Brisket tacos with pico de gallo

Remember yesterday how I droned on and on about the most amazing restaurant with the most amazing tacos I've ever eaten??? Well, as much as I love talking about Taqueria del Sol, I'm not going to do that today. Instead, I am going to share with you a recipe of my own version of their incredible brisket taco with pico de gallo. It is a little taste of heaven, I can assure you. Now for those of you who have eaten at Taqueria del Sol (hi mom!) you probably won't think this brisket tastes at all like theirs. However, it is just as good, in it's own right. For starters, it's seasoned liberally with salt and pepper to start, seared until brown, then cooked in the crock pot on low for 8-10 hours along with sauteed onions, tomatoes, some wine, a bay leaf, etc, etc. With that kind of effort put into a crock pot dish (it only takes 5-10 minutes extra, honestly) you can be assured you are getting one hell of a flavorful and juicy brisket. The best and worst part? Waiting 8 hours for it to finish cooking. While it's nice to have a recipe you can leave and let do it's thing, the anticipation was killing me about 4 hours into the cook time. I suggest leaving the house for a bit until it's finished. ;)

Brisket tacos with pico de gallo:
Recipe for brisket adapted from the Smitten Kitchen's Southwestern pulled brisket

• 2-3 1bs brisket
• salt and pepper
• 1 Tbs vegetable oil
• 2 Tbs minced garlic
• 1/2 an onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp adobo
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 14.5 oz can whole, peeled tomatoes

Season your brisket liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Rub seasonings into the meat. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbs of vegetable oil and heat until it slightly begins to smoke. Add the brisket and brown both sides, about 2-4 minutes per side. Transfer brisket to your slow cooker. Leave skillet on the heat. Add your onions, garlic, adobo, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder to the skillet. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add your vinegar, and cook another 2 minutes or until the vinegar evaporates. Add the wine and water, scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan, and pour the contents into the slow cooker with the brisket. Carefully, squish the tomatoes and add them, along with their juices to the slow cooker. Add in your bay leaf, turn your slow cooker on to low, and cook 8-10 hours, until brisket pulls apart. Serve in warm tortillas topped with pico de gallo.