Texas’s Date of Statehood – December 29th, 1845
Everything is bigger in Texas, right? Even the problem of how to cook a brisket when it is COLD outside. Well, it wasn’t as delicious as a smoked brisket, but this oven version was still pretty tasty. It was more like a Texas pot roast, with some truly delicious mac and cheese and a tasty salad! So, maybe it wasn’t BIG and BOLD as you’d expect from Texas, but it was still a good, old-fashioned comfort-food dinner, and that isn’t half bad! Yee-Haw!
Tips and Tricks
- If you don’t have onion powder you can substitute dried, diced onions (especially if you grind them up a little bit.) I liked the flavor even more than the powder!
- When roasting any piece of meat, try to put the meat in your cooking vessel fat side up. This way, gravity does much of the basting for you!
- The key to making life easy for yourself when you are grating an onion is to leave just enough of the onion’s basal plate intact so that it will keep all the onion layers together when you are grating them. So grab an onion and, with a knife, gently and carefully remove just enough of the end from which the root sprouts. Then you can remove the skin. Keeping the root end intact forces the onion to hold its layers together and allows you to grate without much waste!
Oven Roasted Beef Brisket
Serve 4-6
- 2 Tbs Chili Powder
- 1 Tbs Salt
- 1 Tbs Garlic Powder
- 1 Tbs Onion Powder
- 1 Tbs Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Tbs Sugar
- 2 tsp Dry Mustard
- 1 Bay Leaf, crushed
- 4 lbs. Beef Brisket
- 4 Cups Beef Broth
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2: In a small bowl. whisk together the chili powder, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, sugar, dry mustard, and crushed bay leaf.
Step 3: Evenly coat the brisket on all sides with the dry rub. Place the meat in a deep roasting pan and cook in the oven for 1 hour.
Step 4: Remove the roasting pan from the oven and lower the heat to 300 degrees. Pour the broth into the roasting pan until you get about 1/2 inch of liquid. If there is not enough broth, add some water until you get the right depth.
Step 5: Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and return the pan to the oven to roast, undisturbed, for 3 hours.
Step 6: Once the meat has cooked and is fork tender, remove the brisket from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Then slice the meat across the grain and serve with the juice from the pan.
Texas Mac and Cheese
Serves 8-10
- 1 Large Box of Spiral Pasta, prepared per package instructions and drained
- 2 1/2 Cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 2 Tbs All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 1/2 tsp Dry Mustard
- 1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/4 tsp Freshly Grated Nutmeg
- 2/3 Cup Sour Cream
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- 1/4 Cup Grated Onion
- 1 1/2 Cups Half and Half
- 1 1/2 Cups Heavy Cream
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 1/2 Cups Grated Queso Fresco
Step 1: Place the cooked and drain pasta in a 9″x13″x2″ pan. Add the shredded cheddar to the pasta and gently stir to combine.
Step 2: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Step 3: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, mustard, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and nutmeg until well combined. Add the sour cream and beaten eggs to the seasonings and whisk until well combined.
Step 4: Add the grated onion, half and half, Worcestershire sauce, and heavy cream to the bowl and stir until the mixture is well combined.
Step 5: Pour this mixture over the pasta and cheddar cheese and stir to evenly distribute everything in the pan. Cover the entire pan with the grated queso fresco.
Step 6: Place the pan in the hot oven and bake for 30 minutes. One baked, turn the broiler on high and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until the top is browned and bubbling. Keep an eye on the pan so it does not burn.
Step 7: Remove the pan from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Green Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette
Serves 4
Salad
- 1 Package of Spring Greens
- 1 Cup Chopped Walnuts
- 1 Cup Red Seedless Grapes, halved
Sherry Vinaigrette
- 1 Medium Shallot, peeled
- 2 Tbs Sherry Vinegar
- 1/3 Cup Olive Oil
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Juice of Half a Lime
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the peeled shallot on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and roast in the hot oven for 30 minutes or until light brown.
Step 2: Place the hot shallot in a blender and add the sherry vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and lime juice. Puree until everything is smooth and well, combined.
Step 3: Make individual salads with the walnuts and grapes divided evenly among the bowls. Serve cold with the dressings on the side.
Fun Facts about Texas: 1. Dr Pepper was invented in Texas in 1885. 2. Texas uses its own power grid, separate from the rest of the United States. There are three power grids in the U.S.: one for states east of the Rocky Mountains, one for states between the Pacific and the Rocky Mountains, and one for Texas. 3. There’s one Texas ranch that’s bigger than the entire state of Rhode Island. The King Ranch in South Texas covers 1,289 square miles. Compare that to the size of the entire state of Rhode Island, which is 1,212 square miles. 4. Austin has the most live music venues per capita in the U.S. The capital of Texas, Austin, boasts the claim of being the Live Music Capital of the World. The city holds this title by having the most live music venues per capita in the nation. Austin is home to more than 1,900 bands and performing artists, and more than 250 concert venues. 5. The State Fair of Texas boasts the largest Ferris wheel in North America.
Edible U.S. 