Perfect Beef Brisket Hot Pot

I have actually been working on this recipe for many, many years now. My late father used to make a beef hot pot and I could never work out how he got it tasting so melt in the mouth delicious. I tried everything. Apart from beef brisket! There it was. The same flavours, the same taste.

The vegetables take on the heady flavour of beef from the slow cooking in the oven. The beef falling apart delicious. I am so pleased to now have this recipe. Its a winner and stayed firmly in my mind for 40 years until I could replicate it... it really is that good.

Ingredients:           (serves 4)
 
800g rolled beef brisket
2 small onions, peeled
2 cloves garlic, peeled
6-8 carrots, peeled
1/4 swede, peeled
1 tbsp. olive oil
600ml beef stock  (a cube is fine)
4 bay leaves
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper
fresh parsley, chopped, to garnish

Method:       

Set oven to 140 C.

Chop the onions, carrots and swede into rough chunks - crush the garlic. Set to one side. Heat the oil in a casserole and pop in the beef. Brown the beef, turning every few minutes until browned all over. Remove from the pan and put onto a plate. Then add the vegetables to the casserole dish and cook for 3-4 minutes. Return the beef to the pan with the beef stock, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce and some salt & pepper.

Cover tightly with kitchen foil and then put the casserole lid on the top. Cook for 5 hours, checking after 4 hours to ensure it has enough liquid. There should be enough at the end for just enough gravy.

Serve the beef in chunks with the vegetables along with some perfectly crispy roast potatoes and a dollop of English mustard. A little fresh chopped parsley finishes it of with a flourish. Simple, easy, perfect.