Oven-Finished Brisket with Charred Onion Jus

Smoking a brisket start to finish means tending a fire for half a day. This hybrid keeps the best part, a few hours of real smoke to set the bark and ring, and hands the rest to the oven, where 275 F never drifts. The flat braises gently over sliced onions, wine and stock, and those drippings reduce into a jus with real depth. Char a few thick onion rounds in a dry cast iron skillet for the plate; their sweetness plays nicely against the peppery crust.