Maple brined and braised beef brisket with oyster emulsion
Item 1 of 1
Alyn Williams matches perfectly tender beef brisket with vibrant, buttery vegetables and a salty oyster emulsion in this stunning dish. This recipe requires a little forward planning as the brisket is first brined for a week and then slowly braised, but the resulting rich, intense flavour is more than worth the effort. Alexanders can be foraged locally in Britain, but if you can't source these you could use the leaves from the turnips instead.
First published in 2016
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Braised brisket
- 500g of beef brisket
- 2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped
- 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and quartered
- 3 sprigs of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 300ml of cider
- 50ml of maple syrup
- 1l chicken stock
- 1 tbsp of maple verjus, (Alyn uses Minus 8 Maple Brix Verjus)
- oil
Brine
- 1.5l water
- 120g of salt
- 140g of soft brown sugar
- 150g of maple syrup
- 55g of saltpetre
- 500g of ice cubes
Oyster emulsion
- 4 oysters, in their shells
- 1g of agar agar
- 100ml of pomace oil (1)
Vegetables
- 8 baby carrots, with tops
- 250ml of carrot juice
- 8 baby turnips, or navets
- 1 handful of alexanders, leaves only
- 100g of butter
- 200ml of chicken stock
- salt
To serve
- 1 bunch of French breakfast radish, finely sliced or shaved on a mandoline
- 1 romaine lettuce, leaves trimmed and washed
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- Water bath
- Blender
Method
1
Begin the week before in order to brine and cook the brisket. Place the water, salt, sugar, syrup and saltpetre in a large pan and place over a medium heat, stirring until everything has dissolved into the liquid
- 1.5l water
- 120g of salt
- 140g of soft brown sugar
- 150g of maple syrup
- 55g of saltpetre
2
Remove from the heat and add the ice cubes to cool the liquid down, then add the brisket. Cover and place in the fridge to brine for 7 days
- 500g of ice cubes
- 500g of beef brisket
3
After this time, prepare the braising liquor for the brisket by adding a little oil to a large pan and placing over a medium heat. Add the celery, apple, thyme and bay and allow to sweat down and soften for a few minutes
- oil
- 2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped
- 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and quartered
- 3 sprigs of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
4
Deglaze the pan with the cider and stir in the maple syrup. Add the brisket to the pan and pour over the stock to completely cover the beef. Cook for 3 hours, then remove from the heat and leave to cool in the liquor
- 300ml of cider
- 50ml of maple syrup
- 1l chicken stock
5
Once cool, remove the cooked brisket and place on a tray. Wrap tightly with clingfilm and place the whole tray in the fridge to set overnight. Strain the liquor through a sieve into a clean pan and reserve for serving
6
On the day of serving, remove the set brisket from the fridge and cut into 4 portions. Place the pan of braising liquor back over a medium heat and allow to reduce down for about 30 minutes to create a thick glaze
7
Meanwhile, preheat a water bath to 65°C
8
Poach the oysters in their shells in the water bath for 20 minutes, then shuck and remove the meat, discarding the shells. Allow the oysters to cool, then add to a blender with the agar agar and oil. Blitz until smooth then pass through a fine sieve and transfer to a squeezy bottle for serving
- 4 oysters, in their shells
- 1g of agar agar
- 100ml of pomace oil (1)
9
Finely chop the green carrot tops and set aside. Place the carrots into a small pan and cover with the carrot juice, then cook over a medium heat for 5–6 minutes until tender
- 8 baby carrots, with tops
- 250ml of carrot juice
11
Season with a little salt, then place back on the heat and add the baby turnips. Cook for 3–4 minutes until tender, then remove the turnips and add the alexander leaves to the emulsion. Cook the leaves for 30 seconds to soften then remove from the pan, setting aside with the turnips and keeping warm until ready to serve
- 8 baby turnips, or navets
- 1 handful of alexanders, leaves only
12
Drain the poached carrots from the juice and add to the remaining butter emulsion. Add in the chopped green tops and heat through for 1 minute, then set aside and keep warm until required
13
Preheat a grill or barbecue. Stir the maple verjus through the reduced glaze and brush this over the brisket portions. Grill the beef for a few minutes until heated through and slightly charred, then brush again generously with the remaining glaze
- 1 tbsp of maple verjus, (Alyn uses Minus 8 Maple Brix Verjus)
14
To serve, place a piece of brisket on each plate and divide the buttery vegetables between each. Pipe dots of the oyster emulsion around the plate, garnishing with lettuce leaves and finely sliced radish
- 1 bunch of French breakfast radish, finely sliced or shaved on a mandoline
- 1 romaine lettuce, leaves trimmed and washed
First published in 2016
Get in touch
Please sign in or register to send a comment to Great British Chefs.
You may also like
SITES
© Great British Chefs 2023
