Name: Confit of Beef Brisket Recipe with Goat Cheese Polenta
Ingredients: 3 lb brisket flat, cut into 2″ cubes; 4 tsp kosher salt; 1 tsp black pepper; ½ tsp allspice; 1/4 tsp ground mace; 5 good sprigs fresh thyme; ¼ tsp paprika (smoked, if you like); 4 bay leaves, crumbled; 4 cloves garlic, crushed and roughly chopped; enough light olive oil or rendered fat to cover the meat, about 1 1/2 quarts—we used rendered brisket fat; 1/2 cup dried polenta or cornmeal; 1 1/2 cups water; 1/2 cup half-and-half; 4 oz fresh goat cheese (chevre); 1 Tbsp butter; 2 tsp fresh minced parsley; Salt to taste

Description

Slow-cooked brisket with rich goat-cheese polenta underneath.

Ingredients

For the brisket confit:

3 lb brisket flat, cut into 2” cubes
4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground mace
5 good sprigs fresh thyme
¼ tsp paprika (smoked, if you like)
4 bay leaves, crumbled
4 cloves garlic, crushed and roughly chopped
enough light olive oil or rendered fat to cover the meat, about 1 1/2 quarts—we used rendered brisket fat

For polenta:

1/2 cup dried polenta or cornmeal
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup half-and-half
4 oz fresh goat cheese (chevre)
1 Tbsp butter
2 tsp fresh minced parsley
Salt to taste

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Instructions

Day before cooking:

Cut brisket into short-rib sized chunks—about 2″ square.
Combine salt and dried spices. Toss spice mixture, garlic, fresh thyme, and bay leaves together with beef.
Place in refrigerator uncovered overnight to cure.

Day of cooking:

Make the confit

Preheat your oven to 225°F (107°C).
Lightly rinse the excess salt and spices off the meat, reserving the bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and garlic to add to the oil with the meat.
Heat the oil/fat in a sauté pan or dutch oven large enough to hold the meat comfortably.
Heat the oil to 200°F (93°C) (verified on your ChefAlarm or with your Thermapen ONE.)
Add the meat to the oil. If, after all the meat is added, the oil doesn’t cover the meat, add more fat or oil until the meat is submerged.
Insert a probe into one of the largest pieces of meat, using a pot clip to keep the probe from falling into the hot oil.
Adding meat to the oil will make the temperature drop dramatically. Heat it some more to bring it back up to 200°F (93°C).
Place the pot in the oven, running the probe cord out the door to your ChefAlarm.
Set the high-temp alarm on your Chef Alarm for 203°F (95°C). Cook.
When the alarm sounds, set a timer for 3 hours. Check the tenderness after that timer sounds.
If tender, remove the pot from the oven, otherwise cook for another half hour and check again.
Either let the pot cool, covered, on the counter, until it can be stored in the refrigerator, or serve the meat right away.
Before serving the meat, brown the cubes in some of the reserved fat in a pan.

To make the polenta:

When the confit is nearly finished, combine the half-and-half, salt, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil.
Add the cornmeal while whisking. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often.
When the polenta thickens, turn down the heat and continue to stir, scraping the edges and bottom of the pan.
When the polenta is thick and starts to pull away from the edge of the pan, turn off the heat.
Add the goat cheese and the parsley and stir to combine.
Add the butter and stir to combine. This will give the polenta a nice glossy sheen.

Serve the confit on a bed of polenta, and rejoice in the warmth of cold-weather food.