In 1999, I hosted my first Passover seder for friends. I asked my mom to send her brisket recipe. It has earned all of its stains.
If memory serves, it was at least 14 people and we did our best to finish, but there was most certainly a lot of wine without enough food for the early stages of the seder, and all formalities were lost along with the afikomen. As a 26 year old teenager, I was absolutely an accomplice to the devolution of our seder, but I was NOT going to mess up the brisket.
Brisket is a sacred, but malleable text. It is passed down over generations, and adapted for the fashion, but remains true to its origins. My mother's recipe is her mother's recipe, but with carrots, wine, and a spice rub added. My recipe is my mother's recipe, with Bobbie's Boat Sauce subbed in for some of the tomato paste.
Brisket is also a subjective and divisive subject, just ask these ladies. I'm all for trying new things, but I would never squander my money or the life of a cow on trying a coca-cola braise: though I will gladly sample yours! If you are a fan of deeply savory briskets sweetened only by the sugars of the onions, carrots and tomatoes, you are in good hands with Bobbie, Betsy, Ella, May, and the rest of the matriarchs who delivered us from dry, stringy meat.
