Sophie O’Neil’s tried and loved braised brisket recipe was the starting point for this recipe with some tweaks along the way. The original recipe uses molasses as the sweetener, but I have replaced it with local Red Hill Brewery’s stout, peel of an orange and some brown sugar to create a similar deep dark bittersweet flavour. Serve with a crunchy fresh slaw and squeeze of lime.

Cook overnight or prep first thing in the morning and pop in a slow-cooker for an 8 hour cook. An oven option is given too. For an alcohol free option replace the stout with beef stock.

serves 6

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

800g-1kg piece grass fed brisket

1 brown onion, finely sliced

1 long red chilli, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon ground cumin

¼ cup Mock Orchard Red Hill apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

peel from half an orange, with pith removed

2 bay leaves

400g can crushed tomatoes

500ml beef stock

355ml Red Hill Brewery stout (or beer)

2 teaspoons sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder (optional extra)

packet white corn tortillas

2 limes, halved

Cabbage slaw, for serving

Remove the meat from the refrigerator 20-30 minutes before cooking. If you’re not using a slow-cooker, preheat the oven to 140°C and follow the oven cooking instructions below the instructions for the slow cooker method.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the meat fat side down and cook for about 2 minutes until golden brown, turn over and cook other side to golden brown. Remove the meat and set aside. Add the onion to the frying pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened. Stir in the coriander and cumin and cook for about a minute until aromatic. Stir in the vinegar, bring to a simmer and reduce to about a tablespoon of a liquid. Turn off heat.

Slow cooker method:

Transfer the meat and onion mixture to the slow cooker. Add the sugar, orange peel, bay leaves, tomatoes, beef stock and stout. Add enough water if necessary, making sure the meat is just covered in liquid. Add salt, a generous grinding of pepper and extra chilli powder, if desired. Turn the cooker on to the low setting. Cover the surface with a layer of baking paper and cover with the lid. Cook for 8 hours or overnight. The meat is ready when it pulls apart easily with a fork and is meltingly tender.

Oven method: Transfer the meat and onion mixture to a cast iron pot. Add the sugar, orange peel, bay leaves, tomatoes, beef stock and stout. Add enough water if necessary, making sure the meat is just covered in liquid. Add the salt, a generous grinding of pepper and extra chilli powder, if desired. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat then transfer to the pre-heated oven. Cook for 4 to 5 hours, carefully turning meat over after 3 hours. Add extra water if necessary, if liquid has evaporated during cooking, then sealing pot again. The meat is ready when it pulls apart easily with a fork and is meltingly tender.

To prepare cooked meat: Transfer the cooked meat to a wide dish. Shred the meat into strips and place in a bowl. Ladle about a cup of the cooking juices over the meat to keep moist. Meanwhile, using a ladle remove the layer of fat from the surface of the sauce. Place the cooking liquid in a saucepan over a medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce the liquid by two-thirds to a thickened sauce. Discard the bay leaves and mandarin peel. Season the sauce with salt, if needed, to taste. At this stage, either cool, cover and refrigerate the sauce and meat overnight, or prepare tortillas if serving straight away.

If refrigerating overnight, any remaining fat will solidify and is easily removed the following day. When ready to serve, combine the sauce and meat in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat, to warm through before serving.

To serve: Heat tortillas according to the packet instructions. Pile the meat in the centre of tortillas and place the coleslaw alongside. Spoon over the reduced cooking sauce and squeeze of lime juice. Serve immediately.

Recipe by Fiona Hammond, July 2021

PULLED BRISKET SLOW COOKED IN STOUT