I  was reminded brisket weather is here from daughter-in-law, Jessie, who served a delectable, fall-apart beef brisket last week. “It’s your recipe,” she said. That brisket with red gravy was mouthwatering, really, served alongside buttery mashed potatoes. 

But true disclosure, it wasn’t my own, but one which a Jewish friend gifted me with years ago. 

This recipe may sound strange to some of you, especially with ingredients like onion soup and Coke. Trust me and try it.

If you’re like me and have made it a while ago, it’s time to bring easy braised brisket back into the meal rotation. Four ingredients, easily mixed. That’s it. 

For you more adventurous souls with a bit more time,  maybe you’d like the vintage onion braised brisket. Or Zel’s passover brisket – another winner.

Easy braised brisket with piquant gravy

For brisket over 3 pounds, double sauce.  BUT if you like a lot of gravy go ahead and double the gravy ingredients even if it’s not over 3 pounds.

Ingredients

1 beef brisket with cap of fat, 2-1/2 to 3 pounds, trimmed of some ,but not all, fat

1 bottle, 12 oz chili sauce

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

1 regular Coke, 12 oz

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.

Place brisket in heavy, ovenproof pan, just large enough to hold brisket and gravy.  

Mix sauce, soup and coke and pour over brisket.

Roast, tightly covered, for 1 hour, then lower temperature to 250 and roast, covered, 3-5 hours depending upon how “fall apart” you like brisket.

Slice across grain, or pull apart with forks. Serve with gravy.

Vintage onion braised brisket

Adapted only slightly from Nach Waxman’s recipe.

Ingredients

1 beef brisket with cap of fat, 5-6 pounds,  trimmed of some but not all fat

Salt and pepper

Flour

8 medium yellow onions (not sweet), peeled and sliced 1/2” thick

Oil

1/4 cup tomato paste

4 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

6-7 carrots, peeled and sliced into largish chunks 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.

Season brisket all over with salt and pepper, dust with flour. You’ll need about 3 tablespoons flour.

Film an ovenproof, heavy roasting pan with oil over medium high heat, just large enough to hold brisket and vegetables. Sear brisket on both sides until crust forms.

Remove from pan.

Add onions to pan, stirring to scrape up fond/browned bits, on bottom. Cook until onions are soft and golden. Add a bit of water if necessary.

Place brisket, fatty side up, along with juices on top of onions.

Smear tomato paste over brisket, scatter garlic and carrots around meat.

Roast, tightly covered, for 1-1/2 hours.

Remove meat and slice across grain, 1/4” thick slices.

Put slices back in pan, overlapping.

Cover and return to oven. Reduce heat to 300, then cook until fork tender, from 1-1/2 hours to 2-1/2 hours or more

DELICIOUS PASSOVER BRISKET

Adapted from Zel Schulman’s  book Let My People Eat! I love this brisket. I like to make mine in a crockpot. Some folks like to put this overnight in the refrigerator, then skim the fat off, slice the roast, and reheat. 

Ingredients

3 pounds brisket, trimmed of most, but not all, of the fat

1 bottle, 12 oz., chili sauce

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed or bit more to taste

1 can, 10 oz., beef broth

1 really large onion, sliced

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 bay leaves

Instructions

Put everything in sprayed crockpot and cook on low 8-10 hours or until tender. 

Or bake covered, in preheated 325-degree oven for about 1 hour minutes per pound or until meltingly tender. Remove bay leaves. 

Tips

I use my enameled, cast iron pot for brisket.

Braising or stewing: what’s the difference?
Food that is stewed is immersed in liquid and cooked.

Braised food cooks in a tightly covered, heavy, pan only partially covered, if at all, with liquid.