Serves 4-6

• 3lbs Grow & Behold Second Cut Brisket or Top of the Rib
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 Spanish onion, halved and sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, with their juices
• 1 to 2 whole chipotle chiles in adobo
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup molasses
• Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Sear the meat

Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat just until beginning to smoke. Add the meat and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides– around 10 minutes total. Transfer the meat to a slow cooker, but leave the skillet on the heat.

 

Add flavor to the sauce

Add garlic, onion, chili powder, coriander, and cumin to the skillet and stir until fragrant, about one minute. Add vinegar and boil until it’s almost gone (though move your head away from the boiling vinegar, to avoid inhaling it), scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.

Stir in the water and pour the mixture over the brisket in the slow cooking. Crush the tomatoes through your fingers into the slow cooker, then add the tomato juices, chipotles, bay leaves, and molasses.

 

Braise the meat, low & slow

Cover the slow cooker and set it on low. Cook the brisket until it pulls apart easily with a fork– around 8 to 10 hours.

Do ahead: You can cook the brisket up to this point, then refrigerate (whole, submerged in liquid).  Reheat in a low oven 30-45 minutes before serving.

 

To serve

Pull the meat apart with a fork then stir it back in with the sauce. Serve over soft sandwich buns, or in taco shells with avocado, cilantro, and your favorite taco fillings.