I wound up going with a sort of Russian Cabbage soup. I looked at several of them, took a little from this one and a little from that, added my own touches, and it came out great, particularly now that winter has finally made it to Kentucky.
For anyone interested:
Russian Cabbage Soup
2 lb brisket, in 1/2" cubes
1/4 cup (approx) diced slab bacon
2 cups onion, sliced
1 cup carrots, sliced
1 cup celery, sliced
6-8 cups beef stock
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
2 medium potatoes, in 1/2" dice
1 head cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup raisins
3 tbls brown sugar
2 tbls cider vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste
Saute bacon until slightly browned. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Saute until onion turns translucent. Add the brisket and brown on all sides. Add the stock and tomatoes.
Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until meat starts turning tender, about 45 minutes. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 30 minutes more.
Add the cabbage, raisins, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. Cook until cabbage is tender. Adjust flavor with additional sugar or vinegar as needed.
How much stock to use will depend on the volume of cabbage. I started with six cups, but, once the cabbage was cooked, had to add two more.