Braised Brisket and Red Cabbage

Place brisket in a Dutch oven. Add wine, vinegar, peppercorns, carrots, celery, 1 sliced onion and garlic. Cover and refrigerate for 3 days, turning the brisket once daily.

After 3 or 4 days, remove brisket from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Strain and reserve the marinade.

Preheat oven to 275º F. Place oil in a Dutch oven and heat over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the brisket and brown on all sides, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove brisket from pan, and season with salt and pepper.

Add remaining onions to Dutch oven, reduce heat and cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with the reserved marinade, scraping up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the apple, raisins, bay leaf, and thyme, stirring to combine. Place the brisket in the pan with any juice drippings and bring to a gently simmer over medium heat. Cover the pan and transfer to the oven. Braise for 2 1/2 hours, or until the meat is fork tender. Turning the brisket half way through the braising process.

For Pretzel Dumplings:

Place the sliced pretzels in a large bowl; pour the warm milk over the pretzels. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the pretzels to soak for 30 minutes.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet, over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Remove from heat, stir in the parsley. Add the onion mixture to the pretzel mixture, mix to combine, using your hands. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Add the beaten egg to the pretzel mixture. Use your hands to squeeze the mixture through your fingers, until fully incorporated. Form 3 smooth logs that are about 2-inches wide. Wrap each log in plastic wrap, twisting the ends to secure them. Now wrap them in aluminum foil again securing the ends.

Place the three logs in the boiling water. Return to a boil, reduce heat and gently simmer, partially covered, for about 30 minutes. Remove from the water, open the wrappings and allow the logs to cool.

To finish the pretzel dumplings, discard the wrappings once the logs have cooled. Cut the logs into slices 1/2-inch thick. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, working in batches add the sliced pretzel dumplings to the skillet and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until the dumplings are golden brown.

For Braised Cabbage:

In a large skillet fitted with a cover, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and apples, and cook until the onions are translucent, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the cabbage, wine, balsamic vinegar, cloves, brown sugar, and bay leaf, stirring to fully combine. Increase heat to medium-high, bring to a boil.

Cover the pan, reduce heat, and gently simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf and stir in the apple cider vinegar and lemon juice. Cook for 2 minutes longer.

To Serve:

When the brisket is fork tender, transfer to a cutting board to rest. Carefully place the Dutch oven with the remaining stock on the stove top. Reduce stock by half, over medium heat, about 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

Slice the brisket against the grain and return to the Dutch oven with the reduced stock. Keep warm.