Never been a brisket girl. There I said it. Braised meat just doesn’t do it for me. I’ll eat the brown stuff when I don’t have teeth! In the meantime? I like to chew my food. So red meat is where it’s at for me. Traditional? Not so much. I know, I know. I’m so predictable!
Speaking of predictable, braised meat is always reliable. You cook it low and slow in the oven, and you’ve got yourself a tender cut. Red meat? Not so much. It needs your attention, and a meat thermometer, to cook it to tender perfection. And that might mean medium for some, medium rare for others, and well done for (hopefully) a very small portion of you that like your meat dry and gray (in which case, I suggest going back to braised brisket!).
So if you’re looking to change things up a bit this holiday, give this recipe a try. It’s not your Bubby’s brisket, but it’s absolutely FABULOUS!
Pomegranate Glazed Roast
YIELD: 8-10 servings
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: meat thermometer.
1 (3lb) Delmonico roast (may sub boneless chuck/shoulder/French roast)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp cinnamon
3 firm apples, such as Gala or Pink Lady, quartered
Glaze:
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses (see note)
2 Tbsp silan
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
Bring the roast to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, coriander, cumin, paprika, garlic powder and cinnamon. Rub the mixture all over the roast and transfer to a greased baking dish. Place the quartered apples around the dish.
Bake the roast for 20 minutes. Prepare the glaze, mixing all the ingredients in a small bowl to combine.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and brush the roast with the glaze. Return the roast to the oven and continue to cook until a thermometer reads 130 degrees (about 20 minutes), basting every 10 minutes with more glaze. (see NOTE)
Rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with roasted apples and garnish with pomegranate gremolata.
Pomegranate Gremolata
3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Zest of 1 clementine
½ cup fresh pomegranate seeds
1 small garlic clove, very finely grated or minced
1–2 Tbsp good olive oil
Pinch of flaky salt
Add all the ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine.
NOTES: I use Sadaf pomegranate concentrate. Depending on the brand of molasses (some are more sour than others), you may want to add more silan. Taste and adjust to desired sweetness level.
I prefer my roasts medium rare, at about 135-140 degrees. The temperature of your roast will continue to rise by about 10 degrees when you remove it from the oven, so I take it out at 130. If you prefer your roast more rare, remove at 120 for rare, and for more well done, remove at 140 for medium.
For most tender results, do not use imported/grass fed meat for this recipe.
You cannot warm this meat as it needs to be served room temperature. If you want to repare it in advance, I recommend doing the initial sear ahead of time and finishing the cooking close to serving time (this can be done at pretty much any temperature, so long as you monitor the cooking using a thermometer). If you want to cook it on the holiday, you can purchase a non-digital thermometer that you can use.
It is not recommended to freeze this meat as it cannot be rewarmed.
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