Braised Brisket with Port Wine Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a large roasting pan with cooking spray.

Wash and dry the brisket and season with salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet, coat with cooking spray and sear the brisket on all sides. Deglaze the skillet with 1/4 cup port wine and add the liquid to the roasting pan.

Place the mirepoix (onions, carrots and celery) in the bottom of the roasting pan. Add the bay leaf. Rest the seared brisket on top of the vegetables. Add enough water, so the liquid goes halfway up the side of the meat. Cover roasting pan with foil or a lid and roast the brisket until it is fork tender (2-3 hours).

When the brisket is cooked, place the lid back on the pan and cool the brisket in the roasting liquid (this diminishes meat shrinkage).

Remove the cooled brisket from the pan; strain the liquid from the vegetables. Heat the roasting pan and deglaze with the remaining port wine (3/4 cup). (If there are no drippings in the bottom of the pan, skip this step).

In a saucepan, combine the brown stock, roasting liquid, deglazing liquid and port wine. Bring to a boil and reduce by half. Strain and thicken with a 2 teaspoons cornstarch and a 1/4 cup cold water.

Swirl butter into sauce before serving.