Barbecue Beef Sandwiches

Ingredients

Brisket

• 1/2 Tablespoon salt
• 1/2 Tablespoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 3- or 4-pound brisket, the flat cut, with some fat still on it
• 1 large yellow onion, quartered
• 4 cloves garlic, cut in half
• 1/4 cup water

Barbecue Sauce

• 1 cup canned tomato sauce
• 1 cup ketchup
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon molasses
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• pinch of ground cloves
• salt to taste

Directions

To prepare the brisket, preheat the oven to 275°F. Mix together the salt, black pepper and cayenne, and sprinkle on both sides of the brisket. In a roasting pan, place quartered onions at the four corners and lay the brisket, fat side up, on top of the onions, so it's slightly elevated. Place the garlic on top of the brisket, and add the water to the pan. Cover the pan tightly with foil and cook in the oven for five hours or until fork tender.

While the brisket is cooking, make the sauce. Mix together in a saucepan the tomato sauce, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic, molasses, black pepper, cumin, cayenne and pinch of cloves. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings and add salt to taste.

Once you take the brisket out of the oven (you might first check that it's tender enough), let it sit covered for 30 minutes. Lift the brisket out of the pan and finely chop, adding some of the pan juices. Toss the brisket with some of the sauce until desired sauciness is achieved, and serve on warm buns with onions, pickled jalapeños and dill pickle slices, with additional sauce on the side.