Bounty Beer Braised Barbeque Beef Brisket

I am really enjoying this. It's been awhile since I've spent so much time in my kitchen, mixing and measuring (or not measuring). A wonderful Sunday night supper tonight. Barbeque beef brisket, baked butternut squash, apple and greens salad with raspberry vinaigrette, and fresh bread. My husband loved the meal. Good thing, because it was so hearty there are plenty of leftovers for his lunch another day. He's eating outside his comfort zone - he wouldn't choose squash on his own - yet, he enjoyed it immensely.

If you haven't yet noticed, I enjoy cooking with beer. Comes with the title of "Hop Queen" I guess. So when I decided to cook the Maple Avenue Beef Brisket today, it had to be beer braised. I chose Saranac's Mocha Stout for its rich color and coffee flavor which I love in roasted meat.

Creating a salad with the few fresh vegetables available on the Bounty at the beginning of January was a challenge. But the Finger Lakes salad bouquet and the fresh Crispin apples from
Split Rail Apple Farm inspired me to try my hand at a raspberry vinaigrette. No recipe, just mixed up some things I found in the kitchen. Sweet result!

Bounty Beer Braised Barbeque Beef Brisket

1 Tbs vegetable oil
2 lbs Maple Avenue beef brisket
Sea salt
12 oz Saranac Mocha Stout beer
2 Tbs Foothill Farms Spiced Northern Brown mustard
1/2 cup Ye Olde Landmark Tavern Barbeque Sauce (not from Bounty but local)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and dry the brisket. Rub sea salt into the meat. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. Place the meat in the skillet and turn to brown on both sides and ends to seal in the juices. Remove meat to roasting pan. Stir beer, mustard and barbeque sauce into meat juice in skillet. Simmer a few minutes to disolve mustard and barbeque sauce in the beer. Pour over brisket. Place in oven and cook slowly for 3 hours, adding water if necessary to reconstitute sauce - Sauce will thicken and blacken - watch carefully.

Baked Butternut Squash -Wash and dry exterior of squash. Cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place cut side down in shallow roasting dish. Cover with foil and roast 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Scoop flesh from shell and stir in a dollup of butter, a bit of honey, and salt and pepper.

Finger Lakes Fresh Apple Raspberry Salad.

Tear salad greens into collander, rinse and pat dry. Arrange on salad plate. Thinly slice Crispin apples over the greens. Dress with Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing below.

Kate's Kitchen Raspberry Vinaigrette

1 Tbs vegetable oil
2 Tbs malt vinegar
3 Tbs* homemade raspberry jam (thanks to my daughter Reinele)
1/2 cup water*

Stir together and pour generously over fresh greens and fruit. *If I had thought of it, I may have reduced the jam and used the Red Jacket Orchards Raspberry Apple Juice instead of the water.

Meal rounded out with another slice of the Whispering Pines Bakery white bread.

Yumm.

I can't believe it's time to order from Bounty again tomorrow. What shall I buy?