The super bowl of chili gets scarfed, so brisket steps up

An excerpt from the blog "My Daughter's Kitchen."

So the plan for my daughter's Super Bowl viewing party was the white chili featured last week. But here is the joy of roommates and male friends: There is no such thing as making something in advance. And no such thing as leftovers. The chili was consumed within minutes - housed was actually the verb my daughter used - the night it was made. Thus the need for another game-day recipe, something easy that would feed a group.

I suggested the simplest of recipes: the brisket that is a family favorite. I got the recipe years ago from my friend and neighbor, Jan Rood-Ojalvo, an Earth mother if there ever was one. She made it for each of her six children's bar mitzvahs, served it at the parties she hosted in her backyard, with badminton and punch.

I've been making the recipe for years and have passed it along to many friends, who also make it regularly, because it's so easy and so delicious. And foolproof . . . well, practically foolproof.

Sally: I arrived at my friends' (Karl and Allen's) apartment, with the 41/2 pounds of brisket, a 4-pack of Dogfish Head's new gluten-free beer, and some brown sugar. They supplied the ketchup - we were ready to go. I followed the recipe to a T. (OK, I actually did forget about the onions and added them after an hour in.)

After 3 hours, after cooking at 325 degrees, I let the meat cool for about 10 minutes. Sliced it in the sauce, everything smelled amazing. Then I plated the meat on mini-slider buns. The meat was a little overdone, a little bit tougher than I remembered my momma's being. When I mentioned this, my friend said his oven isn't really too accurate. It often is about 25 degrees hotter than it reads. Thanks guys - information I could have used 3 hours ago!

But it was still pretty good. And it smelled so great, I even got one of my vegetarian friends to try it! The next day she texted me, she was dreaming of my brisket . . . so it couldn't have been that

Beer and Brown Sugar Brisket

Makes 4 to 6 servings

1 large onion, cut in thick slices and separated into rings

1 4-pound beef brisket

1 cup of brown sugar

1 cup of ketchup

1 bottle or can of beer

1. Preheat oven to 325.

2. Lay onion rings on the bottom of a roasting pan.

3. Place brisket on top of the onions, fat side up.

4. Mix the brown sugar, ketchup, and beer together and then pour over the brisket.

5. Cover with foil and cook for three hours.

6. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 or 15 minutes.

7. Trim off the fat, slice across the grain, and return to the sauce. Serve with a spoonful of sauce alone or with rolls.

Per serving (based on 6): 730 calories, 93 grams protein, 39 grams carbohydrates, 34 grams sugar, 19 grams fat, 269 milligrams cholesterol, 655 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.

 bad.

Contact food editor Maureen Fitzgerald at 215-854-5744, mfitzgerald@phillynews.com, or @mydaughterskit on Twitter. Read her blog, "My Daughter's Kitchen," at www.philly.com/mydaughter.