SLOW-COOKED BRISKET WITH CAROLINA BBQ SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• For the brisket: Add the olive oil to a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the brisket with Miss Brown's House Seasoning. Sear the brisket fat-side down until a deep golden crust forms, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and sear other side until deep golden brown, another 5 minutes. Remove to a sheet tray.
• Add the onions and bay leaves and season with salt and pepper. Stir until coated in fat. Add the beer and bring to a boil. Put the brisket on top of the onions, cover and place in the oven for 3 hours.
• For the BBQ sauce: While the brisket cooks, add the vinegar, brown sugar, brown mustard, whole-grain mustard, yellow mustard, onion, garlic, bourbon and cayenne to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and cook until the onion becomes slightly translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and puree until smooth, being careful of hot steam. Pour back into the pan and simmer over medium-low until slightly thickened and reduced by 1/4, about 30 minutes.
• At the 3-hour mark, pour 1 cup of the BBQ sauce over the brisket, return to the oven and cook until the sauce has melted into the brisket, 30 minutes more. Use a knife to test the tenderness of the brisket. It should pierce the brisket very smoothly, with no pushback.
• Remove the brisket from the pot and slice against the grain. Discard the bay leaves. Serve with sliced white bread and all those slow-braised beer onions. Don't forget about the extra BBQ sauce for dipping. Store any extra sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
• Stir together the onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Keep in an airtight container. Makes 5 teaspoons.