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Perfectly Braised Brisket

Skip the ketchup and onion soup mix! My Perfectly Braised Brisket is slow cooked with dried apricots, prunes, carrots, & spices in red wine.
Cook Time3 hours 20 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: European
Keyword: braise, brisket, Holidays, red wine, Rosh Hashanah
Servings: 5 people
Author: wildheartkitchen

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.