Dr. Pepper Brisket-Brie Tacos

drpeppertacosI love Dr. Pepper. I love brisket. I love brie and I love tacos. So, this seems like a pretty logical meal choice...for me! I even add a little chile-lime flavor to the meat and it goes surprisingly well with the brie, which is just a great melting cheese anyway.

I do like to cook my meat in the slow-cooker in Dr. Pepper. The soda concentrates down with a wee bit of complexity and offers a very slight background sweetness to the meat. It tenderizes...it flavors...I'm using the Pepper.

When the meat is done cooking, I remove the fat and pull the meat apart. I place the pulled meat back in the slow-cooker with a slight bit of liquid from the original cooking process and season it with a chile-lime salt called, tajin clasico seasoning. The seasoning, I see it everywhere from Walmart to the regular grocery store. If you do not have it, the same result can be achieved with fresh lime juice, some salt and chile powder stirred into the meat. Just keep tasting and adding until you get the flavor result you are happy with. It's so delicious especially since beef and lime are so classic together.


I use brie because it is such an unlikely character to be found in tacos, it tastes good and just generally freaks everyone out that I'm using brie in a taco with a chile-lime flavored brisket...that has been cooked in Dr. Pepper. Of course once they taste it, they get it...because it is so good!!! And then they think I am a genius. And a master at putting flavors together.  As an aside, I always use President brie in the little wheels for a recipe like this. Your really expensive triple cream brie will melt too fast and just be all over the place.  

Anyway, this is an easy meal...set it and forget it, until it's time to eat. And then you will never forget the flavors you experienced. Yum.

 

Dr. Pepper Brisket-Brie Tacos

Recipe from: Created by Noble Pig | Serves: Makes 18 tacos

Ingredients

1 (4-5 pound) beef brisket
salt & pepper
2 (12 oz) cans Dr. Pepper, room temperature
Tajin seasoning or substitute with salt, chile powder and lime
1 small wheel of brie, preferably President brand, sliced thinly
18 corn tortillas, fried

Directions

Season brisket generously with salt and pepper. Place brisket in slow-cooker, fat side of the brisket on top. Pour in Dr. Pepper and set on low for 9.5 hours.

When meat is done, remove from slow-cooker, reserving a 1-1/2 cups of the Dr. Pepper broth in a separate bowl. Slice off fat left on the top of the meat. (This will be very easy to do). Pull meat apart with two forks and place back in the slow-cooker with broth, adding just enough to keep the meat moist. Turn slow-cooker back on high to warm up the meat. Season with tajin seasoning or with salt, chile powder and lots of fresh lime juice to taste. The amounts here are going to be different for everyone. The meat should have a nice fresh, flavorful taste. The tajin works great (link is up in the post, you can get it everywhere) but it is not necessary.

Add generous amounts of thinly sliced brie to each taco shell...on the bottom before you add the meat and then on top of the meat as well. The hot meat will melt the cheese and you will have delciousness.

 

Cathy is owns a vineyard and winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.  She is a food writer for Davis Life Magazine and blogs daily about wine, food and everyday living.  She lives with her husband and two sons.  You can visit her at noblepig.com.