Better brisket than bubbe’s? Eric Greenspan has new recipe

When chef Eric Greenspan was growing up in Fullerton and Calabasas, a fork-tender brisket always graced his family’s Rosh Hashanah dinner table. The recipe came from his grandmother, Goldie, and was prepared by his mother.  His other grandmother, Dora, had a similar recipe.

“It was the onions and the sweet-and-sour, tomato-saucy situation, braised slowly in the oven,” Greenspan said during an interview at Fleishik’s Sandwiches, Nosh & Whiskey, his kosher sandwich shop in the Fairfax neighborhood, which opened in March.

“It’s funny how brisket is always the go-to for Ashkenazi Jews, so it was there for every one of our Jewish holidays.”

This Rosh Hashanah, Greenspan, 42, is paying homage to his grandmother with a new recipe that’s sweet and sour — with a twist. The meat is simmered on the stove with apple sauce instead of ketchup, and apple cider vinegar rather than white vinegar. Honey, a garlic clove, apple juice and plenty of red onions also infuse the dish, which is served with a sprinkling of fresh grated horseradish.

Greenspan never got to help cook Goldie’s brisket as a child. “It was like, ‘Get out of the kitchen,’ ” he recalled with a hearty laugh. But he’s had a soft spot for the Ashkenazi delicacy all his life. “I’m Jewish, so obviously there’s a personal connection,” he said. “Find me a Jew who doesn’t have a personal connection to brisket, and I will question their bar mitzvah.”

As for his new brisket recipe, “I like taking the high-end aesthetic I have from my training and applying it to basically peasant food and making it delicious.”

Greenspan’s culinary pedigree includes graduating from the Le Cordon Bleu Paris, training with celebrated chefs such as Alain Ducasse and opening The Foundry on Melrose to rave reviews in 2007. The restaurant earned multiple awards, including a runner-up title for Los Angeles Magazine’s “Best New Restaurant” category.

Three years later, Greenspan defeated uber-celebrity chef Bobby Flay on “Iron Chef America,” winning, in part, due to his preparation of sautéed beef heart, beets and potato gnocchi. He has since become something of a celebrity himself, having appeared on numerous food competition and reality shows, including “Chopped All-Stars.”

And, he has opened a second restaurant, The Roof on Wilshire, that serves American cuisine.

Along the way, he always has been cooking up new brisket ideas. “I did it so many different ways at The Foundry,” he said. One preparation involved cooking the meat sous vide — inside a vacuum sealed bag — for 36 hours.

Finding a rotisserie when he took over the Fleishik’s space inspired Greenspan’s latest take on how to cook brisket. He coats the beef in olive oil, salt and pepper, then roasts it on a spit for six hours. The brisket becomes the star of a Fleishik’s sandwich that’s enhanced with gribenes (chicken skin cracklings with fried onions), beet horseradish, caramelized onions, raw red onions, horseradish mayonnaise and arugula.

It’s not your grandmother’s brisket — and for that the chef has received some flack. “People say, ‘This isn’t what my bubbe made,’ ” Greenspan said.  “I have to compete with every bubbe in L.A., and that’s a tall order. Like, beating Bobby Flay is easier than beating your bubbe.”

That’s why Goldie’s brisket still graces the table at Greenspan’s High Holy Day meals, which continue to take place at his mother’s and stepmother’s homes. But the chef won’t be cooking the meat this year.

“I usually just get pulled into it at the end and have to fix things,” he said.

Greenspan said brisket “used to be an affordable cut before it became so highly in demand. And frankly, throughout the Diaspora and when Jews first came to America, affordability was the name of the game.” For subsequent generations, nostalgia set in for the dish that Jews remembered and loved from their childhood celebrations.

Greenspan’s new recipe is “an illustration of what we do here at Fleishik’s,” he said. “It’s a nod to tradition and the way we were raised, without being tied down to it.”

APPLE AND HONEY-GLAZED BRISKET

– 4 pounds beef brisket
– 2 cups apple juice
– 1 cup apple sauce
– 1/2 cup cider vinegar
– 2 red onions, thinly sliced
– 1 clove garlic
– 1 cup honey
– 1 tablespoon salt

Heat brisket in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook until browned on all sides. Stir in apple juice, apple sauce, cider vinegar, onions, garlic, honey and salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue simmering until tender, turning brisket occasionally, 2 1/2 hours to 3 1/2 hours.

Remove brisket and allow it to cool before slicing the meat against the grain. Place brisket slices in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan or large platter and pour gravy on top. Top with the sliced onions. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove any excess fat and reheat before serving. Serve with grated horseradish.

Makes six servings.