What I Made for Dinner: April 4, 2009

Brisket, roasted brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, homemade bread.

Here's the thing about brisket: I hate it. Here's the other thing: When you buy a side of beef, you get some briskets.

So last fall, we bought a side of beef from the rancher parents of one of Chuck's colleagues. I would highly recommend this method of beef purchasing for anyone with the freezer space. The beef, which was grass-fed, has been just delicious, and we paid less per pound than we would have at the supermarket. It's been interesting, too, because we got some cuts I had to figure out how to use (hence last fall's oxtail soup experiment).

Tonight, I thought I would give one of the briskets a whirl with the eight-hour method I usually use on pork roasts. Chuck and the boys really liked it, and I thought it was fine, just too . . . briskety. Not my favorite cut of meat.

The bread, though! I left the dough in the fridge all week, then let it come to room temp, kneaded it, gave it another rise--success at last. Lovely crispy crust, chewy interior. Now that's progress.