Brisket Braised in Coffee

My grandmother never threw anything away—including old coffee too bitter to drink, which she’d incorporate into various dishes, including her famous pears poached in coffee. As a child, I thought this was a little weird. But in fact, as coffee sits, its bitterness increases as its acids and tannins are developed. In other words, old coffee has some of the same qualities as dry wine, and so can enhance a dish in the same way. You don’t, by the way, need to use old coffee for this recipe, but