Beef Brisket

This beef brisket cooked on top of the wood stoverecipe takes the slow food movement to a level of understanding both the meat source and the meat preparation.

We buy the majority of our meat from sustainable farmers.

Growing up in Alaska, where my dad was a moose hunter, we knew the habitat of the moose.

In school, we studied what the moose ate and, better yet, listened to our dad and friends describe where the moose would be found, based on the wild vegetation and water movement in the tundra swamps, off the Chena or Tanana rivers.

My husband, Kevin, and I talk to local people who raise beef.

We visit their farms and learn of their butcher techniques.

The brisket I cooked was from cattle that were responsibly raised, domestic and grass fed.

Get to know your farmer and those who raise beef cattle.

Ingredients

Beef brisket, 3-4 pounds

Broth, ½-¾ cup

Olive oil, ½ tablespoon

Rosemary, 3 dried sprigs

Preparation

In a heavy Dutch oven, oil the bottom. Put in the beef brisket, fatty side up. Pour in the broth; I used chicken broth, as it was what I had on hand. Lay the rosemary on top. Close the lid and putpot on the wood stove. We keep our house at a comfortable 80 degrees with wood heat. We keep the fire stoked. After an hour of cooking, I checked the meat. I am basically checking for moisture in the pot. To keep the flavor in a brisket, you want a dryheat and just enough liquid in the bottom, to keep the pot from drying out. I checked the pot in another hour. A good brisket will create its own broth. After 3 hours, the brisket was done!