NACH WAXMAN'S BRISKET OF BEEF

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Lightly dust the brisket with flour, sprinkle with pepper to taste.
• Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large ovenproof enameled cast-iron pot or other heavy pot with a lid just large enough to hold the brisket snugly.
• Add the brisket to the pot and brown on both sides until crusty brown areas appear on the surface here and there, 5 to 7 minutes per side.
• Transfer the brisket to a platter, turn up the heat a bit, add onions to pot and stir constantly with wooden spoon, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
• Cook until the onions have softened and developed a rich brown color but aren't yet caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and place the brisket and any accumulated juices on top of the onions.
• Spread the tomato paste over the brisket as if you were icing a cake.
• Sprinkle with salt and more pepper to taste, then add the garlic and carrot to the pot.
• Cover the pot, transfer to the oven, and cook the brisket for 1 1/2 hours.
• Transfer the brisket to a cutting board and, using a very sharp knife, slice the meat across the grain into approximately 1/8-inch-thick slices.
• Return the slices to the pot, overlapping them at an angle so that you can see a bit of the top edge of each slice. The end result should resemble the original unsliced brisket leaning slightly backward.
• Check the seasonings and, if absolutely necessary, add 2 to 3 teaspoons of water to the pot.
• Cover the pot and return to the oven.
• Lower the heat to 325°F and cook the brisket until it is fork-tender, about 2 hours.
• Check once or twice during cooking to make sure that the liquid is not bubbling away. IF it is, add a few more TEASPOONS of water-but not more. Also, each time you check, spoon some of the liquid on top of the roast so that it drips down between the slices.
• It is ready to serve with its juices, but, in fact, it's even better the second day.