Feed Your Sister: Brisket anyone??

So Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, is quickly approaching and most Jews eat brisket on the eve of the holiday. It's usually made with loads of ketchup, spices, onions, carrots, etc. My family on the other hand either doesn't eat this typical dish known to most Jewish families so I've always heard about brisket but never made one. After seeing a recipe in this month's Food Network magazine last week I thought that I'd try making one. I wanted to make the brisket with a twist, so I went for a spicy pulled brisket burger. The leftover meat can be used for beef tacos or over cous cous or quinoa.

Here's a photo of the brisket before going into the oven.

Spicy Pulled Brisket Sliders
This recipe was adapted from Smitten Kitchen's Southwestern Pulled Brisket recipe.
makes enough for 4 buns

1/2 pound beef brisket (See Note Below)
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
4 garlic cloves roughly chopped
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder (omit if you don't want it that spicy)
1/4 apple cider vinegar
1 12 oz. can of diced tomatoes

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup store bought bbq sauce
3 chiles (from a can) in adobo sauce (if you want it less spicy use 1)
4 potato buns

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season both sides of the brisket with salt and pepper. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in an oven proof pot on high. Sear brisket in the pot for 5 minutes on each side. Remove brisket and place on a plate. In the pot place the onions, garlic, cumin, coriander, chile powder, salt and pepper to taste, and apple cider vinegar. Stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up the pan, when vinegar is almost all gone add the brisket back into the pot.
Pour in the the water, diced tomatoes with the sauce, brown sugar, chiles in adobo, and bbq sauce. Stir until well combined. Cover the pot with parchment paper and then with tin foil. If the pot has a cover place the cover on top of the foil. Place in the over and cook for about 3-4 hours, until meat is super tender and able to be pulled away with a fork. (If you need to leave the house for some reason, like I did, put your oven on 200 degrees and leave it alone for a few hours until you come back, as long as the pot is filled with liquid and sealed with foil and a top it should be good to go! Thankfully my apartment was still standing when I got home!)

Remove the meat from the pot and let it cool. When cool enough to handle fork the meat into shreds. Pour cooled sauce into a blender and blend until smooth.
Place a large scoop of shredded beef on each bun and serve immediately drizzle with blended sauce if desired. Serve with coleslaw or salad.

NOTE: When I went to the butcher to buy the brisket they only had huge 2 lb pieces. I asked the butcher if he could cut it in half and I was able to purchase that. When I got home I cut the 1 lb in half again and only prepared that much. I put the rest in the freezer for another time. This recipe is for a half pound piece of brisket.