5 pounds brisket
1/4 cup Butt Kickin' Blacken, original recipe
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 can cranberry sauce, whole berry, 16 oz
1/2 cup Gosling's Bermuda black rum
1 cup cranberry juice
Butt Kickin' Blacken contains neither salt nor sugar
if you use a different blackening seasoning, you might have to adjust accordingly.

The reason this is cooked twice is for easier slicing. If you cooked it all in one day, the meat would fall apart and end up stringy. This would be more like a Pot Roast than the Sliced Brisket that I wanted to serve. Cold slicing it is easy, and the meat is super tender and moist.

1. Preheat the oven to 500°F.

Remove the brisket from the package, rinse, and wipe dry. You can see how much fat is on the top.

Trim off most of the fat, including the membrane that's right beneath it.

2. Dump the Blacken on top, then the dark brown sugar. Rub it into the meat real well, including the sides.

Place the brisket into the oven, uncovered at 500°F for 15 minutes.

3. While the meat is in the oven, open the cranberry sauce, place it in a pot, and break it up a little. Add the rum, and heat over medium heat just until the jelly is melted.

4. After 15 minutes in the oven, the meat will have a nice crust on it. Take it out of the oven and pour the cranberry sauce over the top and sides of the meat. Cover it tightly with aluminum foil, place the pan back in the oven, and turn the heat down to 300°F. This slow cooking will break down the collagen in the meat, making it tender.

Cook for another 2 1/2 hours.

5. Take it out of the oven, let it cool, then refrigerate in the same pan overnight.

6. The next day, preheat the oven to 325°F. You'll notice that the fat has risen to the top, and become quite solidified. Remove this fat with tongs or a spoon. Don't be too concerned with getting every last bit of fat out, because it really won't matter.

Slice the meat into 3/8" - 1/2" pieces.

7. Place the pieces back into the pan, trying to recreate the shape of the meat. Pour an additional cup of cranberry juice, apple juice, orange juice, etc. into the pot to increase the amount of liquid.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake for another 2 hours.

8. When it's done, place the meat on a platter and pour the drippings into a gravy boat. We didn't feel that there was any need to thicken the drippings, because being thin, they added to the flavor and moistness of the meat.

9. I served this with potato salad, corn bread, and additional cranberry sauce.

Submitted by: Cap'n Ron