Sweet and sour Ashkenazi braised brisket

Place the brisket fat cap down in a cold stainless steel roasting pan and weight it with a stainless steel skillet; cold and weighted renders more fat and browns it evenly.

Brown over medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes until evenly browned, remove the skillet, flip and brown the beefy side.

Peel and cut four medium carrots into one inch chunks, the same with four or five stalks of celery; peel and slice four medium onions thick on a mandolin; crush and peel four cloves of garlic.

Set the brisket aside on a plate and pour off all but about two tablespoons of the rendered fat.

Caramelize the onions over medium heat about 10 minutes, then add a quarter cup of light brown sugar and cook 8 to 10 minutes more until they take on gold colour.

Add the chopped celery and carrot and sauté 1 to 2 minutes, then the crushed garlic for about 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add the tomato paste and cook 30 seconds to a minute.

Add two tablespoons of flour and toast about one minute until the raw flour smell goes.

Turn to medium high and deglaze with about a cup and a half of dry red wine, scraping the fond off the bottom.

Add a cup and a half of beef broth, then another half cup of red wine.

Add about half a cup of ketchup and a cup of crushed tomatoes.

Add a quarter cup of white wine vinegar, three or four dried bay leaves and a few sprigs of fresh thyme.

Add about a tablespoon of paprika, an optional teaspoon of cayenne, and about two tablespoons each of honey and Dijon mustard.

Taste for seasoning, add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper as needed, and nestle the brisket into the braising liquid.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil and braise in a 300 degree Fahrenheit oven for four hours, until the liquid has thickened and a fork goes in without resistance.

Ideally cool about an hour, separate the brisket from the sauce, remove the spent thyme and bay leaves and fridge both overnight; the fat sets in a scrapeable layer and the brisket firms up for slicing.

Carve across the grain into very thin slices so the meat fibres are as short as possible.

Pour half the braising liquid into the serving casserole, nestle and fan the slices in, and pour the rest of the sauce over.

Lid tightly and reheat in a preheated 375 degree Fahrenheit oven about 45 minutes until vigorously bubbling.

Serve with extra sauce; he serves it alongside a light spinach salad to cut the richness.