jewish holiday beef brisket

A few days after Passover, my online grocery order (with my brisket) arrived, amid Covid 19 pandemic. I could have ordered earlier, but I didn’t. I could have had a recipe in mind like I usually do, but I didn’t.

Now I’m forced to deal with the recipe issue. So, I went to town (online). My rules for recipes are two-fold. One, it has to be professional or traditional. Two, it has to have simplicity or ease of use.

I narrowed it down to two separate recipes. I liked the first one’s (Bon Appetit) method of dry brine. It involved rubbing salt all over the brisket and storing it in a Ziploc in the fridge for up to 3 days. This is supposed to tenderize the otherwise tough cut. Professionals do this in big bath of brine liquid. Dry brine is professional yet simplified.

The second recipe (Tori Avey) called for all staple ingredients that I (and most likely you) already have - onions, carrots, celery to garlic, along with canned tomatoes, brown sugar, vinegar and broth. Ingredients are simplified.

Next, I decided to simplify the steps. The recipe called for blending the wet ingredients into a sauce which I’m guessing would probably look more refined. But the thought of assembling and disassembling my crappy blender is enough to make me look for another recipe or stop. I decided to skip the blender. The taste is most important after all.

So, Voila. The result could not have been better. The brisket was moist, melt in your mouth soft. Each bite is tangy, sweet, meaty and juicy at the same time. We couldn’t stop eating. My daughter said to me in her quietly convicted way, “Mom, you have to make this again”. I’m ready for our Seder next year!

I hope you will try this recipe for Rosh Hashanah or Hanukkah. I’d love to hear how it turns out for you.

Ingredients
• Salt
• Ground pepper
• 3-7 lbs. brisket (do not trim fat - especially if grass fed)
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 large brown onions, peeled and sliced
• 2 - 3.5 cups carrots, cut into 1” x ¾” x1/2” chunks
• 2 – 3.5 cups celery, cut into 1” x ¾” x1/2” chunks

For Sauce:
• 28 oz tomatoes - whole, diced, or crushed
• 10 peeled whole garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup vinegar (any kind you have, white, wine, cider)
• 2 cups of broth (beef, chicken or water with bullion)

Instructions:

1. 1-3 days before, pat dry brisket. Rub salt and pepper on each side of the brisket. Seal tightly into in a Ziploc bag. Refrigerate up to 3 days.

2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. On the stove, heat a large skillet over a medium flame. Drizzle in 2 tbsp of olive oil. Brown the brisket on both sides, 4-5 minutes per side. Remove the browned brisket onto a plate.

4. In the same skillet over medium heat, drizzle in 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the onions. Sauté until they begin to soften and shrink in size. Add the carrot and celery. Sauté for 5-6 minutes until the vegetables are fragrant. Remove the vegetables onto a plate.

5. In the same skillet, pour in 2/3 of the canned tomatoes, garlic, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and broth into the skillet. Gently scrape up any brown bits with spatula and combine all ingredients. Bring sauce into boil and turn off the heat.

6. Pour 2/3 of the sauce into a roasting pan. Place brisket on top of the tomato sauce, fat cap facing up. Spoon the Sautéed vegetables over the top of the sauce. Pour the remaining 1/3 of the sauce over the top of the vegetables and brisket.

7. Cover the roasting pan with lid if available or tightly with a layer of parchment paper followed foil.

8. Place brisket in the oven. Let it roast undisturbed for at least 5-7 hours. Brisket is ready when it flakes tenderly when pierced with a fork. You can let it cook even longer for a soft, shredded texture if that’s what you prefer.