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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Delicious! It was an easy-to-make superb dish for winter. This recipe has become our weekly family meal.
The recipe seems easy to follow, but the meat comes out tough. Any idea why? Am cooking it too long? Are my cuts too thick?
Hi Mike, Sorry to hear you’re having a problem with this! As long as the initial cut of meat wasn’t too lean, it should eventually get tender. My guess is that you’re not cooking it too long as it should only get more tender the longer it cooks. Sometimes you can unknowingly buy a bad cut of meat. Have you tried this recipe more than once?
I typically rely on your recipes as no-fail without feeling the need to experiment before making for company but this simply did not work out both flavorwise and how it came out overall.
My husband has a bad reaction to tomato paste. What would you suggest as a substitute topping during the cooking process?
Hi Louise, it’s fine to just omit the tomato paste. Hope you enjoy!
This recipe is exciting! I made it last night and just the thought of it makes my mouth water. My husband and I could not believe how good it was and because of a manager’s special on a London broil it only cost a little over $1.50 for a portion of it that fed both of us( I made the recipe to feed only two so as not to have leftovers although as Jennifer said it is even more delicious the next day). Anyway, the beef was so tender! The onions were exquisite too! The ‘gravy’ was bursting with flavor as well. I am making baked ziti this Saturday so I plan to use the small amount of leftovers in it to give it a unique yet scrumptious savory, sweet, and complex, ‘secret’ flavor.
Made this recipe for Passover exactly as printed. First bite one person closed their eyes to savor the taste and said “we need this recipe.” This is also the first time ever there was no leftover brisket. Wonderful!
Hi, Jenn. I haven’t tried this recipe yet, and I’m wondering: when you slice the brisket and put it back in the oven, do you re-cover the pan with aluminum foil? The recipe doesn’t specify.
By the way, there’s a great brisket recipe in the Rochester Hadassah Cookbook (“Sweet & Sour Brisket”). My mom made a Seder this year and it was a wow.
6 lbs. single brisket
2 onions, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup ketchup
1 cup water
1 tablespoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
Place brisket in heavy skillet and brown on all sides. Add and brown onions and garlic. Add remaining ingredients. Cook, covered, until meat is tender, about 2 1/4 to 3 hours. Serves ten.
My mom cooked it longer and finished it in the oven, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours. It almost dried out, but didn’t.
Happy Passover.
Joel
P.S. Thanks for showing me how to properly carmelize onions for my French onion soup.
Happy Passover to you too, Joel! Yes, you do re-cover the pan with foil before placing back in the oven — sorry if that wasn’t clear. Your mom’s brisket recipe looks delicious; I will definitely try it.
Jenn, I just talked to my mom, and she cooled the brisket for a day before slicing it and putting it in the oven. She says it’s better if you wait a day before slicing it. The meat absorbs the juices overnight.
Anazing! My guests said it was the best passover brisket ever – i used 9 pounds, doubled the recipe and lengthened cooking time, thanks for the recipe!
I’m making this for Christmas and I ordered a 10lb brisket. How much longer did you cook it for? I’m planning on making it on Monday or Tuesday and then reheating on Wednesday for Christmas dinner. Any suggestions on my 10lb brisket would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Pam, I’ve never cooked a 10-pound brisket! It will take substantially longer in the oven. I’d add about 20 percent to the cooking time and then check it to see if it’s tender.
Hi Jen….I made this as a trial run with a small brisket and 4 onions and it came out great. The onions melted down to thick spread like consistency, and was delicious. So tonight I made 2 slightly larger ones for passover together in a blue enamel roaster, with 8 onions, and it is fork tender but the gravy is not thick, but watery. Why? What is the consistency of the gravy supposed to be like?
Thanks, Linds
Hi Linda, It can vary but it shouldn’t be too watery. It should thicken up nicely in the fridge but if it doesn’t you can always blend some of the onions into the sauce to make it thicker.
Delicious recipe with very good instructions. Added more carrots as my family loves them. I never thought to slice the brisket part-way through cooking – great suggestion.