Moroccan-Style Brisket with Dried Fruit & Capers
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This Moroccan-style brisket is so abundant and impressive looking, you can keep the sides super simple.
As a special treat for Passover, I’m delighted to give you a sneak peek of one of my favorite recipes from my new cookbook, Once Upon a Chef, The Cookbook: 100 Tested, Perfected, and Family-Approved Recipes. Perfect for the Jewish holiday or any special family dinner, this Moroccan-style brisket recipe is a wonderful twist on Nach Waxman’s “most-Googled brisket recipe” that I’ve been making for years. The ingredient list looks long but don’t let that scare you off; it’s really just a lot of spices. Plus, you can make it days ahead of time — in fact, you should because the flavor improves the longer it sits.
This dish is so abundant and impressive looking, you can keep the sides simple: some cauliflower purée and a green vegetable and your holiday dinner is done.
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Moroccan-Style Brisket with Dried Fruit & Capers
This Moroccan-style brisket is so abundant and impressive looking, you can keep the sides super simple.
Ingredients
- One (4- to 6-lb) flat-cut brisket
- 1 heaping Tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ Tbsp all-purpose flour (okay to substitute matzo cake meal)
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 5 medium yellow onions, cut into slices ½ in thick
- 2 tsp packed light brown sugar
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- 1¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¾ tsp ground coriander
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 6 carrots, peeled and quartered on the diagonal
- 14 dried apricots
- 12 pitted prunes
- 2 Tbsp capers, drained
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Season the brisket on both sides with the salt and pepper. Lightly dust with the flour, turning to coat both sides evenly.
- In a heavy flameproof roasting pan or ovenproof enameled cast-iron pot just large enough to hold the brisket, carrots, and dried fruits snugly, heat the oil over medium‑high heat. Add the brisket to the pan, fatty-side down, and sear until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a pair of tongs and a large fork, flip the brisket over and sear the other side in the same manner.
- Transfer the brisket to a platter, and then add the onions to the pan. (If the pan seems dry, add a few tablespoons of water.) Cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon and scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, until the onions are softened and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add the brown sugar, paprika, cumin, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, and cayenne to the onions and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute more. Add 1 cup water and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Remove from the heat and place the brisket, fatty‑side up, and any accumulated juices from the platter on top of the onions. Spread the tomato paste evenly over the brisket, and then scatter the garlic around it. Cover the pan very tightly with heavy‑duty aluminum foil or a lid, transfer to the oven, and cook for 1½ hours.
- Carefully transfer the brisket to a cutting board (leave the oven on). Using an electric or very sharp knife, cut the meat across the grain on a diagonal into thin slices (aim for 1⁄8 to ¼ in thick). Return the slices to the pot, overlapping them at an angle so that you can see a bit of the top edge of each slice. The end result should resemble the original unsliced brisket leaning slightly backward. Scatter the carrots, apricots, prunes, and capers around the edges of the pot and baste with the sauce; cover tightly with the foil or lid and return to the oven.
- Lower the heat to 325°F and cook the brisket until it is fork‑tender, 1¾ to 2½ hours. Transfer the brisket to a serving platter, and then sprinkle with parsley. If you’re not planning to serve the brisket right away, let it cool to room temperature and then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Note: If the sauce seems greasy, transfer the meat and vegetables to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Pour the sauce into a bowl and let sit until the fat rises to the top. Using a small ladle, spoon out the fat. Pour the skimmed gravy back over the meat.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The brisket can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and refrigerated. Reheat the brisket in a 300°F oven until hot, about 45 minutes. Brisket also freezes well for up to 2 months; just be sure to defrost in the refrigerator 2 days ahead of time.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Calories: 820
- Fat: 56 g
- Saturated fat: 21 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Sugar: 13 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 43 g
- Sodium: 901 mg
- Cholesterol: 213 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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If I used cornstarch to dust it instead of flour, do you think that would change the end result very much? I’m making brisket for Christmas dinner, and I recently discovered that my brother has gone gluten-free. I’m hoping to avoid going back to the store for another ingredient if possible.
Hi Kelly, I would just leave it out. I don’t think you’ll miss it.
Made this Moroccan style Brisket for our kids and grandkids last Saturday night. It was marvelous, even the grandkids age 10-11 loved it. It was great to be able to make it ahead, freeze it and reheat, that with the cous cous recipe, buttered green beans, salad and home made molasses corn bread, rounded it out. Thank you, for all your recipes and expertise.
Colleen
Could I cook this in a tagine instead?
Hi Bethany, I don’t have any experience cooking with a tagine, so I can’t say from experience, but I think it should work. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
I’ve just made this for the first time and it’s in the fridge for Christmas day. I cook a lot, but this is my first brisket! It looks gorgeous so far and I am sure it will be just as delicious as all of your other recipes. I am wondering if you serve this from the roasting pan or do you transfer it to a platter? It seems that a platter would be a nicer presentation, but I can’t see how I can transfer the entire 6.5 pound brisket to a platter, without it falling apart, now that it is much more tender after cooking. I’d also like to skim the fat from the large quantity of juices and reduce them a bit, but it seems that I’ll either have to get everything else out of the roasting pan or somehow drain the juices out of the roaster and I’m not sure how to manage either of those things without ruining the appearance of the thinly sliced brisket. I just need a little advice about how to finish and serve this beautiful meal. Thank you!
Hi Marna, I agree that it doesn’t make as nice of a presentation as it would on a platter, but I serve it from a roasting pan as it’s much easier. If you want to reduce the gravy, you’ll only get some of it, but you can get as much out as possible with a deep spoon and reduce that portion. Hope everyone enjoys!
Thank you so much for responding to me in the midst of the holiday rush, Jen! It was a big hit with everyone, including those who don’t like anything with much spice. I decided to serve it from the roasting pan, which turned out perfectly fine. I had scraped some of the solidified fat off the top of the juices when I removed it from the refrigerator for reheating and used a bulb baster to remove a little more fat halfway through reheating. What appeared to be a lot of fat remaining when I took it out of the oven after reheating seemed to settle nicely ten minutes later when I served it. Every aspect of this dish was a wonderful taste sensation. I have one tip for slicing it: thin, plastic, food-safe gloves made lifting it out of the pan for slicing and returning it to the pan much easier.
Thanks for another excellent recipe, Jen!
So glad it all worked out and that you enjoyed it — thanks for the follow up! 🙂
Hi,
I just found your website and would like to make this for hannukah/Christmas. I can’t eat spicy food. Would leaving out the Cayenne Pepper mess it up? Do I need to add anything to balance it out? Also, I want to try and make it in the Crockpot this time. I will set it on low. Do you still take it out, slice it, and put it back in? Thanks
Hi Jeanne, it’s perfectly fine to just omit the cayenne. And if you’re using a slow cooker, it’s not imperative but it’s easier to slice it at that point as it’s a bit firmer. Also, slicing it 1/2 way through cooking time helps the inside of the brisket absorb more of that flavorful braising liquid. Hope that helps!
Hi, Can I make this dish in the Crock pot? I want to make this for Thanksgiving. Trying to make my life easier.
Hi Rosie, You could place the brisket in a crock pot after going through the initial steps. I don’t have much experience using a crock pot so I’m not certain how long it would take, but here are some tips that may help with conversions. Enjoy!
The best brisket recipe I’ve ever made! Thank you my family loved it! I am so proud of myself. Recipe was so easy with very few ingredients. I love that you show step by step photos, very helpful.
Jennifer another wonderful recipe!
I was a little concerned about all the spice but it could not have been more perfect. I loved all the flavor.
The addition of the fruit and onion and carrots was a nice rendition of sweet and yet mild spice flavors.
An impressive dish that all will love.
Thank You!
Made this for Easter and it was amazing! Just like everything else of yours I make!
Thank You!
I made this for Passover last night and it was spectacular!! People couldn’t get enough..I let it get a little burnt on the ends (I was going for the KC burnt end bbq taste) and it was so yummy. I added a little of the caper juice to the sauce which cut the heaviness a bit. I have been searching for years for the perfect passover brisket recipe and I think this is it!! Thanks!!!!