I literally wrote the book on brisket and that’s why you can trust that this is truly the best brisket recipe out there. It’s tried and tested hundreds of times over and over and it has never failed me.
What is Kosher Brisket?
Brisket is a cut of beef that comes from the lower chest (breast) of a cow. For a piece of brisket to be kosher, it must come from a kosher animal which is slaughtered and prepared according to the Jewish laws of shechita.
Why is Brisket Jewish?
If I had to venture a guess (since I am too busy (read lazy) to look this up right now it's most probably because it can be prepped ahead and lends itself perfectly to reheating (in fact is better when prepped ahead and reheated) which all coincides nicely with the prohibitions associated with cooking and rewarming foods on Shabbat and prepping in advance for a ton of company for 2 and 3-day holidays. If you are a bulk cooker and freezer, brisket is your friend too!
Which Brisket Cut to Use?
I do not recommend a first cut brisket. It is just too lean, and cooking anything that lean for that long yields a dry and flavorless dish. A 2nd cut or even better yet, a whole brisket, will feed an army with tender, melt-in-your-mouth meat. The fat encapsulates the meat and protects it from drying out while the long slow cooking session gently unwinds the tight muscle fibers, yielding a gelatinized, luxurious roast.
Ingredients
- 1 4-5 pound beef brisket, 2nd cut
- Jamie Geller Hungarian Rub
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Olive oil
- 2 medium red onions sliced
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 2 celery ribs diced
- 8-10 large garlic cloves minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups good-quality dry red wine
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 bouquet garnish: 6 parsley stems or 2 teaspoons dried parsley, 3 thyme sprigs (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme), 3 rosemary sprigs (or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 2 bay leaves
Nutritional Facts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Heat a large Dutch oven, lightly coated with olive oil, over medium-high heat. Pat dry the brisket and generously season both sides with Hungarian Rub, salt and pepper.
- Sear the brisket, in the hot oil, until nicely browned and caramelized, about 5 minute per side. Transfer the brisket to a rimmed baking pan and set aside.
- Add oil if necessary to lightly coat the bottom of the Dutch oven. Add onions, carrots and celery, season with salt and pepper, and sauté stirring occasionally until the onions are softened and golden about 10 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste, and sear the paste until it has darkened and is very fragrant. The paste should be dark red and not black.
- Add wine and scrape up any browned bits with a spatula. Add the beef broth.
- Add brisket and any accumulated juices and the bouquet garni. Cover and braise at 300°F for 3 ½ to 4 hours or until a fork can be inserted into and removed from the center of the brisket with no resistance.
- Carefully remove brisket to a cutting board and let rest for 20 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if you will be serving immediately.
- Strain vegetables and bouquet garni and discard. Pour the braising liquid into a saucepan and reduce over medium heat to concentrate the flavors and/or until the liquid coats the back of a spoon. Skim any fat that pools at the top, if desired. Adjust seasoning once you have reached desired consistency.
- Slice brisket against the grain and arrange on a platter. Drizzle with sauce and serve any extra sauce in a gravy boat on the side.
This is my first brisket! I'll get second cut, as per your suggestion. Should I have the butcher trim it, or do I prepare it as is, with the fat cap? Thank you, Stacy
When using briskets of different sizes, I use a meat thermometer. The brisket is fork tender around 210F
Fie people living in Israel, what do you ask for at the butcher, since second cut brisket isn't really something they understand?
Id like to make this for Shabbat...thx!
Also, when clicking the link for Hungarian rub, it says currently unavailable. So substitute? (Paprika?)
They sell the rub in amazon and it has an ingredient list. Paprika, hot paprika, black pepper, garlic, onion, celery, turmeric, sea salt, clove, allspice, sugar and oregano 😉
The 1st cut is the flat. The 2nd cut is the point.
I'm now on my second jar of Jamie's Hungarian Rub. It's a great rub!!!
This recipe is very good, but for *my* tastes, two cups of red wine was too much. After the first time I made this, I cut back on the wine and increased the amount of broth.
BTW, I wish (in general on all recipe comments, not just here) readers would rate the dish after they've cooked it as described in the recipe, not before, and not after making substitutions and changes. Why rate a recipe 5 stars based on the way it looks, or the way it tastes after you've added or substituted ingredients?
Looks good, no debate
Hungarian rub? Can you let me know what is in it? I live in Israel and we can only get the 1st cut. What do you advise?
"Glorious" is the only word that comes to mind after pulling this Brisket from the oven. Followed the recipe to the letter except we used an oven enamel "Savory" pan (antique). We're Catholic getting ready to "Fast" for Lent and decided to make this treat of a dish. So simple, so wonderful this recipe is. "L'Chayim!!"
What makes up Hungarian rub?
You can see the ingredients on the product list page but it is basically a few types of paprika, garlic, and onion.
That seems to be just a fancy way of saying Hungarian Paprika