Onion-Braised Beef Brisket
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Prepare a memorable dinner with this incredibly simple, make-ahead beef brisket recipe. It’s a foolproof crowd-pleaser, complete with a French onion soup-like gravy.
This celebrated beef brisket recipe comes from the late Nach Waxman, owner of the beloved New York City cookbook shop Kitchen Arts & Letters. First published in The Silver Palette New Basics Cookbook in 1989, it is apparently the world’s most Googled brisket recipe. The recipe is surprisingly simple. Unlike all other briskets I’ve made, there’s no wine, stock, or bottled sauces added. Instead, the brisket is cooked on top of a massive heap of onions, which slowly caramelize and release their natural juices, making a rich French onion soup-like braising liquid and gravy.
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“This brisket is AMAZING! It turns out perfect each time. Cutting it, then rearranging the slices back in the pan works great! Such beautiful flavor, delicious gravy, and juicy tender meat. Highly recommended!”
I have made some modifications to the recipe over the years, though the original can still be found here. This dish is ideal for preparing ahead of time, as the flavors deepen when served the following day. For me, it’s a Jewish holiday staple, alongside classics like matzo ball soup, challah, latkes and more. For those observing Passover, the flour in this recipe can easily be substituted with matzo meal to keep it compliant with Passover dietary guidelines.
What You’ll Need To Make Onion-Braised Beef Brisket
Butchers typically sell two types of brisket: flat cut and point cut. These two pieces together make up a full brisket, a large slab of muscle from the cow’s chest. The point cut has more marbling, while the flat cut (also called first cut or center cut) is lean but topped with a thick fat cap. This recipe calls for a first-cut/flat-cut brisket. Don’t let your butcher trim all the fat off! A small fat cap bastes the meat, adding flavor and keeping it from getting dry and tough.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by seasoning the meat with lots of kosher salt and pepper.
Dust both sides with flour.
Heat the oil in a heavy flameproof roasting pan or ovenproof enameled cast iron pot until shimmering, then sear the brisket on both sides until brown and crusty in spots.
Transfer the meat to a platter, then add the onions to the pan.
Cook, stirring and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until softened and golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Place the brisket back in the pan on top of the onions and spread the tomato paste on top. Scatter the carrots and garlic around the edges.
Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil or a lid, and bake for 1-1/2 hours.
Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the brisket to a cutting board. Using an electric or sharp knife, slice the beef into 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick slices against the grain. It’s much easier to cut at this point than it is at the end.
Place the slices back in the pan on an angle, so that the top edge of each slice is showing. Baste the meat with the pan juices.
Cook for a few more hours, until the meat is tender.
You can serve it right away, but it’s better to refrigerate it overnight and reheat it the next day. It also freezes well.
“This is a 5-star, easily repeatable main dish that is now my go-to special occasion meal for larger groups. Do yourself a favor and make it ahead of time as suggested; enjoy that the cooking is already DONE the day of your dinner, and impress yourself with how truly flavorful and delicious this meal is.”
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Onion-Braised Beef Brisket
Prepare a memorable dinner with this incredibly simple, make-ahead beef brisket recipe. It’s a foolproof crowd-pleaser, complete with a French onion soup-like gravy.
Ingredients
- 1 5 to 6 pound first-cut (or flat-cut) beef brisket, trimmed so a thin layer of fat remains in some spots (do not over trim!)
- 1½ tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (okay to substitute matzo cake meal for Passover)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 8 medium yellow onions, peeled and sliced ½-inch thick
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 6 carrots, peeled and sliced into large chunks on a diagonal
- Handful fresh chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Set an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Season the brisket on both sides with the salt and pepper. Lightly dust the brisket with the flour, then shake and turn to coat evenly. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a heavy flameproof roasting pan or ovenproof enameled cast-iron pot just large enough to hold the brisket and carrots snugly. Add the brisket to the pan and sear on both sides until crusty brown areas appear on the surface, 5 to 7 minutes per side.
- Transfer the brisket to a platter, then add the onions to the pan and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cook until the onions are softened and golden brown, about 15 minutes. (If browned bits stick to the bottom of the pan and start to burn, add a few tablespoons of water and scrape with a wooden spoon to release them.)
- Turn off the heat and place the brisket, fatty side up, and any accumulated juices on top of the onions. Spread the tomato paste evenly over the brisket, then scatter the garlic and carrots around the edges of the pan. Cover the pan very tightly with aluminum foil (preferably heavy-duty or two layers) or a lid, then transfer to the oven and cook for 1½ hours.
- Transfer the brisket to a cutting board and, using an electric or very sharp knife, slice the meat across the grain into approximately ⅛ to ¼-inch-thick slices. Return the slices to the pan, 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. Cover the pan tightly and return to the oven.
- Lower the heat to 325°F and cook the brisket until it is fork-tender, 1¾ to 2½ hours, or longer if necessary. The brisket is ready to serve with its juices, but it is even better the second day. (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.)
- Note: Nutritional information was calculated for a 5-pound brisket.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly 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. The brisket also freezes well for up to 2 months; defrost in the refrigerator 2 days ahead of time.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Calories: 726
- Fat: 55 g
- Saturated fat: 21 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 42 g
- Sodium: 844 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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I want to use a 3lbs brisket and a slow cooker for this recipe. What do you recommend as far as altering the ingredients and the cooking time?
Hi Patricia, As the original recipe calls for a 5 – 6 pound brisket, I would cut the remaining ingredients by about half. You’d still need to go through all the initial steps on the stovetop, but then you could place it in the slow cooker. I don’t have much experience using a slow cooker so I’m not certain how long it would take, but here are some tips that may help with conversions. Enjoy!
I made this for dinner Sunday Morning and served it that evening. Usually when we do a brisket, we just season it with garlic and lemon pepper add a mixture of water and liquid smoke and wrap it tightly in foil and bake it at 300 degrees a few hours then shred it and serve it on ciabatta rolls with aioli. I’m almost sorry to say those days are done. We followed your directions to a T with one exception. We mixed some horseradish in with the tomato paste and did it all in a Dutch oven. The house smelled wonderful all day. A quick reheat in the oven on convection mode at 5:30PM gave us time to make mashed potatoes and a salad and dinner was on the table by 6PM. I never would of thought to slice the meat prior to the finish but will do so going forward with all my roasts from now on. Great flavors, extremely tender, the carrots were the best I have ever made. Thank you for this recipe. My partner and I loved, loved, LOVED this meal!
What size roasting pan should I use?
Hi Janine, the pan you use depends on the size of the brisket, you want it to fit in nicely, but not have a lot of room so spare. Hope you enjoy!
Looking forward to making this on Saturday. I’ve got a brisket between 5-6lbs. My pan is 18″ and worried this might be too big and perhaps I should use a 16″?
Thank
Janine
Hi Janine, I think going with the 16″ pan would be the better choice as you don’t want to have too much extra room in the pan. Hope you enjoy!
Dinner was a massive success! This recipe is a keeper, so delicious! Thanks for all your help!
Janine
Wonderful! I followed exactly as directed and it turned out great! I froze half of it and tried it a few weeks later and it was even better then eating it the next day. I especially appreciate how you take it out and cut slices before it is too difficult to cut at the very end. That worked great. I plan on making enough of this for a hundred people for a party and I will write back on how it is. Thanks!
Hi this looks great – was wondering if it could be prepared in a crockpot?
Thanks
Hi Patricia, You’d still need to go through all the initial steps on the stovetop, but then you could place it in the slow cooker. Enjoy!
Can I delay the post slicing cooking portion to the next day? That is do the initial roasting on day one and the final 2 hours, once sliced on day 2?
Yes that’s fine, Sandy. Enjoy!
I have a second cut brisket. Can I use the same recipe?
Yes, Susan — that’s fine. Enjoy!
Thank you so much!!
How many people does the brisket recipe serve, and how many pounds is the brisket used in the recipe? Does the brisket have a strong onion flavor because of the amount of onions used in the recipe?
Thanks for your help!
This recipe calls for a 5 – 6 lb. brisket and should serve between 8 and 10. While the dish has a lot of onions, they are not overpowering as they mellow and sweeten as they cook. Hope you enjoy!
I think I will use this recipe for Passover this year. Can I just leave out the flour?
Hi Avra, if you have potato starch, that would be a good stand-in for the flour. If not, I think you could get away with omitting it.
I’d like to make this for Passover. How do you think it would work to substitute matzah cake flour for the flour you typically use in this recipe?
If you have potato starch, I think that may work better here. Hope you enjoy!