Friday, May 29, 2009

From the Semi-Homemade Cookbook: Brisket Tacos

Y'all. The other day, I got the brilliant 'idea' to make brisket tacos and they were soooo good, that I had to share. Okay, this isn't my idea, per se..... Brisket tacos are on many the menu at mexican restaurants around here. And I never order them. But they always LOOK so good.... So, I found this recipe on Gourmetmomma's blog and I'm going to share with you 2 ways to make amazing brisket tacos!

Okay, first, her way, which was how I intended to do it. I even bought the ingredients. I just had an issue with one of them.... you'll see....

Okay, first put the brisket in your crockpot (you know how much this working mommy loooves her crockpot!), fatty side up. Yes, fat. I know, I know, you like to cook healthy like I do... but there's no getting away from fat when you're cooking a brisket. It's required!
Put raw garlic cloves (mmmm!) on top of the brisket, about an inch apart, and then add salt. (My BIL swears that sea salt is better for you, and it actually tastes better, so I use that.)

*** Source of all pictures are Gourmet Momma!***
Add a layer of oregano and cumin. This is my kind of cooking... no real measurements. Drives Mr. Fix-It insane. ;)

Then pour on green salsa. Salsa is one of my absolute fav foods. It's why we moved to Texas. Just kidding. Kinda.

Turn on your crockpot and do something else for the next 6-8 hours... my brisket was about 3ish lbs and, at 7 hours, it was per-fect! It'll look something like this, swimming in all that juice:



Pull the meat apart until it looks like the picture at the top. Steal a few bites to 'make sure it's okay.'



Okay, so now for the semi-homemade version....
Like I said, I bought ALL these ingredients. But when I went to get the brisket, they had 2 options. (Now, you know we're in a recession, and I was at wal-mart... I'm assuming a 'real' grocery store might have had better options, but....)
Option #1: a 30+ lb brisket. Not kidding. I had to check to make sure I wasn't at Sam's.
Option #2: a 3-4 lb brisket, that was already seasoned
I went with #2. (Duh.) And can I just say.........OMG. It was perfect. I was working late the night we ate it (of course), and Mr. Fix-It called me at work, just to tell me that it was the best thing he'd had to eat in the last 6 months, at home OR in a restaurant. Wow! That's probably the best cooking compliment I've ever gotten!
You can serve with whatever you like, but it honestly doesn't need much doctoring. I liked it just with corn tortillas and Mr. Fix-It's famous homemade guac. Mmmmm.... Add cheese, salsa, lettuce, tomato, if you want... but I think less is more here. Try it - you'll love it! And this is one recipe (walmart shopping or not!) that is truly easy on the wallet...

5 comments:

  1. Well, now I'm hungry- and stuck at work! But Mr. Sasha will love this!

    And why didn't you get the 30 lb one???? :-)

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  2. Howdy Elaine! You won my stationery giveaway so drop me a mailing address to susie@myflipflopz.com. Congrats! We used to live in the Southlake area and I have been seriously missing all the food out there (especially good brisket)and after reading that last post of yours, I'm STARVING!!! I am absolutely going to try cooking it soon :) And I'll be rescheduling my trip out your way to eat, eat, eat!

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  3. That looks delicious! Not to mention, easy! Sounds like a winner, and I can't wait to try it.

    I've never even heard of brisket tacos. That's what happens when you live in Minnesota, I guess. Mexican cuisine around here generally comes in the form of Taco Bell. ;-)

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  4. :) you should try the homemade variety someday. i buy the big honkin' 40 pound brisket and cut it up into the 3-4 pound chunks. wrapped in freezer paper, they last for almost a year in the freezer. and when brisket goes on sale for 99cents a pound, you can't beat the price.

    glad you liked it. susan

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  5. Try throwing in a bottle of Negra Modelo beer in the crock pot with it, I guarantee you won't regret it.

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