“For years I held fast to the theory that only two kinds of people could properly cook the cut of beef known as brisket: Southerners and Jews,” wrote a food writer a few years ago in Saveur magazine. The statement’s author, me, posits a view that Eastern European immigrants to the United States brought with them techniques for cooking the tough, dense, and homely cut of beef shoulder called brisket over slow and low heat, either by smoking or braising, that turns it into something sublime which is tender and chewy all at once. My grandmother’s brisket is my favorite, but it’s a decidedly wintry affair spiced with paprika, bay leaf, and oregano and sprinkled with cooked tomatoes and onions. But I love brisket and I sought to devise a way that I could enjoy it in the summertime, too, and to incorporate some of the same flavors without making it feel so heavy. Here’s how I do it. This recipe relies on the fresh, tart acidity of homegrown tomatoes.

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Summer Brisket

Serves 12

One 6-pound flat cut brisket
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups white wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped garlic

Rub the brisket all over with the salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350. Heat the oil in a large casserole until shimmering. Add the brisket, fat side down, and cook over moderately high heat until well-browned, about 8 minutes per side. Transfer the brisket to a platter and pour off any excess fat from the casserole. Add the wine and stock and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the casserole into the liquid. Add the tomatoes, onions, and garlic.

Return the brisket to the casserole, fat side up. Scatter the onions, tomatoes, and garlic over the top of it. Cover and cook in the oven for 1 hour. Uncover and cook for about 30 minutes to brown the onions. Then cover and braise for about 2 hours, until the meat is fork-tender.

Serve sliced and piled high on a bun alongside cucumber salad, if you like.

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