Slow-Cooked Mexican Brisket

Slow-cooked Mexican brisket
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Recipe courtesy of The CSIRO Low-Carb Diet Easy 100 by Professor Grant Brinkworth and Dr Pennie Taylor, Macmillan Publishers, RRP $44.99.

Serves: 4 | Preparation: 20 Minutes + 30 Minutes–1 Hour Marinating | Cooking: 8 Hours 10 Minutes

Slow-cooked Mexican brisketIngredients

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 kg beef brisket, visible fat removed (150 g meat per serve)
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste (no added sugar or salt)
  • 1 cup salt-reduced chicken stock (see note)
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Coriander leaves, for garnishing

HERBY TOMATOES

  • 400 g tomatoes (use a mix of varieties, such as regular, cherry, roma etc.)
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 small clove garlic, crushed
  • 1⁄2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1⁄2 cup chopped coriander leaves

AVOCADO CUCUMBER SALAD

  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 1 telegraph cucumber, sliced
  • 1 baby cos lettuce, leaves roughly chopped
  • Juice of 1⁄2 lemon
  • 60 g Danish feta, crumbled

Method

1. Place the garlic powder, cumin, paprika, oregano and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a small bowl and mix to combine. Massage the mixture all over the brisket to coat it well.

2. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium–high heat. Add the brisket and sear on all sides.

3. Place the onion in a slow cooker and place the brisket on top.

4. Combine the tomato paste, stock and lime juice in a jug, then pour the mixture over the brisket. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 8 hours until the meat is very tender and pulls apart easily with a fork.

5. Shred the brisket in the slow cooker using two forks. Stir the meat into the sauce to combine. Transfer to a platter and scatter with the coriander leaves.

6. Meanwhile, for the herby tomatoes, place all the ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving.

7. To make the avocado cucumber salad, place all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine.

8. Place the Mexican brisket and the two salads in the centre of the table and let everyone serve themselves.

Note

Commercial chicken stock is usually very high in sodium. We recommend shopping for ‘chicken broth’, which is a similar product you can find in the refrigerator section of supermarkets and grocers. Broth is sold in small batches and contains less sodium. Check the label to ensure your stock contains less than 50 mg sodium per 100 g.