Braised Brisket for Passover

 

This brisket is cooked in the oven and is meltingly tender and moist after being braised low and slow in the oven with red wine and aromatics. Carrots, parsnips, and pearl onions are cooked in the same pan, so all you need to round out this entree is rice or mashed potatoes—or maybe our crispy Potato Kugel Gratin for Passover.

Brisket has a reputation for being tough and dry, but it can be delicate and juicy if you follow our recipe. Don't trim the fat from the meat, cover the roasting pan with foil while the meat braises, and slice the meat thinly against the grain for a brisket everyone will savor and ask you to make again.

19 of Our Favorite Passover Recipes to Serve at Your Seder

Braising

Braising involves cooking food—meat, seafood, or vegetables—in liquid inside a sealed environment, like a lidded Dutch oven. Braising does not use as much liquid as stewing.

Buying Brisket

Whole brisket typically weighs 8 to 12 pounds and is sold cut into two pieces—the first (or flat) cut and the second (or point) cut. Select a first cut that's evenly thick with a cap of fat on one side. It should weigh between 3 1/2 and 5 pounds. For an extra-moist brisket, don't trim the fat.

Tools You Need

• Roasting pan
• Aluminum foil
• Cutting board
• Chef's knife
• Serving platter

Make Ahead

This brisket can be cooked a day in advance; let the meat and vegetables cool in the pan in their juices, and then cover and refrigerate. Reheat, covered, in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven until warmed through, about 30 minutes, and then proceed with the sauce.

Keep Screen Awake

Ingredients

• 1 first cut of beef brisket (5 pounds)

• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed

• 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

• 2 garlic cloves, minced, plus 1 head garlic, halved horizontally

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 ½ cups dry red wine

• 4 ½ cups low-sodium chicken stock

• 2 fresh or dried bay leaves, plus more fresh for garnish if desired

• 1 pound parsnips, peeled and halved

• 20 baby carrots (about 8 ounces), peeled and stems trimmed to ½ inch

• 10 ounces red pearl onions, peeled (about 2 ½ cups)

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Preheat oven and sear brisket:

   Preheat oven to 325°F. Season both sides of brisket with salt and pepper. Place a roasting pan across 2 burners on medium-high. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in pan. Add brisket; sear until browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

   

2. Add onion and garlic, then tomato paste and wine:

   Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and minced garlic to pan; cook, stirring often, until onion is soft, about 4 minutes. (Add more oil to pan if needed.) Stir in tomato paste, and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in wine, and cook, scraping any browned bits from bottom of pan.

3. Add stock, then brisket, and transfer to oven to cook:

   Add stock and bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Add brisket to pan, and cover with foil. Transfer to oven, and roast until meat is very tender, about 2 hours. Flip meat over. Add head of garlic. Cover, and roast for 30 minutes more.

4. Add remaining vegetables and cook:

   Add remaining vegetables to brisket, cover, and roast until meat and vegetables are tender, about 1 hour.

   

5. Transfer vegetables to platter and meat to cutting board:

   Transfer vegetables and garlic to a platter and meat to a cutting board, reserving pan sauce. Tent meat with foil; let rest.

6. Reduce sauce:

   Let sauce stand in pan for 15 minutes, then skim fat from top. Place pan across 2 burners over medium-high heat; cook until sauce is reduced by slightly more than half, about 20 minutes. (You should have about 2 cups.) Stir in vinegar.

7. Slice brisket:

   Thinly slice brisket against grain. Arrange slices on a platter with vegetables. Season with pepper, and drizzle with some sauce. Serve immediately with remaining sauce.

   

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is brisket good for braising?

  Yes, brisket is an excellent choice for braising. It is a tough cut of beef that requires long cooking to break down the collagen in the meat, which is just what braising does. Brisket is not suited to quick cooking methods.

  
  

• What temperature is best for brisket?

  The best temperature for brisket is low but not too low because you want the meat to cook gently but not dry out. If the brisket is cooked at too low a temperature, it can stall—the cooking will slow down to a crawl, and the meat may start to cool off on its surface, which slows the interior cooking and results in dry meat. Our recipe calls for setting the oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

  
  

• How long to cook brisket in the oven?

  Cook brisket in the oven for about 3 1/2 hours. The exact amount of time needed to achieve a tender brisket will depend on the size of the brisket and the oven temperature. We use a 5-pound brisket and cook it for 3 1/2 hours in a 325-degree oven.

  
  

• Can you overcook brisket?

  Yes, you can overcook brisket. Overcooked brisket may be tender, but it will also be dry. Brisket should be fork tender and you should check on it during cooking rather than only relying on the suggested cooking time.