Graciously provided by Jill R. Freedman Gorelick, The Home Chef.

Jill's Brisket
BBQ Sauce for Brisket
Smokey Tri-tip Marinade
Black Peppercorn Sauce (for New York Strip Steak)
Prime Rib Roast
Beef Wellington
Smokey Fajitas

Jill's Brisket
Serving Size : 4
Preparation Time :0:15
Cooking Time: 3 hours

4 pounds brisket
granulated garlic or garlic powder
paprika
salt and fresh pepper
2-3 onions, sliced into chunks
1 bottle Heintz chili sauce
1/2 bottle water, using the empty chili sauce bottle
3 large russet potatoes, unpeeled and cut into -- large pieces
accompaniment:
ketchup or BBQ Sauce (recipe follows)

This is my favorite brisket recipe. It is so simple, that a child can make it! Try to make more than you think you will eat, so that you can ensure leftovers. Brisket sandwiches are great on soft white bread, toast or rolls. This freezes beautifully, so don't worry about storage!

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the meat into a roasting pan placing the onion chunks all around the meat. Pour chili sauce and water over meat. Cover pan very tightly with foil and bake for about 3 hours. Check meat in about 1 - 1 ½ hours and add more water if the gravy gets too thick. Add potatoes after 2 hours, and cook them for the remaining hour in the juices, keeping tightly covered.
2. Make BBQ sauce, if desired.
3. Remove meat from oven and let cool completely. It is even better the next day, and much easier to slice when meat is cold, so place the cooled meat into the refrigerator and slice the next day, if possible. Slice the meat thin, across the grain, and place it back into the pan with the gravy. At this point you may freeze the meat in its gravy, or refrigerate to serve later. If using BBQ sauce, add after meat is sliced.
3. When you are planning to serve, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the meat, juices, and potato chunks into the oven, covered tightly. Bake for approximately 35-45 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through and the meat is hot. Serve with ketchup. If doing the BBQ sauce recipe, heat in the oven or in a pot over low heat until heated through.

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BBQ Sauce for Brisket
3 tablespoons bacon grease or canola oil
¼ teaspoon liquid hot pepper sauce
2 cups chopped onions
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup chili sauce (Heinz)
2 teaspoons brown mustard
½ lemon, sliced
1 tablespoon dark molasses
1 tablespoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Melt bacon grease or oil in a heavy bottomed pot. Add onions and sauté until tender. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes or low heat. Add cooked meat to the sauce. Serve on warmed rolls, if desired.

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Smokey Tri-tip Marinade
(great on flank, skirt or for fajitas)
Yield: approx. 1 cup

1 small chipotle chili in adobo -- chopped fine
4 large garlic cloves -- minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
¼ cup white wine vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
1 ½ teaspoons Cajun seasoning (such as Tony Chacares)
½ teaspoon liquid smoke

In a bowl combine chipotle chile, garlic, olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, soy sauce, water, pepper, granulated garlic, Cajun seasoning, and liquid smoke. Marinate meat in this mixture for at least 2 hours, and up to 24 hours. You may also use chicken, skirt steak, or flank steak. Remove meat from marinade and grill meat, using the extra marinade for basting.

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Black Peppercorn Sauce(for New York Strip Steak)

Rub each steak all over with olive oil, and sprinkle with kosher salt. Place onto a hot grill and grill steaks to your liking (140-degrees for rare). Serve with a wonderful peppercorn sauce as follows:

¼ cup butter
1 small carrot, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
bouquet garni - 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig fresh thyme, 4 sprigs fresh parsley, tied together in cheesecloth
2 teaspoons flour
¼ cup red wine
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
In a small, heavy saucepan, melt butter. Add chopped vegetables and bouquet garni; sauté, stirring often, until vegetables are beginning to brown. Add flour and stir in well with a wooden spoon. Cook flour over low heat, stirring constantly, until flour begins to brown. Meanwhile, warm wine and vinegar in a small pan or the microwave. When flour just begins to cook and brown, immediately add the warm wine mixture and mix in thoroughly. Bring just to a boil, and then simmer gently, uncovered for 20 minutes. Add pepper to taste, cook for 1 minute. Strain mixture and serve. You may add crushed peppercorns if desired.

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Prime Rib Roast
Serving Size: 8+

1 Prime Rib Roast
olive oil
5 cloves garlic, sliced thick
3 sprigs rosemary
salt and fresh pepper

Trim upper section of prime rib, removing most of the fat. With a sharp knife make slits all around meat and place pieces of garlic into slits.
Rub meat all over with olive oil, and tuck rosemary around and/or on top of meat.
Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and place into a roasting pan.
Roast in 400o degree oven until a meat thermometer reads 135o/140o degrees for rare.
Let sit 15 minutes before slicing.
Serve with horseradish.

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Beef Wellington
Serving Size : 10-12

1 pkg. store bought puff pastry, defrosted 24 hours in the fridge
5 lb. fillet of beef, rubbed down with butter
salt and fresh pepper
1 lightly beaten egg white

Preheat oven to 425-degrees. Roast the beef on a rack approx. 25-30 minutes ro until a meat thermometer reads 120-degrees (very rare). Let meat cool to room temperature. Preheat oven again to 425-degrees. Roll out each piece of the cold pastry dough about 1 ½" larger than the piece of beef. Center fillet on one sheet of the rolled-out-dough, top with the second piece. Brush edges with an egg white and finger-pinch the dough all around, sealing it well. Place fillet on greased baking sheet, or line with parchment paper, and bake 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375-degrees and bake until crust is golden, about 20 more minutes. Allow to stand 15 minutes before serving on a garnished platter. Carve with a very sharp knife into slices about ¾" thick. Serve with a Peppercorn or Madeira Sauce.

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Smokey Fajitas
Serving Size: 4
Preparation Time :0:30

1 small chipotle chili in adobo -- chopped fine
4 large garlic cloves -- minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons fajita seasoning or taco seasoning
2 1/2 cups mesquite or hickory chip
10 small flour tortillas -- (10 to 12)
1 green bell pepper -- sliced into strips
1 red bell pepper -- sliced into strips
1 large onion -- sliced into rounds
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil -- or more if needed
1 flank steak or round
1 1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breast halves
accompaniment:
guacamole (see recipe)
sour cream
salsa
Spanish or Mexican rice

I had made fajitas several times using recipes from family, books and magazines. I always thought that the flavor was poor, something was missing, so I concocted my own version, combining several recipes and then some. Kids love these, so they are great to prepare for the whole family.

1. In a bowl combine chipotle, chile, garlic, olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, soy sauce, water, pepper, granulated garlic, and fajita or taco seasoning. Marinate meat in this mixture for at least 2 hours, and up to 24 hours. You may use chicken or beef, increasing the quantity if using only one meat, or a combination of both.
2. Prepare guacamole just before serving and cover with saran wrap. Press the saran wrap directly onto the surface to help prevent discoloration. If any discoloration occurs, stir it before serving.
3. Place mesquite chips in a double-foil wrap about 15 inches long and 4 inches wide. Make a few small slits in the top for smoke to escape.
4. Place sauté pan over moderate heat with 2 tablespoons of vegetable or canola oil. Sauté onions and peppers until they are soft and caramelizing, tossing periodically, about 20-30 minutes. Add more oil if necessary. Add the marinade from the vegetables into the pan, toss and remove from heat.
5. Remove grill rack from grill and heat grill. Place foil-wrapped mesquite chips onto coals and place grill rack back in place. Once the grill rack has become hot, place meat onto grill and close the lid to smoke the meat. Reserve any remaining marinade.
6. Wrap the tortillas in foil and heat in a moderate oven for about 5 minutes until warm.
7. Re-heat the veggies, adding the reserved marinade form the meat and cook until the marinade is heated through. Let the marinade simmer a bit to cook the meat drippings. While the veggies are re-heating slice meat into strips, slicing against the grain, and serve with heated tortillas, the veggies with the marinade, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. Side dish recommendation - steamed rice, preferably Spanish or Mexican style rice and/or beans. Yields: 4-6 servings

NOTE: As an alternative to using mesquite chips on the grill, you may add a few drops of liquid smoke to the marinade. This can be found at grocery stores everywhere.

Visit Jill at www.jillthehomechef.com for more information.

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