Lazy, long weekend

One of the little ironies of what lies ahead this weekend is that labor is the last thing anyone wants to think about, especially in the kitchen. What started as a commemoration of the working life is now all about sloth in the name of a send-off for summer.

Once you start thinking lazy, there’s one sure menu that is not only suited to long, languid days but also symbolizes the season. It doesn’t even involve dropping by a hot grill. You can make it all in advance; you can take it on a picnic or just set it out at home; you can serve it anytime. And every taste on the plate is designed to go together like ice cream and cones.

This quintessential combination is beef barbecue, coleslaw and potato salad. I associate those three with eating in the Midwest and the Southwest, regions where the best antidote to shimmering heat always seems to be a hearty meal with serious contrasts in taste and texture — the sweet-tart sauce on the tender meat playing off the crisp-crunchy creaminess of the two salads. It’s the kind of feast that makes you feel no guilt in heading off for a nap afterward.

Barbecue beef, of course, does not mean steak on the grill. It’s brisket meat that is slow-cooked for so long it all but falls apart at the touch of a knife. Anyone with a Weber, a ton of wood and an excess of patience might be able to approximate what Texans routinely produce over 10 or 12 hours, but some years ago I discovered an ideal method, one that only involves turning on the oven, and at a low temperature.

The meat is simply baked in a tightly sealed pan for up to four hours. An overnight marinade of salt, sugar and Liquid Smoke beforehand infuses the brisket with an outdoor flavor and transforms it the way a brine does turkey.

I found the recipe last century in a book called “Food Festival” by Alice M. Geffen and Carole Berglie (published by Countryman Press and unfortunately now out of print). They pegged it to the Beefiesta in Scott City, Kan., where beef is slow-smoked for 27 hours, and I adapted it over repeated takes (omitting, for starters, the baked beans recommended as a side dish).

Choosing perfect sides

As the festival-goers did, I serve the meat sliced and simmered in a relatively classic barbecue sauce, but mine is less sweet and much spicier, with lots of pure ground chile powder and fresh garlic. It’s also excellent plain, sliced for a fast sandwich (you will have enough for leftovers and leftovers). But the sauce just juices it up and turns it into a better partner for the two salads on the side.

The potato salad is one I learned from my mother-in-law equivalent, a very basic combination of diced potatoes, cucumbers and egg whites, with just mustard and celery seed for seasoning. What’s singularly appealing about it is that the three main ingredients are all virtually the same color, and every bite is something of a surprise: you can’t tell at first whether you’re getting egg or cucumber or the main ingredient.

The dressing is also slightly different because the egg yolks are blended with sour cream and mayonnaise, which thickens and enriches the coating and packs all the egg flavor in without the yellow color intruding on the unexpected taste sensations.

This coleslaw is more adventurous, flavor-wise. Green olives, pickled jalapeños and chopped scallions make the usual mixture of red and green cabbage and carrots seem jazzier, and I also add julienned red pepper for color and sweet crunch. As much as I love mayonnaise, only a touch goes in here because the potato salad is so rich. A little brine from the olives supplements the vinegar in the dressing and seems to help the cabbage go soft and stay crunchy at the same time.

I haven’t been making potato salad and coleslaw all summer, but anyone who has and is starting to get bored could vary these recipes easily. Crisp bacon or nuggets of blue cheese could be added to the potato salad, or you could leave out the celery seeds and blend in chives or more mustard, or Creole mustard, which is tangier and grainier.

The coleslaw could lose the olives and gain some dill. Or cooked corn kernels could be tossed in. You could also shred some zucchini and add it with or instead of the carrots.

As an appetizer for this tribute to the fading of summer, deviled eggs are the only imaginable option. But they don’t have to be the usual flavor. Horseradish is a lively change, and curry powder, the aromatic Indian kind, goes surprisingly well with the all-American seasonings on the plate.

Cornbread is perfect with this combination too, but if you don’t want to bother making it, fast and two-step as it is, slice up a good baguette or a few ciabatta to soak up the sauces. Bread — real bread, not that spongy white stuff — is essential.

For dessert, a crisp made from peaches or blueberries, or both, is the lazy way out. Unless you want to go for ice cream. From a carton, not even a cone.

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Recipes

Oven-barbecued brisket

Total time: 15 minutes plus up to 4 hours cooking time and overnight marinating

Servings: 6 to 8

Note: This is adapted from a Kansas recipe in “Food Festival” by Alice M. Geffen and Carole Berglie (Countryman Press). To get well-marbled brisket, ask your butcher for the point cut (also known as the second cut). The flat cut is leaner and will not be as tender and juicy.

1 (5-pound) brisket (do not trim fat)

5 tablespoons Liquid Smoke

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons pure ground chile powder, divided

Oil for the pan

1/2 cup beef broth, plus more if needed

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1. The day before cooking, rub both sides of the brisket with the Liquid Smoke. Combine the salt, sugar and 2 tablespoons chile power in small bowl and spread half over the fattier side of meat, patting it into meat. Lay the brisket in a large glass baking dish, seasoned side down, and spread the remaining salt mixture over the top side. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours.

2. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Brush the bottom of a roasting pan with oil and pour in the beef broth. Remove the meat from the dish and place it in the roasting pan fat side up. Pour any liquid left in the dish over the brisket. Cover tightly with foil. Roast 3 1/2 to 4 hours altogether, checking at 2 hours to make sure there is enough liquid to cover the bottom on the pan. If necessary, add beef broth. Continue to roast and check every 30 minutes, adding broth as needed until the meat is falling-apart tender.

5. While the meat cooks, combine the ketchup, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce and the remaining 4 tablespoons chile powder in large deep saucepan with one-half cup water. Bring to a boil, stirring often, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.

6. Remove the brisket from the oven and drain off the fatty liquid. Slice the meat and arrange on a serving platter with the sauce or offer the sauce on the side.

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Each of 8 servings: 815 calories; 53 grams protein; 26 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 55 grams fat; 22 grams saturated fat; 193 mg. cholesterol; 2,109 mg. sodium.

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Sour cream potato salad

Total time: 40 minutes plus 1 hour standing time

Servings: 6 to 8

6 cups cooked, peeled Yukon Gold potatoes, diced into 1-inch cubes

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced into 1/2 inch cubes

1 1/2 tablespoons minced onion

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon white pepper, or to taste

6 eggs, hard boiled, peeled

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon mustard

1. Combine the potatoes, cucumber, onion, celery seed, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss to combine.

2. Separate the yolks and whites of the eggs. Dice the whites and add to the potatoes. Mash the yolks well in a separate bowl and add the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar and mustard. Mix well.

3. Add the dressing to the potato mixture and mix well. Let stand in the refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving.

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Each of 8 servings: 325 calories; 8 grams protein; 27 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 21 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 178 mg. cholesterol; 590 mg. sodium.

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Olive coleslaw

Total time: 30 minutes plus one hour chilling

Servings: 6 to 8

1/2 medium head green cabbage

1/2 medium head red cabbage

2 medium carrots, peeled and grated

1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch-long julienne

2 green onions, trimmed and finely chopped

3/4 cup drained, sliced pimento-stuffed green olives

2 tablespoons minced pickled jalapeños

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

3 tablespoons olive brine

3 tablespoons brown or white rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup peanut or vegetable oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Remove the tough cores of the cabbages and slice the leaves into thin strips about 1 inch long and one-fourth inch wide. Place the cabbage in a large bowl and add the carrots, pepper, green onions, olives and jalapeños. Toss until the ingredients are well dispersed.

2. Place the mayonnaise, brine, vinegar and oil in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Stir the dressing into the vegetables and toss until well mixed. Taste and add more mayonnaise or vinegar if desired. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

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Each of 8 servings: 210 calories; 2 grams protein; 10 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 19 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 3 mg. cholesterol; 310 mg. sodium.