Beef Brisket in a Pressure Cooker

I treated myself this year to a pressure cooker, an item that I have always been frankly afraid of from hearing so many terrible stories of exploding stews and soups.  But technology has caught up.  These new devices are programmable and safe to use, with many safety features built in to the units.

Smoked brisket is probably my favorite cut of meat; when it's done right the meat practically melts in your mouth, with plenty of, but not overpowering smokey flavor. The problem is that it takes hours to smoke.  I used to have a hobby of smoking meats but in recent times that's not really viable for me. So experimented a bit and came up with this recipe:

Ingredients

2-3 lb. Beef Brisket
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1 Tbsp. Ground Cumin
1 Tbsp. Onion Powder
1 Tbsp, Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp. Sweet Paprika
1 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Fresh Black Pepper
1 Tsp. Dry Mustard
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Liquid Smoke
2 Tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Cup Lager Beer
1/2 Cup favorite Barbecue Sauce (I make my own), plus a 1/2 cup reserved
1 Small Onion, Diced
2 Cloves Garlic, Chopped

Combine the dry spices and rub over the brisket.  Let set for at least 30 minutes.  If you have time, you can do this the night before as well.

Set the pressure cooker to brown and add the olive oil.  When the oil is hot place the brisket in the pan insert and brown on both sides.  Remove and set aside after browning.  Toss in the onions and garlic and sweat in the oil and meat juices until the onions are clear.  Now add the beer, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, brown sugar,  and liquid smoke to the pot.  Stir add the beef and it's juices.

Now cancel the browning mode and set the pressure cooker on Soup/Stews, or whatever is the equivalent on your pressure cooker for 60 minutes. Close the lid and the pressure valve, and then relax, the real work is done! After the 60 minutes are elapsed don't open the steam valve -  let it release the steam on its own naturally.  You'll know when this process is complete because the pressure cooker will let you open the lid.

Pull out the meat and let it rest on a cutting board.  Some people like to shred with two forks at this point, but I am not a big fan of  shredded meats. Slice a cross the grain and serve with a vegetable and more of the reserved barbecue sauce.  You'll find the meat tender, juicy and with just the right amount of smoky flavor.