Martin and I love watching Top Chef.  I think it's fascinating to watch the chefs pull together wonderful and inventive meals with odd constraints and under a strict time limit.  Martin likes it because it gives him ideas for foods that he wants me to make.  Also, he likes the guy who wears hats all the time.  Last week Richard made a Braised Brisket of Beef for the elimination round and it received rave reviews, so I decided we'd try it out for ourselves.

Although the recipe sounded good, the quantities seemed a bit vague to me and I didn't want to braise anything in the oven for 12-24 hours.  So I changed the ingredients and quantities a bit and modified it to cook in the crock pot while I was at work.  It was really easy to make and turned out very tasty.  Of course, it made a big batch, so we'll probably have it a few more times this week or freeze part of it for another night.


I've never braised brisket before, usually smoking it and adding liquid at the end or as a sauce.  The braised version of brisket is moist and tender, and seems to be better suited to shredding than slicing.  And the mustard flavor was a delicious change from the Texas-style barbecue sauce flavor we usually eat.  I'll definitely make this again.

Print it: Slow-cooked Mustard Brisket