Molé Brisket

Along with braised chicken thighs, brisket is one of my favorite things to experiment with. Most of the time, I toss it in the crockpot with some red wine and assorted herbs and spices, leaving the fat on the cut so it doesn't dry out. I happened to have an imperial stout laying around, so I wanted to do something that would go better with the beer. I decided to do a chocolate - coffee rub and cook the brisket in porter. (I would have done stout, but the only stout I had was the one I was planning on drinking!) I cut most of the fat off so that the rub would stick better. Then, I browned the brisket in a skillet, and set it in the crockpot for 7 hours, along with the porter, mirepoix, chipotle pepper with adobo, and some hazelnut liqueur, to make it nuttier.

In retrospect, the hazelnut liqueur was not necessary. I don't think it added much flavor to the final product. I may have also browned the brisket a bit too long; apparently spice rubs burn quicker than steak. But it was very good, and went fantastically with the stout. The rub was great, and the chipotle peppers added the right amount of heat to the dish. It was definitely drier than normal, since I cut off the fat, but not too dry. I meant to save some for lunch the next day, but by the time I could stop eating, it was almost gone. Since I was experimenting, I just have the ingredients after the jump, but as long as you taste the rub before putting it on the brisket, you should be fine.

Rub
Chocolate Powder
Cinnamon
Urfa Pepper Flakes (not too much!)
Fine Ground Coffee

Broth
Porter or Stout
2 Chipotle Peppers with Adobo Sauce
Mirepoix
Hazelnut Liqueur (can omit)