Weekly Recipe: Christmas Brisket By Chef Alberto Morreale

It’s Christmas once again, and you know what that means—time to feast!

Whether you’re into the carols or get anxious about gift giving, this recipe for a juicy, tender Christmas brisket is one thing upon which you, your friends and your whole family can agree.

This delightful and festive main course comes courtesy of Chef Alberto Morreale, the owner of Farmer's Bottega, Farmer's Table, and Smokey & The Brisket in San Diego, CA.

See also: 12 Festive Cocktails for the Holiday Season

Chef Morreale was born in Sicily and came to the United States in 1995. He’s dedicated his career and his restaurant brands to a hearty, healthy, farm-to-fork culinary approach, using the best in fresh and locally-sourced ingredients to tell a story with his food, and he hopes this Christmas brisket recipe becomes a part of your own family’s narrative.

Chef Morreale suggests this recipe for those who wish to step outside the norm of the usual Christmas ham, and he promises it’s not a daunting, all-day endeavor.

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If you look at the separate pieces on the recipe list and feel like it might be too many steps, worry not. Everything from the citrus sauce to the spiced oil and honey mustard glaze can be made in just a few minutes.

With hints of orange, garlic, rosemary and thyme, the aforementioned honey mustard and the decadent, fall-off-the-bone brisket, this is one recipe that will soon become a treasured tradition for your family, as it is for Chef Morreale.

Bonus! This beef brisket works well for Hanukkah or any other seasonal celebration you might have planned.

Christmas Brisket

Ingredients:

• 7.75 lb beef brisket
• Cord to wrap with

Citric sauce for marination

• 6 cups orange juice
• 4 tsp salt
• 4 tsp pepper
• 8 garlic cloves
• 1 white onion

Spiced oil sauce for the oven

• ½ cup olive oil
• 4 tsp salt
• 8 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp pepper
• 3 sprigs of rosemary
• Thyme to taste

Glaze

• ½ cup honey
• ½ cup mustard
• 3 tsp ground garlic
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar

Directions:

1. Blend together all the ingredients for citric sauce.
2. Chop all of the ingredients for the oil sauce, and mix until incorporated.
3. Tie the brisket with your cord to keep the meat in the form that you want and to keep the juice from bleeding out.
4. Bathe the meat in the citric marinade sauce, cover the meat, and put it in the refrigerator for at least one hour—preferably 3 hours—before cooking.
5. Remove from the refrigerator. Use a knife to make little holes so that the sauce can penetrate the meat, then add the spiced oil sauce to the brisket—make sure everything is covered!
6. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. Place brisket in the oven for 45 minutes, then lower the heat to 325 degrees and add the glaze to the brisket. Leave in the oven for an additional 1.5 hours or until it’s fork tender. A fork should be able to slide easily in and out of the meat.
8. Let meat rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
9. Tip: Serve with truffle mashed potatoes, roasted veggies or spiced roasted yams!

Visit Farmer’s Bottega online and on Instagram for more delicious dishes and inspiration.