A Homecoming Feast

When they stepped ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there with fish on it and some bread. Then Jesus said to them…”Come and eat.”

John 21:9-12 GNT

 
The scene where Jesus cooks breakfast for His friends is possibly my favorite glimpse of Him in Scripture. He is the risen Lord, having defeated sin and death, and still He reaches out to those He loves with such humanity and simplicity. He chooses to minister to them over a meal! This is my ministry in this season, too; He’s teaching me what it means to feast.
 
My son recently moved home to Birmingham for his fourth year of med school. I had been anticipating (with some angst) Jackson’s relentless appetite, his ever-changing schedule, and my own heavy workload as a pharmacist. “Lord, what am I going to cook and when?” I cried out as I tried to generate a menu. The Holy Spirit reminded me to “seek first His kingdom” and trust the promise that He will help me.
 
So I put down my grocery list and pulled out my list of verses on the theme of “feast.” My eyes nearly popped out of my head when they landed on this passage:
 

We’re going to feast! We’re going to have a wonderful time!

…Your father has ordered a feast—barbequed beef!

—because he has (his son) home safe and sound.

Luke 15:24, 27 MSG

 
Perfect—so personal and so helpful! “Thank You, Lord! Barbequed beef brisket will be my first offering,” I said. I had been hankering for some street tacos, so I made the brisket in the slow cooker and served it with tortillas and a yummy chili sauce. God not only provided the vision, but He also gave me a friend who helped me develop the recipe I share below.
 
My heart feasted as we ate those tacos together as a family. It was a celebration of the start of this special year, when—like the family in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son–my grown son will be home again. I was also celebrating the dawning of a new understanding of all that Jesus meant when He said, “Feed My sheep.”
 
 
Barbequed Beef Brisket
 
 
“Crock Pot Queen” is one of the many pseudonyms I have for multi-talented Dana Smith. (She is also the administrator for this website.) Her technique for pre-cooking the brisket yielded incredibly succulent shredded beef, not a bit stringy like other recipes I’ve tried. Blame her and thank her for the extra step—it is not difficult, just requires a little planning ahead. Also, Dana uses prepared barbeque sauce instead of the homemade chili sauce when she is serving a Southern barbeque dinner.
 
Brisket Ingredients:
 
1 beef brisket (3 to 4 lb.)
2 teaspoons salt
1 medium onion, sliced
1 bunch cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
¼ cup beef broth
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
Salt and pepper to taste
Tortillas, warmed, for serving (we like the small corn tortillas)
Assorted taco toppings (cilantro, jack cheese, guacamole, or your favorite salsas—the mango salsa from Whole Foods produce section was fantastic here!)
 
Sauce Ingredients:
 
1 poblano pepper
2 jalapeno peppers
2 serrano peppers
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 can (7.5 oz.) chipotles in adobo sauce
½ onion, chopped
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 ¾ cups beef broth
 
Precook the beef: Cut brisket into 3-inch chunks. Rub the pieces evenly with salt. Place sliced onion and meat in a greased slow cooker, then top with cilantro and ¼ cup beef broth. (Mine is the older 2-quart size, so you may want to adjust quantities accordingly.) Cook over night on the low setting. Take the meat out of the pot in the morning. Drain and bring to room temperature or refrigerate to complete the recipe later.
 
Prepare the sauce: Stem, seed, and chop the peppers. Transfer them to a blender. Add garlic, three chipotles, 1 to 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce, onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, honey, vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt, and the oregano to the blender; puree until smooth. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat; add the chili sauce and cook, stirring until thick and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Pour in the broth and reduce until slightly thickened. (If this is more than you want to try, look in the Hispanic section of your grocery store and try a bottled sauce instead.)
 
Complete the recipe: Season the meat all over with salt and pepper and transfer to slow cooker. Add the bay leaves and cinnamon stick, and then pour in the sauce. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours. (Alternatively, cook the meat in a large Dutch oven, covered, for 1½ hours at 350 degrees; uncover and cook 30 minutes more.) Discard bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Shred the beef with 2 forks; season with salt and pepper. Serve the shredded beef in tortillas along with the toppings.
 
Sources:
 
Crock Pot Queen, Dana Smith
MyRecipes.com
Food Network Magazine