Shredded Oven-Roasted Brisket

We never had that holiday party at work, probably because I end up organizing them and that was the week I went on vacation, then the week I was out with Covid.  And now I have seven pounds of brisket in the freezer.

I really do need to decrease the chest freezer inventory.  Annual pre-Passover defrost is the first week of April.  I'm forcing myself not to buy any meat until it's under control.  Half the dinners I cook are vegetarian, so why do I have about 20 pounds of various meats in there?  I'm so thankful I didn't give into temptation and buy a turkey when there was a good deal recently.

For this month's challah bake, I decided to make four hamburger buns with eight ounces of the dough, and shredded meat on them sounded like a good idea.  I got out some cranberry ketchup to put on the sandwiches, and just needed a vegetable side.

Roasting brisket to shred is very easy.  You rub on the spices, pour a little water onto the meat before you wrap it in the foil, and let it do its thing in a low oven for most of the day.  Once the connective tissue and least dense fat cooks away, the meat will fall apart on its own.

The spices I'm listing here are my personal favorites.  You may want to do something slightly different, maybe to make the meat very spicy, or to lean toward a specific cuisine.  Focus more on the method in order to get shreddable meat, and flavor it however you like.  This is your starting point.

*2 lbs brisket
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp each pepper, paprika, chili powder, and granulated garlic
1/2 C water
*1 tsp liquid smoke

1.  Trim excess fat from brisket, but leave at least 1/4".  The brisket needs to baste itself.  Line a roasting pan with heavy-duty foil and place the roast on it.

2.  Stir together salt and spices.  Sprinkle on all sides.  Stir together water and liquid smoke, then pour around the meat, inside the foil.  Seal with a top piece of foil into a secure package.

3.  Place pan in oven and set to 275º.  This thing is going to be in there so long, you don't need to preheat.  Roast for 4 hours.  Yes, seriously.  As long as there is some water in there, you pretty much can't overcook it.  Check after about 2 hours to make sure the foil wrap didn't leak.  Add water if necessary, then reseal.

4.  Allow roast to cool until you can handle it.  Cut off any obvious fat, then cut across the grain into 2" slices.  Shred brisket, either with forks or your fingers.  I used the latter, which gets very greasy, but you can feel what parts are mostly fat more accurately than how they look.  Serve as sandwiches, in casseroles, in soups and stews, or any way you can think of.

Serves 4-6, depending on fattiness of meat

Difficulty rating  π