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Maple brined and braised Irish beef brisket with oyster emulsion

Alyn Williams matches perfectly tender Irish beef brisket with vibrant, buttery vegetables and a salty oyster emulsion in this stunning dish. This recipe requires a little forward planning as the brisket is first brined for a week and then slowly braised, but the resulting rich, intense flavour is more than worth the effort. Alexanders can be foraged locally in Britain, but if you can’t source these you could use the leaves from the turnips instead.

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Maple brined and braised Irish beef brisket with oyster emulsion

Braised brisket

  • 500g of beef brisket
  • 2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped
  • 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and quartered
  • 3 sprigs of thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 300ml of cider
  • 50ml of maple syrup
  • 1l chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp of maple verjus, (Alyn uses Minus 8 Maple Brix Verjus)
  • oil

Brine

  • 1.5l water
  • 120g of salt
  • 140g of soft brown sugar
  • 150g of maple syrup
  • 55g of saltpetre
  • 500g of ice cubes

Oyster emulsion 

  • 4 oysters, in their shells
  • 1g of agar agar
  • 100ml of pomace oil

Vegetables

  • 8 baby carrots, with tops
  • 250ml of carrot juice
  • 8 baby turnips, or navets
  • 1 handful of alexanders, leaves only
  • 100g of butter
  • 200ml of chicken stock
  • salt

To serve

  • 1 bunch of French breakfast radish, finely sliced or shaved on a mandoline
  • 1 romaine lettuce, leaves trimmed and washed

Equipment:

  • Water bath
  • Blender

Braised brisket

  • 500g of beef brisket
  • 2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped
  • 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and quartered
  • 3 sprigs of thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 300ml of cider
  • 50ml of maple syrup
  • 1l chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp of maple verjus, (Alyn uses Minus 8 Maple Brix Verjus)
  • oil

Brine

  • 1.5l water
  • 120g of salt
  • 140g of soft brown sugar
  • 150g of maple syrup
  • 55g of saltpetre
  • 500g of ice cubes

Oyster emulsion 

  • 4 oysters, in their shells
  • 1g of agar agar
  • 100ml of pomace oil

Vegetables

  • 8 baby carrots, with tops
  • 250ml of carrot juice
  • 8 baby turnips, or navets
  • 1 handful of alexanders, leaves only
  • 100g of butter
  • 200ml of chicken stock
  • salt

To serve

  • 1 bunch of French breakfast radish, finely sliced or shaved on a mandoline
  • 1 romaine lettuce, leaves trimmed and washed

Equipment:

  • Water bath
  • Blender
Copy Text

Step 1

Begin the week before in order to brine and cook the brisket. Place the water, salt, sugar, syrup and saltpetre in a large pan and place over a medium heat, stirring until everything has dissolved into the liquid

Step 2

Remove from the heat and add the ice cubes to cool the liquid down, then add the brisket. Cover and place in the fridge to brine for 7 days

Step 3

After this time, prepare the braising liquor for the brisket by adding a little oil to a large pan and placing over a medium heat. Add the celery, apple, thyme and bay and allow to sweat down and soften for a few minutes

Step 4

Deglaze the pan with the cider and stir in the maple syrup. Add the brisket to the pan and pour over the stock to completely cover the beef. Cook for 3 hours, then remove from the heat and leave to cool in the liquor

Step 5

Once cool, remove the cooked brisket and place on a tray. Wrap tightly with clingfilm and place the whole tray in the fridge to set overnight. Strain the liquor through a sieve into a clean pan and reserve for serving

Step 6

On the day of serving, remove the set brisket from the fridge and cut into 4 portions. Place the pan of braising liquor back over a medium heat and allow to reduce down for about 30 minutes to create a thick glaze

Step 7

Meanwhile, preheat a water bath to 65¬?C

Step 8

Poach the oysters in their shells in the water bath for 20 minutes, then shuck and remove the meat, discarding the shells. Allow the oysters to cool, then add to a blender with the agar agar and oil. Blitz until smooth then pass through a fine sieve and transfer to a squeezy bottle for serving

Step 9

Finely chop the green carrot tops and set aside. Place the carrots into a small pan and cover with the carrot juice, then cook over a medium heat for 5–6 minutes until tender

Step 10

Meanwhile, add the butter and chicken stock to a separate pan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, then remove from the heat and whisk vigorously until it emulsifies

Step 11

Season with a little salt, then place back on the heat and add the baby turnips. Cook for 3–4 minutes until tender, then remove the turnips and add the alexander leaves to the emulsion. Cook the leaves for 30 seconds to soften then remove from the pan, setting aside with the turnips and keeping warm until ready to serve

Step 12

Drain the poached carrots from the juice and add to the remaining butter emulsion. Add in the chopped green tops and heat through for 1 minute, then set aside and keep warm until required

Step 13

Preheat a grill or barbecue. Stir the maple verjus through the reduced glaze and brush this over the brisket portions. Grill the beef for a few minutes until heated through and slightly charred, then brush again generously with the remaining glaze

Step 14

To serve, place a piece of brisket on each plate and divide the buttery vegetables between each. Pipe dots of the oyster emulsion around the plate, garnishing with lettuce leaves and finely sliced radish

 

Recipe courtesy of www.greatbritishchefs.com

Copy Text

Step 1

Begin the week before in order to brine and cook the brisket. Place the water, salt, sugar, syrup and saltpetre in a large pan and place over a medium heat, stirring until everything has dissolved into the liquid

Step 2

Remove from the heat and add the ice cubes to cool the liquid down, then add the brisket. Cover and place in the fridge to brine for 7 days

Step 3

After this time, prepare the braising liquor for the brisket by adding a little oil to a large pan and placing over a medium heat. Add the celery, apple, thyme and bay and allow to sweat down and soften for a few minutes

Step 4

Deglaze the pan with the cider and stir in the maple syrup. Add the brisket to the pan and pour over the stock to completely cover the beef. Cook for 3 hours, then remove from the heat and leave to cool in the liquor

Step 5

Once cool, remove the cooked brisket and place on a tray. Wrap tightly with clingfilm and place the whole tray in the fridge to set overnight. Strain the liquor through a sieve into a clean pan and reserve for serving

Step 6

On the day of serving, remove the set brisket from the fridge and cut into 4 portions. Place the pan of braising liquor back over a medium heat and allow to reduce down for about 30 minutes to create a thick glaze

Step 7

Meanwhile, preheat a water bath to 65¬?C

Step 8

Poach the oysters in their shells in the water bath for 20 minutes, then shuck and remove the meat, discarding the shells. Allow the oysters to cool, then add to a blender with the agar agar and oil. Blitz until smooth then pass through a fine sieve and transfer to a squeezy bottle for serving

Step 9

Finely chop the green carrot tops and set aside. Place the carrots into a small pan and cover with the carrot juice, then cook over a medium heat for 5–6 minutes until tender

Step 10

Meanwhile, add the butter and chicken stock to a separate pan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, then remove from the heat and whisk vigorously until it emulsifies

Step 11

Season with a little salt, then place back on the heat and add the baby turnips. Cook for 3–4 minutes until tender, then remove the turnips and add the alexander leaves to the emulsion. Cook the leaves for 30 seconds to soften then remove from the pan, setting aside with the turnips and keeping warm until ready to serve

Step 12

Drain the poached carrots from the juice and add to the remaining butter emulsion. Add in the chopped green tops and heat through for 1 minute, then set aside and keep warm until required

Step 13

Preheat a grill or barbecue. Stir the maple verjus through the reduced glaze and brush this over the brisket portions. Grill the beef for a few minutes until heated through and slightly charred, then brush again generously with the remaining glaze

Step 14

To serve, place a piece of brisket on each plate and divide the buttery vegetables between each. Pipe dots of the oyster emulsion around the plate, garnishing with lettuce leaves and finely sliced radish

 

Recipe courtesy of www.greatbritishchefs.com