Brisket with mac and cheese and rolls

American · Baked · 3 hr · Serves 6

This is the kind of meal that fills the house with the best smells and brings everyone to the table hungry—tender, fall-apart brisket paired with creamy mac and cheese and warm, buttery rolls. It's pure comfort food that feels special without requiring fussy techniques, and it comes together in one oven, which means less cleanup at the end of the day.

Ingredients

• 3 lbbeef brisket (flat or point cut)
• 2 tspkosher salt
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 2 cupsbeef broth
• 2 tbspWorcestershire sauce
• 4 tbspbutter
• 3 tbspall-purpose flour
• 3 cupswhole milk
• 3 cupssharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 lbelbow pasta
• 12dinner rolls (store-bought or homemade)
• 1 tspgarlic powder

Method

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Pat the brisket dry with paper towels and season generously all over with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

2. 2

   Heat a large ovenproof Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the brisket fat-side down for 4–5 minutes until browned, then flip and sear the other side for 3–4 minutes. Pour in beef broth and Worcestershire sauce around the meat.

   8 min

3. 3

   Cover the Dutch oven and transfer to the oven. Bake for 3 to 3½ hours, until the brisket is fork-tender and pulls apart easily.

   3 hours

4. 4

   About 45 minutes before the brisket finishes, cook the elbow pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

   10 min

5. 5

   While the brisket cooks, make the cheese sauce: melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, whisk in flour to form a paste, then gradually add milk, stirring constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheddar until smooth.

   5 min

6. 6

   Toss the cooked pasta with the cheese sauce. Transfer to a buttered baking dish and set aside.

7. 7

   Once the brisket is done, remove it from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Arrange the mac and cheese and dinner rolls on the same racks and bake everything together at 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes to warm through.

   15 min

8. 8

   Slice the brisket against the grain, transfer to a serving platter, and drizzle with some of the braising liquid. Serve alongside the mac and cheese and rolls.