3 pounds beef brisket, fat trimmed to 1/4 inch layer (NOT corned beef!)
3 Tbs flour
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 C dry red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon)
1 bay leaf
2 Tbs unsulfured molasses
1 12-oz bag cranberries
1 16-oz bag frozen pearl onions

Preheat oven to 350, with rack in lowest position. Season brisket with salt and pepper while heating a 5-qt Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add brisket (fat side down) and cook until browned, 8-10 minutes, rotating once. Transfer to a plate while adding stuff to the pot.

Add flour to the pot (with beef drippings) and whisk, 30 seconds. Add broth, wine, bay leaf, molasses, HALF of the cranberries, and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil (I waited for the cranberries to start popping), then return brisket to the pot and cover. Transfer to oven, and bake for 3 hours.

Stir in onions, cover, and return to oven for another 30 minutes. Stir in remaining cranberries, and return to oven uncovered, and cook until brisket is fork tender, about 30 more minutes. Discard bay leaf before serving.

Commentary - They didn’t have brisket, so I used a 1 pound flat iron steak, which I had to fold over to fit in my dutch oven. We halved everything except the cooking time (it didn’t occur to me to that less meat would take less time to cook). We added all the cranberries at the beginning, didn’t add the 1 C of water until the 3 hour mark. So it’s really a pretty foolproof recipe. Also, at the 3 hour mark, I accidentally stabbed it with a spoon (trying to stir in onions), and it was terrifically tender then.