Crock Pot Brisket with Tomatoes

Place a large piece of brisket (1–2 lbs. minimum) in a crock pot and cover with chopped or canned tomatoes, red or white wine, 1 chopped onion, 1 T. oregano, several cloves garlic, and salt to taste. Cook on high for 5–6 hours. Serve with noodles, polenta, or smashed potatoes.

So here's what happened: I was cleaning out my freezer and I found a giant hunk of brisket. It was icy. It was grayish. It looked, well, unappetizing. So I stuck it in my fridge and planned to marinate it in soy sauce etc. the next day. But I forgot. Three days later I found the hunk, now mostly defrosted and drippy, but still gray, threatening to develop its own ecosystem in the back of my fridge. As you may guess, Mother Thrift got the best of me again and I did NOT throw out the brisket. Instead I devised the above. The result? I am using my finger to remove the last bits of tomatoey meat juice from the crock as we speak.

Needless to say, you could probably make the above recipe with any variety of outdated meat hunk you find lurking in your freezer and it would still be delicious, but since a crock pot is the only way I know of to produce a soft, flavorful brisket without hours/days of marinating, well, this dish just seems like a slam dunk to me. Plus it's cheap AND easy (much like my best friend from junior high). Plus it's brisket.