Beery Good Beef Brisket

Chocolate Cream Pie Murder

You will need a 4 to 5 quart slow cooker for this recipe.

## Ingredients

* 8 small red potatoes ***(not peeled, just wash them)***
* 12 fresh carrot nuggets ***(found in produce aisle already pared—I used Bunny brand)***
* 4 small onions, quartered
* 1 small can button mushrooms, drained
* 4-pound beef brisket, trimmed and cut in half
* 1 can ***(14.5 ounces)*** beef broth ***(I used Swanson)***
* ½ cup dark molasses ***(spray inside of measuring cup with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray for easy removal)***
* 1 cup beer ***(I used Guinness Stout)***
* 1 teaspoon marjoram
* 1 teaspoon thyme
* ¼ teaspoon cardamom ***(if you don't have it, use cinnamon)***
* 1 Tablespoon minced jarred garlic
* ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
* 2 packages dry beef gravy mix, the kind that makes 1 cup ***(I used Schilling)***
* salt and pepper to taste

**Hannah's 1st Note: If you don't want to use beer in this recipe, you can substitute a cup of beef broth or a cup of tomato juice.**

* Spray the inside crock of your slow cooker with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. ***(This will make it easier to wash later.)***
* Place the red potatoes in the bottom of the crock.
* Place the carrot nuggets on top of the potatoes.
* Place the onion quarters on top of the carrot nuggets.
* Place the drained, button mushrooms on top of the onion pieces.
* If you haven't already done so, cut the beef brisket in half and trim off the later of fat to make it as lean as possible.
* Add both pieces of brisket to your crock.
* Place the beef broth in a mixing bowl.
* Add the dark molasses to the beef broth.
* Add the cup of beer to the bowl.
* Add the marjoram, thyme, and cardamom (or cinnamon) to your bowl.
* Add the jarred garlic to the bowl.
* Add the coarsely ground black pepper to the bowl.
* Sprinkle the contents of **ONE** package of dry beef gravy mix over the pepper in the bowl.
* Put the 2nd package of gravy mix on the counter next to the Crock-Pot in case you need it later. ***(You may, or you may not—it all depends on how juicy your onions and meat are.)***

**Hannah's 2nd Note I've used Lawry's Seasoned Pepper in place of the coarsely ground black pepper. It's good!**

* Mix the ingredients int eh bowl together with a whisk or a wooden spoon. Continue to whisk or mix until everything is well blended.
* Pour the contents of the bowl over the ingredients in the crock.
* Put the cover on our slower cooker, plug it in and turn it to LOW.
* This dish needs to cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours. You can also turn it up to HIGH for 2 hours and then turn it back down to LOW for an additional 4 to 5 hours.
* You will be through cooking when you can easily pierce the brisket with a fork and the potatoes and carrots are also fork tender.
* To serve, remove the pieces of brisket from the crock and place them on a cutting board. Cut the brisket into 8 to 12 pieces.
* Remove the vegetables from the crock and place them in a serving bowl.
* Cover the bowl and the meat platter with foil to keep them warm.
* Check the gravy that has formed. If the gravy isn't thick enough, turn the Crock-Pot up to HIGH and sprinkle in the 2nd package of dry beef gravy mix.
* Stir in the gravy mix and cook until the gravy is thick enough to pour over the warm brisket on the meat platter.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings of tender beef and tender vegetables.