Onion-Braised Beef Brisket
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
Table of Contents
“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.”
You May Also Like
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Great recipe and very easy. I made a 3 lb brisket and divided all the other ingredients in half. The meat is juicy and tender and only required less than an additional hour after cutting.
Best brisket recipe!!! I’ve been testing so many trying to get my brisket tender…this was by far the easiest and most delicious.
Best Brisket! I did mine in a large oblong Dutch oven . The piece was only 3.5lbs. I used sweet onions, I totally forgot the carrots when shopping! I served Jenn’s roasted Broccoli recipe as a side along with mashed potatoes.
It was perfect!
Hi – how much meat do I need for 4 people?
Should I just half your recipe / ingredients?
Sure, that would work. You could also make the full recipe and freeze half of it for an easy meal in the future (it freezes beautifully). Hope you enjoy!
Can I cook this in the oven? If so, how hot..how long? And slow cooker?
Yes, this is designed to be cooked in the oven at 350°F/175°C. It gets cooked in 2 rounds unsliced and then sliced. See the full recipe for the timing. And regarding a slow cooker, you could place the brisket in a slow cooker after going through the initial steps. Hope that helps!
I was cruising for a brisket recipe for Rosh Hashanah, and this one looked familiar. I saw it was derived from New Basics. Sure enough, it was on my shelf. I looked it up (since your list of ingredients is so far down the scroll that I couldn’t find it at first), and noticed that I had crossed out Noah’s 375 and made it 350, probably 30 years ago! Then I looked at your modifications, and saw that you had done the same. Anyway, from what I remember, this was an excellent brisket recipe, the classic Jewish holiday brisket that I’d grown up with. I cannot wait to make it again tomorrow for the holiday. Shanah Tovah!
you could save scrolling time by using the ‘jump to recipe’ link at the top of the page lol Most online bloggers have that now.
This turned out Amazing! My only concern was it didn’t have gravy but looked like a dark sludge. I used a large Calphalon roasting pan and used a few teaspoons of beef broth when I check on it. Do you think it was the roasting pan size? It was a 2.7 lbs brisket. Maybe my onions? Not sure, but it was still delicious! Thank you.
Considering your brisket was only 2.7 pounds, I think the roasting pan was likely too large for it and that the onion mixture overcooked and gave you the dark sludge that you referred to. Glad the brisket tasted good though!
I made this yesterday and it was simply amazing! I may have over salted a teeny bit at the beginning but it was incredible. Even my extremely picky 8 year old loved it. Thanks!
Note…I added more garlic cloves and then spread them on bread to serve alongside the dish. Delish.
Found this recipe and made it today. The whole family loved it! And I was happy I didn’t need to cook it all day long in a crock pot.
I wanted to make something special for my husband’s birthday, so, as always, I looked for a recipe from Jenn! The brisket was incredibly moist and flavorful, perfect with her Buttermilk Biscuits and Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes! My husband was thrilled. For others to note, I made it the day before and reheated in the oven at 300 for about 45 minutes (I had a 6 lb brisket). The ONLY change time I would make next time is to add a few more carrots, as I had room in my roasting pan and ended up with more meat leftover than carrots. What a delicious meal for two nights and perhaps a lunch!
P.S. We had company over on Monday for dinner, and the majority of my recipes were yours, Jenn! She was so impressed that I immediately ordered her your original cookbook. Can’t wait to have your new one!
I’ve spent the day cooking, now want to store overnight for tomorrow’s dinner. How do I store overnight?
Hi Philip, you can just refrigerate it, tightly covered, overnight. 🙂
Hi Jenn,
I’ve been making this recipe for a couple of years with great success. I now have someone who has to limit their salt intake. Any substitute for salt or any experience making without salt? Thank you, Steve
Hi Steve, glad you like this recipe! I don’t have experience making it without salt. It will definitely be more bland but if you can use a little salt, you can add it to taste when you eat it. I don’t have a suggestion for any alternatives to salt here, but this post has good general information for people that need to reduce or cut salt out of their diet. Hope it helps at least a bit!
Hi Jenn,
This looks amazing. What brand of roaster did you use? Thank you!
All-Clad. Hope you enjoy the brisket if you make it! 🙂
Amazing just made it and it’s awesome