After getting a special call from the father-in-law touting it as the “best brisket I’ve ever had” I figured it would be appropriate to give it an individual listing and it is the first thing that is officially “Josh’s” – huzzah.

The two main ingredients are date tobogã inflavel stock and star anise. This is a pretty sweet and savory dish. Additional sugar and honey isn’t necessary.

11 lb. brisket
1.3 ib whole unpitted dates
whole star anise
2 large sweet potatoes
10 carrots
3 yellow onions (or 2 large)
prunes
cinnamon
nouveau beaujoulais (I used $3 chuck’s)
olive oil
margarine (shhhh)
potato starch or flour
salt and pepper

Pit the dates and eat 3 of them. Put them into water to cover and let them soak for 40 minutes. Then bring to a boil for 5 minutes the reduce to simmer and replenish water to cover as needed. Simmer as long as possible adding water, keeping dates covered. With a slotted spoon remove dates. Start to slowly (low low heat) reduce liquid (about another hour). Check out the sephardic charoset dish as for what to do with those dates.

Peel and chop up the carrots, onions and sweet potatoes. Larger chunks of the sweet potatoes. Scatter them about your roasting pan. (You may want to omit the sweet potatoes and prunes for now or they’ll get really soft) Salt and pepper your meat then grab your tongs and a fork and sear that huge hunk of beef. Try to get all sides and listen to it sizzle for a bit. Then into a roasting pan (hopefully with handles) on top of your veggies and fat side up.

Add 1 1/2 cups of the reduced date syrup, 3 or 4 whole star anise, and a cup and a half of the beaujoulais. Pour over the meat. Seal with tin-foil and into a 350º oven for 3 hours. Add sweet potatoes and prunes for the last hour or so.

Remove from oven and slice brisket into thirds against the grain. Remove from pan and slice away as much fat as possible. Then slice to serve 1/3 inch slices. Pile onto side plate.

Remove veggies, discard the 3 or 4 star anise, and place in bowl. Return sliced brisket in an orderly fashion to the pan. It should sit about halfway submerged in liquid. Replace tinfoil and return to oven for 1 hour.

After one hour remove from oven and using tongs flip the brisket to submerge the other half of the meat. Return sliced meat to oven, add veggies in a separate container and cook for 1/2 hour.

Bring remaining date syrup and 1 cup of brisket stock to a boil. Add potato starch to cold water and stir in to thicken. A little goes a long way. Reduce heat. Stir in a thick pat of margarine. Salt to taste. Serve brisket and veggies on a platter and don’t forget the gravy.