Wines for Beef Brisket in Chilli Sauce and Beer

Nell is home from college for her winter break. For her first home cooked meal she asked for Diana’s slow cooked beef brisket in chilli sauce and beer. You can find the recipe below.

I had an open bottle of a favorite Marchesi Di Barola Barbera Monferrato a great value at 9.99 at Shoppers Vineyard and 7.99 at Garys. It was perfect with meat balls the night before, good but not perfect for the brisket. A little too much fruit I think. For brisket in Chilli sauce there's an Chilean Pinot Noir called Leyda available at Amanti Vino that would be fabulous, or a Nero d’Avelo, a great one to try is Firriato "Chiaramonte", available for under $15 at Shopper's Vineyard. Both have rich deep fruit and a smokiness that would work great with the tangy chilli sauce and beer.

Enjoy

Here’s the recipe:

4 lbs beef brisket
3 large Vidalia or Spanish onions sliced thin in half moons
Kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
2 bottles (12 oz) Heinz chili sauce
2 bottles (12 oz) dark beer

Getting a good cut of beef usually requires talking to your butcher, so be sure to do that. Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Season the meat and then brown it on a very high heat in the oven proof pot, Le Creuset 7-1/4-Quart Round French Oven Pot is perfect. Take out the meat and brown the onions over low heat. Be careful not to burn them.  Place your brisket back in the pot and pour in the chili sauce and dark beer. Bring liquids to a boil then cover tightly and cook in the oven for at least 3 hours.  Remove from the oven and set you beef out for cooling and slicing. It is best to slice the meat once it has cooled. Return to the pot reheat and serve.

This is dish is best with potato pancakes, but roasted potatoes or egg noodles also go well.