Balsamic-Braised Brisket

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A Few Words…

A few months ago a friend gave me this fabulous recipe and said that I had to try it! It’s taken from The Silver Platter Cookbook by Daniella Silver with Norene Gilletz and she was right, it’s melt in your mouth delicious!

With Passover a little under 2 weeks away, my to do lists are all ready, groceries (except for the ‘fresh’ produce) have been bought and this week I’ll be baking and cooking some things that I can freeze. I have always made my briskets ahead of time and freeze them. If you plan to freeze brisket, I suggest to freeze the meat and gravy in separate freezer baggies, this way the meat doesn’t absorb all the gravy.

Another wonderful brisket is the Coke Brisket recipe, found in Norene Gilletz’s Meal Leani Yumm cookbook. It’s a favorite of mine to make during the holidays and throughout the year. But, now I have 2 favorites to alternate from! And remember, you don’t have to be Jewish to love brisket!

Do you make any briskets for Passover?
I’d love to hear about it! Please share in the comments below:)

Balsamic-Braised Brisket


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Ingredients:

  • 4-5 pound beef brisket
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 tbs. onion powder
  • 1 tbs. garlic powder
  • 2 tbs. olive oil
  • 3 large onions, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
  • 2 tbs. honey
  • 3 bay leaves
  • ½ cup balsamic vinegar
  • ¾ cup dry red wine

Directions:
Coat a large roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add brisket; sprinkle with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Rub brisket with spices to coat on all sides.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onions for 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in parsley, tomato paste, honey, bay leaves, vinegar and wine. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool.

Pour sauce over, around and under the brisket. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight, turning occasionally. Preheat oven to 325°F. Bake, covered, for 3-31/2 hours or until the meat is fork-tender. Calculate 45 minutes per pound to determine the cooking time. Discard bay leaves. Let cool.

Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Discard hardened fat from gravy. Trim excess fat from brisket. Slice against the grain to desired thickness.

Reheat, covered, in pan gravy at 350° for 25-30 minutes.

Brisket should be cooked “low and slow”, with lots of onions. The internal temperature should not rise above 180°F on a meat thermometer, after it reaches 200°F, the brisket will become dry.

Freezes well. Put meat and gravy in separate freezer bags and let thaw prior to reheating.

Norene’s Notes:
Slow Cooker Method: Season brisket and prepare sauce as above; add to the slow cooker insert coated with nonstick cooking spray. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Place insert into slow cooker; cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Ask your butcher to cut a very large brisket (8 lb./3.6 kg.) in half. Total cooking time will be the same as for one 4 lb./1.8 kg brisket.