Skip the ketchup and onion soup mix! My Perfectly Braised Brisket is slow cooked with dates, prunes, carrots, and spices in red wine.
Hi! I have been on recipe hiatus for a few months….
Just to remind you a little about me… my favorite season is autumn, my favorite color is dark green, I prefer the woods to the beach, I don’t like raisins, I need two cups of coffee in the morning to fully reboot, and my tv show character clone is undoubtingly Midge from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
The lesson all us women can learn from Midge? She would tell you that all situations can be resolved or infinitely improved with a perfectly cooked brisket.
Perfectly Braised Brisket will be the star of your holiday table!
The high holidays are a brisket marathon. Every home cook pulls out their favorite brisket recipe, their handy roasting dish, their ketchup and well-worn, secret, handwritten recipe for their Bubby’s brisket.
But I ain’t your Bubby and I don’t use ketchup. I don’t use onion soup mix or brown sugar. Insert gasp here.
I created this brisket recipe many moons ago and it has become our family staple. It is the only brisket recipe I make. It embraces all the flavors of autumn and the high holidays. It’s filled with prunes, dates, carrots. The dry red wine adds acidity and depth which counters the sweetness from the dried fruit. This brisket recipe pairs perfectly with Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad and Autumn Harvest Crunch Salad. The sauce is velvety and earthy and rich tasting and just lusciously decedent. I love serving this brisket and all it’s saucy glory over extra wide egg noodles or over mashed potatoes.
And it gets even better! I highly recommend…no…I demdand that you prepare this recipe a day ahead and let it chill in the fridge for all those lovely flavors to marry together…a perfect make ahead recipe.
Please note that I use a 2.5-2.8 lb brisket for this recipe which I find happily feeds 5 hungry people eating more than one helping with a shot at a small amount of leftovers. I like to make smaller briskets because I find them easier to cook. If I having a very large gathering of guests, I tend to add a second main dish to the table, like my Zaatar Roast Chicken with Olives and Lemons or Roasted Balsamic Chicken Thighs with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes.
The secret to success is all in the braising!
I realize I have made a rather bold claiming this recipe perfect, but I really feel it’s perfect….or at least pretty darn close to it. For me, the key to brisket perfection is braising. Braising will ensure your brisket will never ever ever dry out or overcook. Braising is an easy technique that every home cook needs to have tucked away in their culinary pocket. This cooking method is fabulous for brisket or any piece of meat that needs a low and slow approach. I also use this approach for Del Monaco roast (you can use this exact recipe for it….because I do!).
The rules for braising are sear your meat, add your aromatics and flavorings, and cook the meat with liquid that goes roughly 3/4 of the way up the side of the meat.
You can use either a wide bottomed Dutch oven or a basier. I highly recommend this one from Staub or any 3.5 quart braiser because they are oven to table and have a wide bottom, perfect for searing the brisket. Please note that this recipe with it’s measurement are based on a 3.5 quart baiser.
Don’t underestimate those leftovers!
Read about how to use up those brisket leftovers….if there are any…..right here on my (free) Substack. You can make cheaters kreplach if you feel like being fancy! Or is you want to merely eat a bowl of comfort, try a simple brisket with noodles!
This is, hands down, my absolute favorite recipe for brisket and I really hope you love it and it becomes a part of your holiday table!
Perfectly Braised Brisket
Equipment
- 3.5 qaurt Braising pan with lid or wide Dutch oven.
Ingredients
- 2.5-2.8 lb brisket
For the marinade:
- 3 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic/garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon tamari (or low sodium soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon silan (date syrup)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
For the Pan:
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or high heat cooking oil plus more as needed
- 2 large yellow onions thinly sliced
- ⅛ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or high heat cooking oil
- ¾ cup water
- 1½ cup dry red wine Shiraz/Syrah is my favorite. You can also use a Malbec or Cabernet Sauvignon.
- 1 large fennel bulb sliced. Outer layer discarded, fronds reserved.
- 2 teaspoons tamari (or low sodium soy sauce)
- 10 prunes cut in half
- 5 Medjool dates cut into large chunks, pits discarded
- 7 cloves garlic smashed, skins discarded
- 4 large carrots cut into 3/4 inch segments
- 3 dried bay leaves
Instructions
To marinade the brisket:
- Dry the brisket well with paper towels.
- Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well to combine. It should have the consistency of a very loose paste.
- Rub the marinade into meat. Place the meat in a none reactive container (glass is preferable) and cover it tightly. Marinade for minimum of one hour in the fridge or maximum overnight.
Prepare the braise:
- Preheat your oven to 300 °F
- Heat a braiser or Dutch oven with 2 tablespoons of neutral oil over medium heat.
- Add the onions and kosher salt to the pan and stir. Once the onions begin to the turn slightly golden, lower the flame to medium-low and stir in the balsamic vinegar. Let the onions cook for another 8-10 minutes until they begin to shrink and become deeply brown and slightly caramelized. Stir often.
- Add the tomato paste and stir it into the onions.
- Remove the onions from the pan and set them aside.
- Add another tablespoon or two of oil into the pan and raise the flame to medium-high heat.
- When the pan in hot, lay the brisket, fat side down, into the pan. Sear each side of the brisket well, between 1-2 minutes per side until very golden brown.While the brisket is searing, add the water to the container you marinated the meat in and stir until the leftover marinade from the container has combined with the water. Set aside.
- Remove the brisket from the pan and set it aside with the onions.
- Lower the flame to medium-low and pour the wine and the water into the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the lovely browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Place the brisket back into the pan along with the onions.
- Evenly distribute the fennel slices, reserved fennel fronds, tamari, prunes, dates, garlic, carrots, and bay leaves into the pan.
- Let the contents of the pan come to a strong simmer. Turn the flame off, cover the pan and place it into the oven for 3 hours or until the brisket is fork tender. Baste occasionally.
- Uncover the brisket and baste. Let the brisket cook in the oven uncovered for 15-20 minutes until the sauce has slightly reduced. Make sure to baste every 8 – 10 minutes.
- Removed the pan from the oven, remove the fennel fronds and bay leaves. Cover the pan with the lid and let it rest for 20-30 minutes.
To slice and serve:
- My strongest recommendation is to cool the brisket down and refrigerate it over night so all the flavors get a chance to marry and seep into the meat. Brisket flavor improves dramatically when rested this way. Brisket is also easier to slice cold before reheating. To reheat: Slice brisket as thinly as possible, put back into the pan with the gravy and cover it. Warm it over a low flame on the stovetop or in the oven 300 °F °F until hot. If you are strapped for time, let the brisket rest covered for 30 minutes then slice and serve it in the pan with all its gravy and dried fruit and veggies.
Leave a Reply