the butcher to do this for you)
2 red onions, chopped
1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tbsp English mustard powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cayenne pepper (or 1 tsp chilli flakes)
1½ tbsp treacle (molasses)
50ml red wine vinegar (plus 2 tbsp)
75g soft light brown sugar (plus 2 tbsp)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
4-6 bay leaves
2-4 red jalapeño chillies pierced a few times with a small sharp knife
500ml (1 carton) passata (sieved tomatoes)
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
soured cream to serve
Method:
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large, deep roasting tin (one that can go on the hob) or in your largest flame-proof casserole dish. Season the beef well and sear in the tin until nicely browned all over. Lift out and put on a plate or board.
Add another 1 tbsp oil and the onions to the tin and sweat for 8–10 mins until really soft.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the paprika, mustard powder, cinnamon, cayenne or chilli, treacle, 2 tbsp vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar and the remaining oil. Brush this mixture all over the meat, reserving about 2 tbsp for later.
Pre-heat your oven to 150°C (130°C fan/gas mark 2).
Add the garlic, bay leaves and chillies to the softened onions, cook, stirring, in the pan for 1-2 mins, then pour in the passata, Worcestershire sauce, remaining vinegar and sugar. Season the sauce, give a good stir, then put the brisket on top. Wrap the tin tightly in a few sheets of foil, or cover with a lid, transfer to the centre of your pre-heated oven and bake for 6 hrous, turning once or twice during cooking, until really tender.
Uncover the dish, give the sauce around the meat a little stir and brush the remaining spice paste over the meat. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C (180°C fan/gas mark 6). Cook for a further 20 minutes, until the meat is dark and sticky.
Remove from the oven, take the meat out of the pan, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 15 mins.
To serve, skim any fat off the surface of the sauce, shred the meat with 2 forks, discarding any butcher’s string as you go, and toss the meat through the sauce, discarding the bay leaves and chillies.
Pile into warm flatbreads and serve with Charred sweetcorn salsa and a dollop of soured cream. Alternatively serve with boiled new potatoes and steamed vegetables, using the pan juices as a gravy.
