Braised beef brisket with apples

Ingredients

• 3- to 4-pound flat cut beef brisket, extra fat removed
• 1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 ounces bacon, diced
• 3 medium yellow onions, sliced into ½-inch-thick rings
• 2 large firm-tart apples (about 1 pound total), peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
• 2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 large jalapeño chile, seeded and diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cups fresh apple cider

Steps

1. In a small dish, stir together 1 tablespoon kosher salt and all the pepper and cinnamon. Set the brisket in a large baking dish and sprinkle all over with the spice mixture. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours (see Note).

2. In the pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until just crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the brisket to the pot, and weigh it down with the smaller pot or Dutch oven to maximize browning.

   Cook until nicely browned on one side, 5 to 7 minutes, then flip the meat, replace the weight, and brown the other side for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the meat and set aside on a rimmed baking sheet.

3. Preheat the oven to 325°F and set a rack to the second-to-bottom position. Drain all but 2 tablespoons fat from the Dutch oven and add the onions, apples, brown sugar, jalapeño, bay leaf, and remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the onions and apples are golden brown and tender, about 10 minutes. Add the cider and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

   Return the meat and any juices to the pot, bring the liquid to a simmer, then cover the pot and transfer to the oven.

4. Gently braise the brisket until tender when pierced with a fork, about 3 hours, being sure to turn the meat once with a pair of tongs about halfway through. Check periodically to make sure the sauce isn't boiling; if it is, lower the heat to 300°F. Remove the pot from the oven, transfer the brisket to a platter, and strain the sauce through a sieve to remove the cooked-down apples and onions. You can discard the solids or reserve them to spoon over the meat when you serve it with the sauce.

5. Let the sauce sit in a glass liquid measuring cup for 5 minutes and skim off any excess with a spoon, then return the sauce to the pot and simmer over medium-high heat until thickened and glossy, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste the sauce and add salt or pepper if needed.

6. Carve the meat across the grain into ¼- to ½-inch-thick slices; serve with the reduced sauce and, if desired, the cooked-down apples and onions.