Normally, I am like everyone else, moaning and groaning when Monday comes around. But, this morning was different. I didn't magically change into a morning person. No. Not at all. That will never happen.
But, today, I had something wonderful to anticipate attending. At 9:00, this semester's Bible study began! I was thrilled to be back in class, seeing all the lovely ladies who attend and chatting about our Christmases with our families.
Everyone was so excited to be back in session. We missed each other and studying the Bible together. It's going to be a good 11 weeks.
The one thing that did not excite me about today was it destroyed my schedule which I had finally honed to a workable point. That's why this blog post is "late" today. I didn't remember until bedtime last night that my day was going to be "off" and that I needed to write this ahead of time.
Oops.
Now, to the real reason for today's post. Food. Delicious, wonderful, mouth watering food. In particular, the meal I made for dinner Sunday night.
What is this delicious meal? Brisket, pinto beans and fried potatoes.
It was delicious. In fact, it was so fantastic my 15 year old son ate the remainder of the brisket for a snack later last night.
Snack. HA! He ate half a brisket! Thankfully, it was a small one. But, still...
This is how I made the beans and brisket.
Pinto Beans.
I usually make them on the stove top, but I decided to use the crock pot this time so I didn't have to keep stirring and checking to see if it needed more water. Not a bad decision, but the "juice" didn't thicken.
Here's what I did:
First, rinse and pick over a half bag of dried beans, cover with water and let sit over night in the crock pot, power off. Preferably unplugged, but that's just me being paranoid.
The next morning, drain the soaking water, rinse and cover with more water. At least 2 inches per the instructions on the back of the bag.
Chop a small onion and toss in the pot.
Add chopped garlic. 1-2 teaspoons full. I use the jarred, pre-chopped kind. I am lazy when it comes to garlic. If you like to chop your own garlic, 1 clove should be about right.
Add in a little cumin and oregano. Not a lot. Maybe 1/2 - 1 tsp of each. It's a matter of taste.
Unwrap and toss in 1-2 chicken bouillon cubes. I used 1 and had to add salt after I finished cooking.
About half a pack of chopped ham. I am guessing it was about 3/4 cup of ham.
Seed and devein a jalapeno then chop it into tiny pieces and add to the pot.
Black pepper, to taste.
Stir everything together. Cover. Turn on high and let it cook all day. Really. All day long. On high. Maybe it's just MY crock pot, but beans do not get done on low.
Important: Do NOT open the lid. Leave it closed. Let it cook. Don't worry about stirring it. The beans are fine. I promise. The more you open the lid, the longer it takes to cook. Leave the lid alone.
Once you have the beans cooking, it's time to go have a few hours of fun. Or work. Or shopping. Or whatever. When you get back and the house smells incredible from the cooking beans, you will begin to think about what to make with them. Brisket is the answer. Brisket is always the answer. Always. Trust me on this.
I usually buy a small brisket that has already been trimmed. This means, you see the nice red meat on one side and a thin (for a brisket) layer of fat on the other side. This will be about 1/4 in thick, maybe slightly more.
Preheat your oven to 250. Low and slow is the way to cook brisket in the oven.
Line a baking dish with foil. It makes clean up so much easier.
*The dish must have sides. Don't just put the brisket on a cookie sheet. The juices will run out and you will have a huge mess in your oven.*
Then, pull out a small bowl. A cereal bowl will work fine. Then, go to your spice rack and grab cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned pepper and seasoned salt. Brown sugar and liquid smoke from the pantry.
Ready? Pour a bunch of brown sugar in the bowl. I rarely measure when I do this, I just toss it all together, mix it, taste it and adjust as necessary. But, guessing, I would say about 1 cup of brown sugar.
Next, put about 1 tsp of cumin and 1/2 tsp of the other seasonings. We love cumin. If your family doesn't, use less or leave it out entirely. Totally up to you.
Mix it together and taste it. Savory enough? Sweet enough? Salty enough? If it tastes good, stop. If not, adjust, mix and taste until you like the way it tastes.
When the rub is ready, rinse and dry the brisket. Put half the rub on one side of the meat, spread across and push into the brisket. Turn the brisket over and repeat on the opposite side with the remainder of the rub. Put it into the baking dish fat side up.
Pour a little water in the dish with the brisket. Just a little. Then, add 2-3 shakes of liquid smoke into the water. Or 1 cap full if yours doesn't shake out. Depends on the brand.
Cover with foil and into the oven it goes. After 3-4 hours, when it starts smelling fabulous, pull it out, remove the foil and check to see if it is done. Or close. I put it back in the oven, uncovered, and bake it for at least 30 minutes to an hour longer at 300-350 to brown and form a bit of crust.
Remove from oven and let sit at least 10 minutes. Slice thin across the grain and serve with the beans and potatoes. We make sandwiches with the brisket, adding sliced onion rings, pickles and bbq sauce.
This is what was left after dinner. I forgot to take a picture before we ate. I added extra drippings from the pan when I sliced it to keep it moist.
This is also what the teen ate later that night. No brisket sandwich for my lunch today. *sad face*
This is the new bbq sauce I bought this weekend. Oh mercy, it was delicious. Can't wait to try the other flavors. I may pour this over a pork loin to make pork bbq one day soon.
If you have any questions, please let me know! Always glad to clarify. Happy eating.
Time for a cup of coffee. Cheers!
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