For the last 3 years, I’ve always wanted to post some Hanukkah recipes once we get to this time of year, but I’ve felt kind of weird doing it because, well, I’m not Jewish and I don’t want to do anything offensive/stupid. But I figured this year would be the year that this would be the year I posted a Hanukkah-friendly recipe and this Sweet & Tangy Brisket fit the bill.
I borrowed this recipe from Deb at Smitten Kitchen, who modified it from Emeril. You know. Lagasse. I think a lot about food and culture and everything that comes with all of that. I grew up in a very Mormon community and now I live in this conglomeration of The Bible Belt/Cajun Country/Good Old-Fashioned South and I have discovered that when it comes to comfort food, the things we tend to turn to are surprisingly similar.
And I found the same thing with this brisket–even if it’s a Jewish-ish recipe, it’s something I would not be surprised to find at any church supper or school fundraiser or a post-funeral luncheon or down-home restaurant, whether I was in Utah or Louisiana or middle America. And it all goes back to that idea that no matter how different we all may seem, I think at the heart of it all, we have more similarities than we do differences. And I really love that food can be that uniting factor, because that’s exactly why Sara and I do this crazy thing. Anyway. Enough sap. Onto the brisket!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Brisket – You’ll need a 4-5 pound brisket for this recipe. If you can’t find one that size (or at all) in your grocery store meat department, ask at the butcher counter if they have one in the back they can cut for you. You can also find brisket at a butcher shop.
- Butter – Use real butter if you can, to saute your onions. If you need to make this dairy free, use your favorite cooking oil.
- Onions – You can use any onions you’d like. I recommend sweet yellow or white onions.
- Fresh garlic cloves – We’re using fresh and dried garlic in this recipe!
- Seasonings – You’ll need kosher salt, back pepper, paprika (regular or smoked, totally up to you), garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, onion powder, oregano, and thyme.
- Low sodium beef broth – Low sodium allows us to control the level of salt in the final dish.
- Ketchup – Ketchup provides a rich, sweet base.
- Chili sauce – Find this near the ketchup. This is a mildly-seasoned sauce, NOT a spicy sauce like Sriracha. Heinz brand makes a great one.
- Brown sugar – This adds extra depth and sweetness.
- Yellow mustard – I added a little touch of yellow mustard because it just felt right!
How to Make Sweet & Tangy Brisket
- You’ll start by sauteing some onions and garlic in butter until soft and fragrant. You’ll add your herbs and spices and set those aside.
- Next you’ll salt and pepper your brisket and place it in the crock pot, then top it with the onions and garlic.
- Over that goes your sauce of ketchup, chili sauce, brown sugar, beef broth, and mustard. That cooks low and slow for 9-10 hours.
- The brisket will then rest in the fridge for several hours, or up to a full day depending on your schedule.
- Before serving, you’ll slice the cold brisket, return it to the sauce, and cook again in the oven until bubbly and heated through before serving.
Storing and Other Tips
- Note: This recipe can be both kosher and gluten-free, but those of you who follow a kosher or gluten-free diet will have to double-check that all of the ingredients are okay.
- Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 4-5 days for best results.
- Serving suggestions: This brisket is delicious over rice, on rolls, with mashed potatoes, or latkes!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yep. You kind of have to! This is a great recipe to make ahead and heat before serving. The cooked brisket can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours before slicing and heating to serve.
Yes, just thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. Freeze a meals worth or freeze individual portions and enjoy within 2-3 months.
Many briskets will come with a thick fat cap. You don’t need to trim it heavily, as the fat provides delicious flavor during the first round of cooking. It’s also much easier to remove after that first run in the crock pot. If you feel the fat is excessive, feel free to do a quick trim before putting the brisket in the crock pot, but it’s not necessary.
Sweet & Tangy Brisket
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 4-5 pound brisket
- 2 yellow or white onions, medium sliced
- 3-4 cloves garlic smashed
- ½ teaspoon paprika regular or smoked
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup chili sauce like Heinz chili sauce, not like Sriracha
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of butter until melted and bubbly. Add the sliced onions and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until they’re tender and caramelizing. Add the smashed garlic cloves to the onions and saute until they soften and become fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Add the herbs and spices and then remove from heat.
- Rinse the brisket, pat it dry, and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Place the brisket in a large slow cooker (fat side up) and spread the onion mixture over the roast.
- In a medium bowl, combine the ketchup, chili sauce, brown sugar, beef broth, and mustard. Whisk it together and spread it over the onions.
- Cook the brisket on low for 9-10 hours.
- After the brisket has cooked in the crockpot, remove the brisket from the slow cooker and scrape off any fat. Place the brisket in an oven-safe baking dish and transfer the sauce to cover the brisket. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate the brisket for several hours (up to a whole day).
- An hour (more or less) before serving, remove the foil and remove any solidified fat. Carefully remove the brisket from the pan and place it on a large cutting board. Slice the roast into ½″ slices and then carefully (with the help of a long, heavy-duty spatula) return the sliced brisket to the pan. Re-cover the pan and place it in a cold oven and heat the oven to 300℉.
- Cook until the meat is heated through and the sauce is bubbling around the edges (30-45 minutes). Serve with mashed or roasted potatoes or these latkes and a green salad or your favorite vegetable.
Notes
- Note: This recipe can be both kosher and gluten-free, but those of you who follow a kosher or gluten-free diet will have to double-check that all of the ingredients are okay.
- Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 4-5 days for best results.
- Serving suggestions: This brisket is delicious over rice, on rolls, with mashed potatoes, or latkes!
Questions & Reviews
Sorry, I missed the baby announcement…can you link to the day…Congratulations! Our Best Bites is my only go to sight for “what to make?”! I always find what hits the spot or what gives me inspiration.
One thing I do which I learned from my mother, is to sear the brisket on all sides after cooking the onions. She also added tomato puree mixed with water. Then the final touch was a bottle of beer.Of course lots of fresh ground pepper and most of the seasoning you put in. Bring to a good high simmer than on with the cover and into the oven for a few hours. We also added carrots and Potatoes after the brisket was almost done. Makes me now want to cook a brisket. And oh, it has to be the narrow end of the brisket with a thin layer of fat on the top.
It’s so sweet that you posted Chanukkah recipes on your blog. This recipe looks delicious; maybe I will try it next week when I can plan ahead. I’m serving dairy tonight, so no meaty stuff. Happy Holidays.
Oooh! I’ve always wanted to know how to cook brisket…I think we have a winner here! I can’t wait to try this! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Merry Christmas!
This looks so good! I wonder if I missed something but I’m going to ask anyway. Do the onions get served with it? Or are they in essence part of the “sauce” on the finished product?
Yeah, the onions just kind of become part of the sauce. You can either blend it up and make it smooth or just leave ’em alone. 🙂
Oh, this is perfect! My dad just brought a brisket to cook over the weekend – now I know how we’ll cook it!!!! Thank you so much for the share and Merry Christmas to you both!!!!
This brisket looks amazing! I’ve never had one cooked in the slow cooker before but it sounds so nice and low maintenance:-)
In addition to what I said above: I would cook it in a dutch oven either on the stove top or in the oven (at whatever temp you recommend)
do you think it would yield the same results?
I wouldn’t cook it on the stovetop. Brisket needs to cook low and slow for a long, long, long time because it’s so tough, so the stovetop heat would be too direct, you’d have to do too much babysitting, and it just wouldn’t turn out as well. Check out the recipe from Smitten Kitchen (I linked directly to it a couple of times) and she has directions for doing it in the oven.
I haven’t made this particular recipe in the oven, although I’ve made other briskets in the oven as well as other tough cuts of meat like ribs. I do prefer the crock pot; I think it seals in the moisture better and you just get more tender results. But if you don’t have/don’t want to use a crock pot, the oven is the next way to go. 🙂
If I were to brown the meat and cook it the rest of the way through in the onion and sauce mixture, how long do you think it would take for a peice of meat the same size as the one you used, and what temp would you cook it at?
If you’re talking just searing it on the outside like you often do with beef roasts, I’d still cook it for the same amount of time. If you’re cooking it for longer on the stovetop, I can’t tell you. I’ll get your other questions in your other comment. 🙂
That first part got me a little verklempt but I’m ok now.
This looks amazing. I’m thinking I might scale back the size of the brisket and sauce and have a lady over.
Oh, Mark, I hope you’re going to be okay… 😉