Slow Cooked Brisket with Chimichurri Sauce

Since it is cold out, or coldish, I thought it would be a lovely time to braise a nice piece of beef.  I've got a big piece of brisket in the freezer and a hankering for one of my favorite Argentine recipes Chimichurri Sauce.

I was introduced to Chimichurri by a colleague when I was a general manager for a company that provided corporate dining services.  Wow!  Now that was some great stuff.

My exposure to South American cuisine is somewhat limited I'm afraid, but what I have experienced has been either an astounding culinary discovery or a complete train wreck.  Luckily there have been fewer train wrecks than cool discoveries!

I remember making a Argentinian dish for our wine club years ago that sounded like a complete train wreck: grapes, ground beef, polenta, and chicken breast(?), we found the traditional regional recipe online and it sounded disgusting, but in some strange way it worked.  Maybe it was the wine because this combination just screamed "wrong! wrong! wrong!" when you read it.

The Chimichurri when I read it at the corporate dining gig, sounded a little funny, but it held some promise.

The recipe that I tried that first day was a cilantro based Chimichurri and have since learned that there are a great deal more parsley based versions.  A little investigation has told me that the origin of this sauce is a little foggy.

Seems the originator of the sauce is an Englishman Jim Curry who, while visiting Argentina created the sauce in homage to the spicy grilled and BBQ meats he was experiencing.

Some sources say that it consisted primarily of oregano, some say cilantro, and a few parsley.  My take on the whole issue is that it started with oregano or cilantro.  Parsley is a western favorite, and has probably replaced cilantro to suit the palates of their audience.  Oregano can be a little overwhelming and met its maker when palates became bland around the time my Grandmother learned to cook. I'm guessing here.

Then there is cilantro.  The fan base of cilantro has no middle ground.  I have been in kitchens where a chef would berate a competitor for his supposed heavy handed use of the herb.  Either you love it or hate it.  Except me.  I love it in Chimchurri, and pretty much hate it in almost everything else.

Here is the recipe for the brisket:

Heat your oven to 250F.

2 Medium Onions, Diced

1 - 5# Brisket

Spice recipe:

2 T Granulated Garlic

5 T Medium Chili Powder

3 T Ground Cumin

Kosher Salt

This is a 2X recipe of the rub we I used in the pulled pork post.  Rub the brisket with the spice mix and coat completely.  Place in a roasting pan on top of the diced onions.

Place in oven and go to bed.  Or go to work and dinner will be done when you get home.  It will be perfect in 6-7 hours.

Now for the Chimichurri.  I'm going with the cilantro since that is the version that I like best, you can use the parsley or if you are really looking for the historic version you may want the oregano.

My recipe:

1 large bunch of cilantro 

2 medium cloves of garlic

2 tsp white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 C olive oil

Kosher salt

White pepper

Place cilantro, garlic, vinegar, cumin and red pepper flakes into your food processor. 

Pulse until you have a smooth product.  While the processor is running, slowly pour the olive oil into the mixture.  Season with salt and pepper.

Give it a taste and adjust as you would want.  This recipe should taste a little tart, a little salty and a little spicy.  I can't compare it to anything that you might know because I don't know of a recipe that is like this one.

The Chimichiurri can be made up to three days ahead.  It has quite a long shelf life in the refrigerator due to the chilis, vinegar and salt.

Slice the brisket for service, re-heat and serve with your Chimichurri on the side.  Fabulous!