Cinco de Mayo – Recipes

Looking for a way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo at home? Executive Chef Isabel Chung at Fairmont Chateau Whistler has you covered. Try her quick and easy recipe for this tasty “Mexican Inspired Chopped Salad”. And if you want to celebrate all week long, the recipe for Mitchell’s Brisket – a signature at Portobello Deli – won’t disappoint. Enjoy it as straight-up brisket with a side salad or as home-made tacos (because let’s be honest, every day can be Taco Tuesday right now.)

CHEF ISABEL’S MEXICAN-INSPIRED CHOPPED SALAD

Chef Isabel’s Mexican-inspired Chopped Salad Recipe

Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 20 minutes

Grocery List

• 1 each red pepper
• 1 each corn on the cob
• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
• ¼ each pineapple
• ¼ each red onion
• ½ each English cucumber
• 1 small jicama
• ¼ bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime zest and juice
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp honey
• 4 Tbs Cotija, crumbled (optional)
• To taste Salt and pepper

Method

-Medium dice peppers, pineapple, red onion, cucumber, jicama
-Split grape tomatoes
-Grill shucked cob of corn on a very hot grill, cool and remove kernels
-Mix all of the above in a medium size bowl
-In a small bowl whisk together lime zest and juice, olive oil, honey
-Toss dressing with the salad, season to taste
-Stir in chopped cilantro just before serving (if you add too early it will turn brown)
-Place in serving dish, top with additional cilantro and crumbled Cotija if desired.

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MITCHELL’S FAMOUS BRISKET RECIPE

Mitchell’s Signature Brisket Rub

• 1 Tbsp Orange Zest, finely grated
• 2 tsp Grapefruit Zest, finely grated
• 4 tsp fresh Horseradish, finely grated

Place these three items on a baking sheet and place in oven with light turned on overnight to dry out.

• 4 tsp black peppercorns
• 2 tsp pink peppercorns
• 1 Tbsp mustard seeds
• 1 ½ Tbsp coriander seeds
• 2 Tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 Tbsp rosemary, dried
• 1 tsp oregano, dried

Toast these items in a small frying pan. Mix together with the dried zest and horseradish. Cool and then grind.

• 1.5 tsp ginger powder
• 2 tsp star anise, ground
• ½ cup kosher salt

Add the ground items to the above three items. Mix well. Store in an airtight container till ready to use. Best used within six months.

Mitchell’s Brisket

Yield: 750g brisket
Total time: 36 hours

Grocery List

• 1 kg beef brisket
• ¼ cup favourite dry rub

For every kg of brisket you will need ¼ cup of dry rub.

Smoker Method

-trim the brisket of hard and excess fat, leaving a 1/4-inch layer of fat along the top
-season brisket liberally using your favorite dry rub and wrap in heavy-duty aluminum foil
-place wrapped brisket in the refrigerator overnight, a minimum of 8 hours however 12 hours is best
-prepare your favourite smoker, as per instructions, setting temp to 215°F
-remove the brisket from the foil and place in the smoker
-allow brisket to cook at 215°F until the point section registers an internal temperature of 165°F with a probe thermometer, this will take about 10 to 14 hours depending on your specific smoker
-carefully wrap the brisket in aluminum foil and place back in the smoker
-continue cooking brisket at 215°F until the point section registers an internal temperature of 195°F with a probe thermometer, time will vary greatly depending on brisket and smoker from 5 to 10 hour

Oven Method

-trim the brisket of hard and excess fat, leaving 1/4-inch layer of fat along the top
-season brisket liberally using your favorite dry rub and wrap in heavy duty aluminum foil
-place wrapped brisket in the refrigerator overnight, a minimum of 8 hours however 12 hours is best
-preheat your oven to 225°F
-remove the brisket from the foil and place on a rack on a tray in the oven
-allow brisket to cook at 225°F until the thickest section registers an internal temperature of 165°F with a probe thermometer, this will depend on the size of the brisket
-carefully wrap brisket in aluminum foil and place back in oven
-continue cooking brisket at 225°F until the thickest section registers an internal temperature of 195°F with a probe thermometer, time will vary greatly depending on brisket size, thickness and fat content

Serve this with your favorite taco fixings guacamole, pico de gallo, spiced crema, pickled onions, and cotija cheese.

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