Queens Eats: Brisket with Onions

We started in Austin, stopped in the tiny German town of Gruene, home to Texas’ oldest dance hall, before settling into San Antonio.

For those of you who haven’t been, I would heartily recommend a visit to these two vastly different cities. Austin, with its retro, laid-back charm, hipster shops and thriving live music scene, might remind some of a more sweltering Brooklyn, whereas San Antonio, home to the Alamo, is full of Spanish-style architecture and life is centered on the Riverwalk, which is reminiscent of Venice, Italy, with its restaurants and walkways curving around the river that really come alive at night.

Needless to say, I gorged myself on Mexican food for the better part of the trip, but took a breather during one meal to visit Stubb’s in Austin for some Texas barbecue. This off-the-beaten path establishment, which also hosts live music shows, is home to some of the tastiest BBQ that I’ve ever sampled.

I ordered the pork ribs, along with mashed potatoes and creamed jalapeno cheddar spinach and corn bread. The meal was sublime, but my one regret is that I didn’t have time to sample any other dishes, such as the brisket.

So, when I returned to Queens, I fired up my Crock Pot and made a tender brisket with onions. At Trader Joe’s, I spotted garlic herb butter, and decided to use this to make garlic herb mashed red potatoes. This meal is a definite winner. And if you have leftovers, you might want to use the brisket to make brisket quesadillas, a dish that I tried at Park at the Domain, outside of Austin.

Slow Cooker Brisket and Onions (Source: Martha Stewart.com)

Ingredients

1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 first cut of beef brisket (4 pounds), trimmed of excess fat
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves, for serving

Directions

In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine onion and garlic. Season brisket with salt and pepper and place, fat side up, in slow cooker. Add broth. Cover and cook on high until brisket is fork-tender, about 6 hours. Remove brisket and thinly slice against the grain. Serve with onion and some cooking liquid, sprinkle with parsley.