Brisket Pot Luck Dinner

On Friday, our Temple (Israel ner Tamid on Lander) hosted its annual Brisket Pot Luck Dinner. This year was even better, as we had two representatives from Mr. Brisket there to judge the briskets (www.misterbrisket.com).

Brian and I decided to go against the flow and present a dry-cooked, smoked brisket, instead of the more traditional Jewish-style wet brisket. On Thursday, Mr. Brisket delivered a 3 lb. brisket to us. Brian treated it to a liberal sprinkling of Mesquite Magic seasoning. With the weather fluctuations and wet conditions, Brian was not up to staying up all night to nurse it all the way through on the smoker. So, he put it in the oven, covered, with a little liquid smoke, for about 10 hours at 200 degrees F, then he finished it on the smoker outside with a quick sear. After slicing on our slicer (one of the most frivolous kitchen purchases we've ever made, though it does come in VERY handy about four to six times a year), we layered the brisket in a dish to transport, soaking each layer in Head Country Marinade to keep it moist. Head Country is a dark marinade from Oklahoma that is particularly good on beef.

As a side dish, I made a simple hummus recipe from the America's Test Kitchen Cookbook. The ingredients are pretty basic: rinsed canned chick peas (garbanzo beans), tahini (we found a very nice one from Israel), extra virgin olive oil, fresh minced garlic, lemon juice, cayenne chile powder and salt. I added a large spoonful of roasted sweet red pepper paste for color and an extra burst of flavor. I don't really stick to the recipe with the quantities in the recipe, because I use a different size can of chick peas and tend to go heavier on the garlic. The key to this one is to puree it all together long enough in the food processor so it is smooth and creamy, and the olive oil doesn't separate when it sits for a while. Then, it is just chill and serve.

To go with the hummus, I made toast triangles with a mini-loaf of honey wheat bread, cut on the diagonal, brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with Greek seasoning and then toasted in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 5 minutes. Next time, I'd probably go with a more traditional pita or at least use a rye or pumpernickel party loaf, instead of the sweeter honey wheat, but there were no complaints (I just knew it could be better). I also included some garlic melba toasts on the tray. In the past, I've decorated the hummus with minced parsley or cilantro, or diced sweet red peppers. But we just didn't have time this time, as I had been not feeling well the latter half of the week and had a ton of office work I was committed to finishing by the end of the day.

Brian decided that one side dish wasn't enough, so he also put out a tray of Xochitl tortilla chips with a bowl of our Peach Blueberry Merlot Salsa. By the end, there was nothing to take home from any of the dishes we brought, so that was a good sign.

While we did not win the judging, that wasn't really the point for us. We got to taste about 12 different briskets and a load of wonderful sides including corn pudding/cake, roasted potatoes, rice & mushrooms, cooked red cabbage salad - almost like a sauerkraut, spinach souffle... the list goes on and on! And a few tasty sweet Jello dishes that I used to help clear the palate between tastes of brisket. All in all, it was fantastic and a great way to get to know some other members of the Temple. What a tasty welcome to the weekend!