Pulled Brisket

This recipe is a not-quite-French-inspired braise turned into pulled beef. It’s also not-quite-Jewish tzimmes turned into Midwestern American comfort food. And it’s also like all of them combined. (Somehow.)
If not left whole, briskets come in two basic cuts. The flat cut (or “first cut”) is less fatty than the “point cut.” However, consider trimming even the flat cut of most of its exterior fat, just so it has about 1/4 inch or so over the meat. The sauce will then have a brighter flavor.
The brisket needs a long time under pressure so that you can shred it, rather than just slice it. That said, it might not even be done with the timing stated. Brisket can be notoriously fussy, becoming tender at various times because of a range of factors well beyond just the size of the meat. If you find you can’t shred the meat easily, put the hunk back in the sauce, bring it back to HIGH pressure, and cook for another 10 minutes, followed again by a natural release.

Cuisine

Modern

Course

Main Course

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

1-2 hours

Cooking Technique

Max Pressure Cook, Pressure Cook, Sauté, Slow Cook

Keywords

1-2 hours, 8 servings, baby carrots, balsamic vinegar, beef brisket, bold red wine, contributed, diced tomatoes, easy, fresh thyme leaves, frozen pearl onions, garlic cloves, ground black pepper, main course, max pressure cook, modern, pitted green olives, pitted prunes, pressure cook, sauté, slow cook, table salt

Servings

8 servings

Ingredients

14 ounce diced tomatoes
1/2 cup bold red wine
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup frozen pearl onions
8 baby carrots
8 pitted prunes
6 large pitted green olives
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
2 medium garlic cloves
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 lb beef brisket

Instructions

Mix the tomatoes, wine, and vinegar in the cooker. Stir in the pearl onions, carrots, prunes, olives, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper. Nestle the meat into the sauce, then turn the cut over to coat both sides. Lock the lid onto the pot.
Optional 1 Max Pressure Cooker
Press Pressure cook on Max pressure for 1 hour 10 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
Optional 2 All Pressure Cookers
Press Meat/Stew or Pressure cook (Manual) on High pressure for 1 hour and 30 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
Option 3 Slow Cook
Press Slow Cook option on High for 6 hours with Keep Warm setting off (or on for no more than 4 hours)
If you’ve used the pressure setting, when the machine has finished cooking, turn it off and let its pressure return to normal naturally, about 30 minutes.
Unlatch the lid and open the cooker. Use a meat fork and a big slotted spoon to transfer the brisket (whole or in pieces) to a cutting board. Use a flatware tablespoon to skim excess surface fat from the sauce in the pot.
Press Saute, set time for 15 minutes.
Bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring once in a while. Simmer, stirring a few times, until the sauce looks like a loose, wet barbecue sauce, 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, shred the basket using two forks—or perhaps a knife to cut thick slices that can then be shredded with a fork.
Once the sauce has reached the right consistency, stir the shredded brisket into it and cook, stirring often, until coated, about 1 minute. Turn off the SAUTE function and remove the hot insert from the pot. Set the lid askew over the insert and set aside for 5 minutes to blend the flavors and let the meat continue to absorb the sauce.

Notes

Beyond
• You must halve the recipe for a 3-quart cooker.
• While you can serve this pulled brisket on potato rolls with pickle relish or pickled jalapeno rings, it’s also great over mashed potatoes.
• To omit the wine, substitute beef broth and add 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar.
• For a sweeter sauce, substitute 1/4 cup raisins for the prunes.
• For a more complex flavor, substitute pomegranate molasses for the balsamic vinegar.

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