A tribute to Friday Night Lights (with Brisket)

Hey Y'all.  Are any of you fans of Friday Night Lights?  I know I am waay late to the party here, but during the holidays, after a facebook friend posted that she had become addicted to Friday Nights Lights, I decided I would watch one episode on Amazon Instant Video, since many people have told me before how good it was.  Well, that one episode turned into me obsessively watching episode after episode on my computer over the next few weeks, like an addict, finally stopping when I had finished all 5 seasons.  Nothing like this has really happened to me before with TV (except for when I was catching up with Lost 3 seasons in), but it was very much like that feeling when you open a bag of potato chips, have a few, then find yourself unable to put the bag away until all the chips are gone. For those of you that don't know, the show is about a small Texas town that is football obsessed (based upon the movie of the same name).   The focus of the series is Coach Eric Taylor and his amazing awesome wife Tami Taylor, commonly referred to as Mrs. Coach. (Who, by the way, uses the phrase "Hey Y'all" a hell of a lot, as hilariously documented here on youtube). If you are not a football fan, don't worry - football is just a small part of the show.  I really fell in love with the show because the characters - both the Taylors and all the football players and their families -  and the acting is so great.  Since we are in the heat of NFL playoffs I thought making a Friday Night Lights inspired dish made sense.  One thing they eat a lot of on the show is BBQ, throughout the five seasons it was a real constant.  A Texas specialty in the BBQ category is brisket, so I decided to make an oven BBQ brisket.  I am very familiar with cooking brisket in the Jewish Grandmother way (onion soup mix, Heinz Chili Sauce) and have never made it any other way.  This spicy and smoky version from The Homesick Texan was a nice change and a great dish for your playoff or Super Bowl party (Go Pats!)

I am not in the business of reviewing TV shows, but just a few words about why you should watch Friday Night Lights (through Netflix, Amazon or Itunes).  While there is some football there, at its heart, Friday Night Lights is the portrait of a modern marriage.  The show depicts with a lot of heart and honesty the joys and struggles that two people encounter when they share a life together.  It helps here that the two actors that play Mr. and Mrs. Coach are so good - they were both very real but also have that special something that make them stars.  The supporting characters of the show are also compelling  - especially in the first few seasons.  My favorite is probably Tim Riggins - he truly embodies the phrase "bad boy with a heart of gold" (does that phrase even exist or did I make it up?) He is a philanderer, a drunk and a drop out, but man is he cute and really sweet underneath.  Another great character was Matt Saracen, the nerd who became starting quarterback, who dates Coach's daughter and takes care of his ill grandmother.  The show really creates a sense of place. I have never been to small town Texas, but the show creates a 360 degree world - we get to know the town of Dylan from many different perspectives.  Final world - the show is also really well written and follows each story through to the end so that you become really sucked in after each episode.  I do think the first two seasons are the best, but all five are amazing and I could not stop watching.  So sad there are no more episodes for me watch!

Homesick Texans Brisket with Thrown Together Cole-Slaw
This brisket is a BBQ alternative when you don't have a grill or it is winter!  I think it is so flavorful on its own topped with pan juices it does not need a BBQ sauce, but some of you may want to top it off with some sauce. I think a sweet sauce rather than a vinegar-ey one would be best.

Spicy Oven Brisket
Adapted from http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2008/12/my-oven-baked-brisket.html
Ingredients
1 3-4pound untrimmed brisket
2 tablespoons of salt
2 tablespoons of black pepper
2 teaspoons cayenne
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, sliced
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup liquid smoke plus an additional 1/4 cup.
1/4 cup black coffee
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 fresh jalapenos, sliced (seeds and all)


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Mix together the salt, pepper, cayenne and garlic.  Rub all over the brisket.
3. Put the onions, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, coffee, vinegar and 1 chopped jalapeno in a roasting pan.
4. Lay the brisket on top skin side up.
5. Top with the remaining jalapeno.
6. Cover tightly with foil and bake in oven for about 3-4 hours until tender.
7. Right at about the 4 hour mark, I raised the oven temp to 350, rubbed the fat side with some brown sugar and cooked the brisket some more uncovered for about 20 minutes.  This just added a little sweet and some more color to the spicy brisket.
8. Let sit for about 20 minutes then trip the fat on top a bit if you want and slice across the grain 

Thrown Together Coleslaw

This recipe is rough since I just improv-ed this coleslaw, it came out well!  I do not love a mayo heavy coleslaw, so this goes light on the mayo.

1/2 a (large) green cabbage, thinly sliced

3 large carrots, shredded

1/2 cup shredded red cabbage

4 green onions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced

1/2 cup of mayonnaise

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon mustard of your choice

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

1/4 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Combine all this stuff.  Best after the flavors have melded for about an hour.