Pomegranate Braised Brisket

Pomegranate as a word can quite easily be decanted to it’s original meaning - Poly (Many) Gran (Grains) it’s one of the fruits which still have some sense of meaning to their name. Many of the Citrus fruits have simply lost their meaning over time and have become names of the colour of their skin - Orange - Lemon  - Lime etc. What does Grape really mean?!

Ingredients for the Rub:-

3 Tbsp of Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp of Sumac
1 Tbsp of Mustard Powder
1 Tbsp of Paprika
1 Tbsp of Garlic Powder
1 Tsp of Cayenne
1 Tbsp of Ground Black Pepper
1 Tbsp of Salt


Main ingredients:-

A good sized lump of Brisket ( Ours was just under 900g)
2 Onions, Sliced
3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
330ml of Dry Cider
120ml of Tomato Sauce
120ml of Pomegranate Molasses
500ml of Beef Stock
Oil to fry
Salt & Pepper to taste.


Method:-

In a bowl, combine all rub ingredients
(1) Rub the spice mixture all over both sides of the Brisket
(2) Place spiced Brisket in the fridge covered overnight.
(3) Remove from the fridge and allow  to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 180°C.
(4) Heat a large Dutch Oven or ovenproof pan over high heat. Add oil and Brisket. Sear both sides of the meat for 4-5 minutes per side until nicely browned. Remove the meat and set aside.
(5) To the same pot, add Onions, Salt, and Pepper. Cook for 4 minutes until the Onions are soft and translucent.
(6) Add the Garlic and cook for a further minute.
(7) Add the Dry Cider, using a spoon to stir it in and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
(8) Add remaining ingredients and bring it the to a boil
(9) Return brisket and spoon the sauce and Onions over the brisket.
(10) Cover the pot tightly and simmer for about 1 1⁄2 hours.
(11) Remove from oven and turn Brisket over.
(12) Check every 30 minutes until it is soft and tender.
(13) Remove from the oven and allow brisket to cool completely in the sauce.
(14) To slice brisket, allow it to cool completely, then remove from sauce and slice against the grain. Best of luck with that!!!!!


We garnish with pomegranate seeds and served with season vegetables. What started out as a very expensive looking recipe fed us for two days and the remainders were very much appreciated by the Foxes. It looks very brown, but it tasted really good!