Braised Beef Brisket
User Reviews
4.9
66 reviews
Excellent
-
Prep Time
15 mins
-
Cook Time
6 hrs
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Total Time
6 hrs 15 mins
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Servings
8 servings
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Calories
598 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
American
Braised Beef Brisket
Report
Braised Beef Brisket is a slow-cooked dish featuring a large brisket seasoned with salt and pepper, browned to develop flavor, then cooked low and slow in a broth with aromatic vegetables and herbs. The long braising yields tender meat infused with savory depth from onions, carrots, celery, thyme, rosemary, garlic, and bay leaves. Optional potato starch can thicken the pan juices for serving.
Description
This Braised Beef Brisket recipe starts by rinsing and seasoning a six-pound untrimmed brisket. The brisket is browned on all sides in olive oil to lock in flavor and create a crust. Aromatic vegetables—onion, carrot, celery—are sautéed in the same pan to capture the fond flavors, then partially returned to the pan with beef broth as liquid for the braise. Herbs including thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves, plus whole cloves of garlic, add herbal and aromatic notes as the brisket cooks slowly at low oven temperature.
Braising at 300°F allows the connective tissue in brisket to break down, softening the meat while imparting rich flavor. The broth and vegetables cook with the meat, creating a flavorful and moist environment. The recipe suggests covering the pan tightly, either with a lid or heavy foil and parchment, to retain moisture. After cooking, the liquid can be thickened with potato starch or cornstarch if desired.
This cut and method produce tender slices suitable for feeding a gathering; a six-pound brisket typically serves about eight people with reasonable portions. The dish is suited for family dinners or special occasions. Visual doneness is important, and cooking time should be adjusted for larger or smaller briskets. The recipe includes notes ensuring gluten-free preparation if certified ingredients are used.
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Ingredients
- 6 lbs brisket untrimmed, first cut
- extra virgin olive oil
- 4 onion diced
- 5 carrot peeled and sliced into 1-inch pieces
- 5 celery stalk peeled and sliced into 1-inch pieces
- 10 prigs thyme
- 2 prigs rosemary
- 2 bay leaf
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 quart beef broth low sodium, or chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt (you may need to use less salt if using a kosher salted brisket)
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 tablespoon potato starch (optional- you may substitute corn starch if not for Passover)
- parsley optional, for garnish, fresh chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Rinse the brisket and pat dry. Rub both sides of the meat with black pepper and kosher salt.
- Heat roasting pan over a medium flame on the stovetop. Drizzle a few tablespoons of olive oil into the pan. Brown the brisket on both sides—it will take about 4 minutes per side.
- Remove brisket from the pan. Drizzle a little more olive oil in the pan and add the diced onions, carrot slices and celery chunks. Sauté the vegetables for a few minutes, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan with your spatula.
- When onion is translucent and carrot slices are slightly caramelized, scoop vegetables out of the pan and place in a bowl. Pour beef broth into the bottom of your pan until covered. Scrape up any remaining brown bits on the bottom of the pan as the broth heats up.
- When broth is hot, add half your vegetables back into the pan spread out across the bottom. Place your brisket back into the pan, fatty side facing up. Place garlic cloves on top of the meat, evenly spaced. Add the remaining veggies to the pan, spreading them on top of the brisket to cover. Place herbs on top of the brisket and in the broth, evenly dispersed.Pour more broth into the pan until it goes halfway up the sides of your brisket. Cover roasting pan tightly with a layer of parchment paper, followed by a layer of foil, and place in the oven. If your roasting pan has a lid, use that instead of the parchment/foil combination.
- Let brisket roast undisturbed for 5 to 7 hours. It will take about 1 hour per pound of meat (leaner and grass fed cuts of meat may take longer—test for doneness). Brisket will shrink as it cooks. The meat is ready when it is fork tender and very easy to slice. Remove brisket from the pan. At this point you can follow make-ahead instructions below, if you wish. If you are serving right away, let it rest on the cutting board for 20-30 minutes before slicing.
- Meanwhile, strain pan drippings from the roasting pan into a saucepan and allow to cool. Reserve cooked vegetables.
- Skim fat from the surface of the pan drippings using a spoon.
- Reheat the remaining liquid on stovetop. Stir together the potato starch and 1 1/2 tbsp cold water, then pour into the cooking liquid. Bring liquid to a low simmer until it thickens to make a gravy-style sauce. You may need more of the potato starch and water mixture to thicken further; add slowly and simmer until desired thickness is achieved. Alternatively, you can blend the softened cooked vegetables (with herbs removed) into the gravy to thicken it using an immersion blender. Add salt and pepper to taste if needed.
- Cut fat cap off the brisket…
- then cut the brisket in thin slices against the grain.
- Serve topped with pan juices or thickened gravy, along with the softened veggies if you have reserved them. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, if desired.To Make Ahead: After cooking the brisket, open the lid or foil and parchment to vent, then let the brisket slowly return to room temperature. Switch the brisket and sauce to a ceramic or glass dish. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.
- Let the brisket chill overnight, or up to two days. You can also freeze the brisket up to a week ahead if you prefer. 1-2 hours before serving, remove the brisket from the refrigerator and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. The fat in the sauce will have risen to the top and solidified. Use a spoon to scoop the fat bits out of the sauce and discard.
- Take the brisket out of the dish and brush any excess sauce back into the dish. Place brisket on a cutting board, fat-side up. Slice the meat cold—first cut the fat cap off the brisket, then cut the brisket in thin slices against the grain.
- Return the sliced meat to the dish and spoon sauce over it, making sure to spoon a little sauce between each slice.
- Cover the dish with lid or layer of parchment and foil, then place in the oven. Let the brisket cook for 45-60 minutes until heated through. You can cook it even longer to let it become more tender, if you wish. Serve with thickened sauce and softened veggies, using the sauce thickening instructions above.
Notes
- A large heavy roasting pan with lid is recommended to maintain moisture during braising.
- A 6-pound brisket generally serves about 8 people, allowing approximately 1/2 pound per person plus some extra.
- Adjust cook time proportionally for larger or smaller briskets.
- For gluten-free preparation, ensure beef broth and potato starch are certified gluten-free.
- If no heavy roasting pan is available, sear meat in a skillet before transferring to oven-safe dish covered tightly.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
598kcal
(30%)
Carbohydrates
13g
(4%)
Protein
74g
(148%)
Fat
26g
(40%)
Saturated Fat
9g
(45%)
Cholesterol
210mg
(70%)
Sodium
935mg
(39%)
Potassium
1527mg
(32%)
Fiber
2g
(8%)
Sugar
4g
(8%)
Vitamin A
6540IU
(131%)
Vitamin C
10.1mg
(11%)
Calcium
70mg
(7%)
Iron
7.4mg
(41%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 8servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 598 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 598kcal | 30% |
| Carbohydrates | 13g | 4% |
| Protein | 74g | 148% |
| Fat | 26g | 40% |
| Saturated Fat | 9g | 45% |
| Cholesterol | 210mg | 70% |
| Sodium | 935mg | 39% |
| Potassium | 1527mg | 32% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 6540IU | 131% |
| Vitamin C | 10.1mg | 11% |
| Calcium | 70mg | 7% |
| Iron | 7.4mg | 41% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
66 reviews
Excellent
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