Slow cooked brisket of beef

One of my favourite dishes from the slow cooker is brisket of beef. It literally falls apart after eight hours of cooking and the flavour is divine. This method works equally well with a leg of lamb. I usually ask the butcher to trim the bone so that the leg will fit comfortably in the slow cooker.

Brown the brisket on both sides in a little olive oil in a frying pan, and season with freshly ground salt and pepper.

Put the brisket into the slow cooker, deglaze the pan with the wine or stock and pour this over the brisket. Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker. Put the lid on, and turn on the slow cooker for eight hours (or cook on medium/low for eight hours if your cooker doesn’t have a timer function).

To serve, remove the brisket from the slow cooker and pull it apart with two forks, or alternatively slice it, cutting against the grain. The beef should fall apart; the meat deliciously juicy.

Serve the beef with the cooking liquid and vegetables. We love wilted kale with this.

There are five in my house for dinner each evening, and the brisket will make two dinners. On the second day, I toss the beef in barbecue sauce and reheat it in the oven and serve it with stir-fried vegetables and noodles.