WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: We wanted a recipe for tender, juicy beef brisket full of bold Mexican flavor. To ensure that our brisket turned out tender, we cooked it fat side up so it would self-baste as it cooked, and we covered it with foil to hold in moisture. We infused our aromatic cooking liquid with toasted pasilla chiles and lots of Mexican spices; we blended the cooking liquid to a smooth consistency to make an ample quantity of sauce to spoon over the
rich meat. You will need 18-inch-wide heavy-duty aluminum foil for this recipe.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (3½-pound) beef brisket, flat cut, fat trimmed to ¼ inch
• Salt and pepper
• 4 pasilla chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into ½-inch pieces (1 cup)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Poke holes all over brisket with fork and rub with 1 tablespoon salt. Wrap brisket in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 or up to 24 hours.
2. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Pat brisket dry with paper towels and season with pepper. Toast pasillas in 12-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 2 to 6 minutes; transfer to bowl.
3. Heat oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Lay brisket in skillet, place heavy Dutch oven on top, and cook until well browned on both sides, about 4 minutes per side; transfer to platter.
4. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Add onions and cook over medium heat until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, cumin, thyme, coriander, cloves, and 1 teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, tomatoes and their juice, and toasted chiles, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to simmer. Transfer to 13 by 9-inch baking dish.
5. Nestle browned brisket, fat side up, into dish and spoon some sauce over top. Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake until tender and fork easily slips in and out of meat, 3½ to 4 hours. Remove dish from oven and let brisket rest, covered, for 1 hour.
6. Transfer brisket to carving board and tent loosely with foil. Strain cooking liquid through fine-mesh strainer into bowl; transfer solids to blender. Let liquid settle for 5 minutes, then skim fat from surface. Add defatted liquid to blender and puree until smooth, about 2 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Slice brisket against grain into ¼-inch-thick slices and return to baking dish. Pour sauce over top and serve. (Brisket can be refrigerated for up to 2 days; reheat, covered, in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes before serving.)