Project Brisket

So, being the lucky girl that I am, I live five minutes away from work. I decided to get up at the crack of dawn and put the brisket in the oven before I went to work, and then return home around lunchtime to take it out. A foolproof plan.

At around one o’clock in the afternoon, I unlocked my front door, and to my delight, the apartment smelled wonderful! I peeked around the corner to the kitchen…no signs of explosion or fire (oh, Thank God!). I pulled the pan out of the oven and set it down on the stovetop. Peeling back the tin foil, the delicious aromas almost knocked me over. Wow! I’d made my very first brisket!

But, wait. Why was the meat still pink??? It had been cooking for nearly eight hours; surely it would’ve cooked all the way through?! I poked a fork into the meat and pulled off a tiny piece. It tasted like a salt lick. My heart sank (as my blood pressure rose). The meat was a bright, rosy pink because I’d used corned beef brisket instead of regular brisket! Disaster! I froze like a deer in headlights. I had no idea what to do. (Note: corned beef brisket is cured in salt brine and spices and has a very distinct, shall we say, strong flavor. It’s one of those acquired tastes you’re always hearing about.)

The minutes of my lunch hour were ticking away and I had to make a decision. I took a deep breath, turned off the oven and put the pan in the fridge for Phase II of Project Brisket. I returned to work, sullen and confused, weighing my options.

I called my sister-in-law. And do you know what she said? “I did the same thing the first time I made brisket for your brother!! We threw it out and ordered a pizza!”

I hung up and thought it over. One the one hand, sure, I could scrap it and just order pizzas. No big deal; I’d just explain that the Hanukkah dinner I’d planned wasn’t in the stars. But on the other hand, I prided myself on cooking these monthly dinners for my girlfriends. They were an extension of my affection for these women. I put thought into the menus and worked hard to make each dinner a delicious experience for everyone. I just couldn’t stoop to ordering pizzas. So I didn’t.