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Brisket Stew?

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KiterTodd
KiterTodd Posts: 2,466
edited September 2015 in EggHead Forum
I know...you're going WTF, man?  You're going to do WHAT to a perfectly good brisket?  Follow me here...

There have been several folks here who have talked about making chili with a smoked brisket.  They report excellent results!  I was thinking of doing that but thought, "as good as that will be, all the chili seasoning and sauce will hide some of that hard work that went into a perfectly cooked brisket.  Wonder if I can make it a stew?"

I'm a big fan of soups and stews and have a good track record for making things up with a little of this and a little of that.  Taste along the way, and end up with something delicious.   So, what if you made a sort of beef stew, but instead of starting with raw stew meat or a roast, you took a fully cooked brisket, chopped it up and added it to your pot?  You'd only have to cook long enough for your vegetables to get soft.  You could even do that first and add the brisket for the last 30 minutes.   I'd add just enough stock/water to make it a little thinner than a chili, but still a hearty meal you can have with a hunk of bread.

Have a lost my mind?  Has anyone tried something like this before?

I'm hosting a large party next month and I'm thinking this is a unique way to share brisket with the masses while I'm busy with other host tasks.  I can make it a day ahead.  Keeping sliced brisket tender and moist for hours can be tough, plus a stew will probably go further than a sliced brisket (a crowd can inhale 2 briskets pretty quickly).  I guess I could also just serve it as chopped brisket instead of sliced.  But I do love a unique stew...

Whattya think?


LBGE/Maryland
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Comments

  • GATraveller
    GATraveller Posts: 8,207
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    I say....have at it.....just be sure to post results (and recipe if it turns out) :) .  Brisket would make an awesome stew.  I've made the "Award winning smoked brisket chili" and it's INCREDIBLE!!  
    I know folks are always looking for ways to use up leftovers so this could be a good idea.



    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community [...] but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots."
                                                                                  -Umberto Eco

    2 Large
    Peachtree Corners, GA
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  • byrne092
    byrne092 Posts: 746
    edited September 2015
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    I agree with @GATraveller, that brisket chili is awesome. Granted I made it because I had a lot of leftovers, it definitely added a nice unique flavor. If I remember right the chili simmers for like 3 hours, so you could make the brisket way ahead of time and take the same approach with the stew and let the flavors meld together. Look forward to seeing what you come up with
    XL, Medium BGE & Blackstone I XAR-Woo2 & Rig-BO I Flameboss 500

    St. Louis, MO
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  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
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    I certainly don't see why not.  I think chili basically is a stew...just a particular flavor.  

    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

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  • KiterTodd
    KiterTodd Posts: 2,466
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    Yeah, that may work out. I'll have to do a test run to try it out if I can before the big shindig.

    Thanks. 


    LBGE/Maryland
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  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,458
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    I think that's an awesome idea.
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  • MelSharples
    MelSharples Posts: 260
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    Great idea! After all, brisket is a tough piece of meat that was meant for slow cooking. Personally I would smoke it until you get the desired bark then cube it and finish it in the stew, let all those delicious smoky flavors meld with the vegetables in a nice long soak.

    Makes me want some beef stew myself, it's a perfect day for it in Atlanta...
    LBGE 2015 - Atlanta
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  • KSwoll
    KSwoll Posts: 129
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    I make a Brunswick Stew from Pulled Pork, Chicken, and Brisket. I don't think making a stew with your brisket is wasting it. Hell, it sounds pretty damn delicious.
    XL, Large, Medium, and Mini Max
    Northern Virgina
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  • Trixie_Belle
    Trixie_Belle Posts: 163
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    KSwoll said:
    I make a Brunswick Stew from Pulled Pork, Chicken, and Brisket. I don't think making a stew with your brisket is wasting it. Hell, it sounds pretty damn delicious.
    I LOVE Brunswick stew!!!   
    BGE novice...A Southern Belle living in Seattle.  
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  • KiterTodd
    KiterTodd Posts: 2,466
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    MelSharples said:
    Great idea! After all, brisket is a tough piece of meat that was meant for slow cooking. Personally I would smoke it until you get the desired bark then cube it and finish it in the stew, let all those delicious smoky flavors meld with the vegetables in a nice long soak.

    Makes me want some beef stew myself, it's a perfect day for it in Atlanta...
    Okay, if I do that, would I get the tenderness from the slow cooking in stock?  If I pull it off the egg early, it's likely nicely smoked with a good bark, but may not be probe tender everywhere yet.   I know a normal stew does this, when only starting from browned or raw meat.

    I wasn't sure what happens to a brisket 2/3 of the way through it's cook that is done yet and appears tough on the grill...and then magically turns into butter.  :how_interesting: 

    I like this idea, though, but want to make sure I achieve the fall part tenderness.  Like this recent cook...


    LBGE/Maryland
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  • Ladeback69
    Ladeback69 Posts: 4,482
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    KiterTodd said:
    MelSharples said:
    Great idea! After all, brisket is a tough piece of meat that was meant for slow cooking. Personally I would smoke it until you get the desired bark then cube it and finish it in the stew, let all those delicious smoky flavors meld with the vegetables in a nice long soak.

    Makes me want some beef stew myself, it's a perfect day for it in Atlanta...
    Okay, if I do that, would I get the tenderness from the slow cooking in stock?  If I pull it off the egg early, it's likely nicely smoked with a good bark, but may not be probe tender everywhere yet.   I know a normal stew does this, when only starting from browned or raw meat.

    I wasn't sure what happens to a brisket 2/3 of the way through it's cook that is done yet and appears tough on the grill...and then magically turns into butter.  :how_interesting: 

    I like this idea, though, but want to make sure I achieve the fall part tenderness.  Like this recent cook...


    I think @MelSharples, has an idea here and you don't have to take it all the way to done.  I believe most beef stew recipes call for chuck roast and they are done here for pulled pork or made into burnt ends so the brisket should work.  You would have the smokey flavor and the simmering in the broth for a few hours should make it tender.  I have braised a brisket in it's own juices and it comes out very tender.  Try a small packer and do a trial run on it.
    XL, WSM, Coleman Road Trip Gas Grill

    Kansas City, Mo.
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  • MelSharples
    MelSharples Posts: 260
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    Exactly right @Ladeback69 this would be the same idea as searing the beef then braising or stewing but instead of a quick browning you're smoking and getting all that flavor. The beef will definitely get tender and succulent in the simmer! Hope to see some pics!
    LBGE 2015 - Atlanta
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  • feef706
    feef706 Posts: 853
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    KSwoll said:
    I make a Brunswick Stew from Pulled Pork, Chicken, and Brisket. I don't think making a stew with your brisket is wasting it. Hell, it sounds pretty damn delicious.
    I also do this with leftover pulled pork, throw some chicken on the bbq to add to it. All the smoked meat gives the stew a great smokey flavor.
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