Oven-Braised Brisket and Onions

Ingredients:

1 5-lb First-cut beef brisket ; (or 6-lb)
1/4 cup Canola oil
3 large Yellow onions ; (about 3 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch slices
4 cloves Garlic ; minced
2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika ; sweet or hot, or combination of both
2 Bay Leaves
3 cups Beef stock ; (preferably homemade)
Coarse salt ; to taste
Freshly ground black pepper ; to taste

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Pat brisket dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Sear brisket well on both sides, about 8 minutes, set aside. Add remaining oil to in Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onions and cook stirring, until softened and beginning to turn golden, add garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper and cook 1 minute. Add bay leaves and beef stock and bring to a boil. Return brisket to the Dutch oven, leaving lid 1/2-inch ajar, transfer to the heated oven and bake, 3-1/2 hours, or until tender (Add more water or stock as needed throughout the roasting time). Remove brisket from oven, transfer to a cutting board. Remove and discard bay leaves, using a handheld blender, puree broth and onions to smooth. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Slice brisket against the grain and serve with onion puree.
Makes 8 to 10 Servings

NOTES
As with so many recipes, this one is so much better the next day because the flavors have blended together. Another benefit to this method is that it permits you to skim the fat from the pan juices. Beef brisket has a mantle of fat that is left in place for baking to flavor the meat but should be removed from the gravy before eating. Also, once cooked and cooled, the brisket is infinitely easier to slice thinly across the grain. Prepare the roast the day before serving and simply reheat the sliced meat in the de-fatted pan juices on the day you will be serving it for a delicious and tender main course that satisfies your senses.