Nach Waxman's Brisket of Beef
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Author Notes: Nach Waxman took the best parts of two versions passed down in his family, weaving them into one simple treatment -- from his mother, a spectacular quantity of onions; from his mother-in-law, a genius trick of slicing the meat halfway through cooking (the brisket is easier to cut then, and this makes every slice a little like an end piece -- to many, the best part.) Adapted slightly from The New Basics by Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso (Workman Publishing, 1989) and The Brisket Book by Stephanie Pierson (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2011) - Genius Recipes
Serves 10 to 12
- 1 6-pound first-cut (a.k.a. flat-cut) beef brisket, trimmed so that a thin layer of fat remains
- 1 to 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons corn oil (or other neutral oil)
- 8 medium onions, peeled and thickly sliced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- Kosher salt
- 2 to 4 cloves garlic
- 1 carrot, peeled
- Heat the oven to 350°F.
- Lightly dust the brisket with flour, then sprinkle with pepper to taste. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large ovenproof enameled cast-iron pot or other heavy pot with a lid just large enough to hold the brisket snugly. Add the brisket to the pot and brown on both sides until crusty brown areas appear on the surface here and there, 5 to 7 minutes per side.
- Transfer the brisket to a platter, turn up the heat a bit, then add the onions to the pot and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Cook until the onions have softened and developed a rich brown color but aren't yet caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and place the brisket and any accumulated juices on top of the onions.
- Spread the tomato paste over the brisket as if you were icing a cake. Sprinkle with salt and more pepper to taste, then add the garlic and carrot to the pot. Cover the pot, transfer to the oven, and cook the brisket for 1 1/2 hours.
- Transfer the brisket to a cutting board and, using a very sharp knife, slice the meat across the grain into approximately 1/8-inch-thick slices. Return the slices to the pot, 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. Check the seasonings and, if the sauce appears dry, add 2 to 3 teaspoons of water to the pot.
- Cover the pot and return to the oven. Lower the heat to 325°F and cook the brisket until it is fork-tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Check once or twice during cooking to make sure that the liquid is not bubbling away. If it is, add a few more teaspoons of water—but not more. Also, each time you check, spoon some of the liquid on top of the roast so that it drips down between the slices.
- It is ready to serve with its juices, but, in fact, it's even better the second day. It also freezes well.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
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11 days ago Arrxx
How could you ever say NO to adding a little (or more) red wine to an AKA pot roast (that's what brisket is). It reminded me of a story my mom tells about her friend Ruth. Back when cooking with wine was somewhat novel her friend made coq au vin. When asked about the results she said "it was horrible". "What kind of wine did you use?" asked my mom. "Why, I used Manischewitz," (a syrupy sweet Kosher sacramental wine best taken by the tablespoon, for those of you who might not be familiar with it) said Ruth. We have laughed about that for years.
9 days ago Pably Wobbly
Bwahahaha! I bet that was an interesting outcome.
I shouldn't laugh too hard, I've done worse.
11 days ago Stubor
How about adding a couple of Tbsp. of dry sherry, burgundy or chardonnay?
11 days ago Kristen Miglore
Kristen is the Senior Editor of Food52
Please do!
about 1 month ago jocelyng
I made this yesterday, and I plan on re-heating it today. Wondering what to serve with it as the sides. Thanks.
about 1 month ago Kristen Miglore
Kristen is the Senior Editor of Food52
Waxman likes serving it with latkes and pickled green tomatoes. I loved it with mashed sweet potatoes.
about 1 month ago TheKiku
This is quite possibly one of the best recipes I have EVER made! Unbelievably delicious and tender. YES!!!
3 months ago Gret
Also, cutting it ahead of time & reheating, saves a mess/dirty cutting board , when ready to eat.
3 months ago MaSaBeMama
this has been my go-to brisket recipe for years. Slicing the beef midway not only makes for easier slicing but has the onions melt into the meat so it's incredibly juicy.
3 months ago MaSaBeMama
additionally this makes great bbq beef - simply fork-shred the leftover brisket and mix with you favorite BBQ sauce. I have made the brisket to make BBQ beef for potlucks. Works well to hold in a slow cooker.
3 months ago Gret
Wow! Definitely going to try it as Ragu.
3 months ago khsews
Fantastic! Very wet, had to take the lid off for an hour to get the meat to brown. Used it for 3 meals! Day 1- served as is. Day 2- dumped the onions, some of the meat (chopped) and beef broth into a pot and simmered. Topped with Gruyere. Made a soup as good as our traditional onion soup. Day 3- chopped the remaining meat and stewed with sauteed onion, garlic, tomato paste, canned tomatoes and sage. Served over thick pasta tubes. Made a great ragu.
4 months ago Jo Laird
When my son emailed for my brisket recipe, I sent him this one instead. Instead of the tomato paste he used the Sweet and Savory Tomato Jam I made last fall from Jennifer Perillo's recipe. He reports that the results were spectacular.
5 months ago heidiho
I am fortunate to own the All-Clad Slow Cooker with the removable cast iron insert. I followed the ingredients entirely, started the brisket, followed by the onions on the cooktop and then put the insert in the slow cooker. Again, followed the instructions but since we didn't know how long it would take in the slow cooker, I followed the manufacturers recipe for brisket sandwiches which was 6 hours on high. The following day we reheated it, sliced it, put it back on the warm setting for several hours and it was great.
5 months ago Gret
DAVILCHICK, WHAT SPICES DID YOU USE? I DID USE AN EXTRA ONION, 6 GARLIC CLOVES, & EXTRA TABLESPOON OF TOMATO PASTE. I USED THIS BRISKET AS PART OF A BUFFET WITHHOMEMADE COLESLAW, BUNS, & HORSERLADISH FOR WHOMEVER WANTED. IT WAS A BIG HIT AMONG OTHER FOODS & THE CHIDREN. USED LEFTOVERS FOR SUPPER 3 DAYS LATER & IT WAS AT ITS' BEST! DEFINITELY A FOOD TO BE MADE AHEAD OF TIME!
5 months ago DAVILCHICK
Gret, my husband is a mad scientist in the kitchen. His favorite thing to do is mix up spice mixtures and rubs. His God is Paul Prudhomme and if I listed all the ingredients he used in Prudhomme's Wyoming Brisket Barbecue you would throw your head back and laugh. I'm not sure I'm allowed to list the ingredients here but if you're as masochistic as my husband, pm me and i'll be happy to send you the recipe.
5 months ago DAVILCHICK
We made this a few weeks ago following the recipe to a t. Masterful. The second time we made it (last night for xmas dinner) we started experimenting with more spices - exquisite. The key, we're guessing, is very little liquid. No wine, broth, water...just the liquid from the onions. GENIUS. Who'd a thunk it?
5 months ago MsDivinaLoca
I made this with a friend this last Friday and we reheated for dinner on Saturday it using Kristen's method (perfect!) described in the earlier comments. I wasn't overly thrilled with it when we tasted it on Friday, but by dinner on Saturday, it tasted a-mazing! I'm having leftovers right now (Monday) and I think it's even better :)
5 months ago SuzieJ
May I ask, why only one carrot? The carrots are my favorite part of a roast, can I add more?
5 months ago Kristen Miglore
Kristen is the Senior Editor of Food52
Waxman doesn't like the sweetness of carrots to take over, so he only uses one for flavor. (Same reason he doesn't recommend fully caramelizing the onions.) You can add more if you like.
5 months ago Gret
Yesterday, I made this 6.5lb brisket, with 2 carrots, otherwise followed recipe exactly. Today, I reheated brisket on top of stove - FABULOUS! Only question: Had enormous amount of liquid, that I had to reduce the sauce & add more s/p and tomato paste. What went wrong? Were my onions too large? But, will definitely make again.
5 months ago littlesister
Planning on making this for a party on Saturday and at least one attendee is gluten-free. It seems like I could use a gluten free flour such as rice flour, would that work just as well or do you have a better suggestion? I saw the comment about potato starch - interesting.
5 months ago Kristen Miglore
Kristen is the Senior Editor of Food52
Potato starch does sound interesting, but I also think you could just skip the flour entirely -- the brisket and saucy onions would still come out delicious.
5 months ago KAv
I am making a 2.5 lb. brisket now. If I want to cook it for the first 1 1/2 hour and then finish up tomorrow - what should I do? Slice and then store in fridge? Leave it on the stove to cool with lid on and then store and slice/finish tomorrow? Thanks!
5 months ago Kristen Miglore
Kristen is the Senior Editor of Food52
I think either would work! It will be a little easier to slice when cold, but it's pretty easy to slice warm too. I'd definitely store it in its pot once it's cooled, so you can go right back to cooking with all the juices and onions.
5 months ago Arrxx
I've been making this brisket for years and (don't tell her) it's better than my mother's. If I have any red wine around I add a few glugs. I also add some pomegranate molasses which gives it a nice rich sweet and sour taste. But it's fine all on its own. I just like to tinker.
5 months ago EmilyC
Made this for dinner last night -- it was so, so good. The technique of starting with a steam-roast, which then morphs into a braise, was utterly fascinating to me. And the sauce! It's to die for. My only cautionary note is that in step 7, I had to lower my oven to 300 with the lid ajar to keep the liquid at a bare simmer. For reheating, I sped things up a bit by starting it in a 300 degree oven, then lowered the heat to 250 once the juices just barely began to bubble. It worked beautifully and the meat got even more tender. Love this recipe.
5 months ago Gret
Would love to make this day before needed.HOW should I warm this up? Temperature, time & need extra sauce?
5 months ago Kristen Miglore
Kristen is the Senior Editor of Food52
Gret, check out my re-heating recommendations in response to S K H below. Hope you love this recipe!
5 months ago johnnybracciole
Making only a 2-3 lb brisket for the Waxman genius recipe. Should I adjust cooking time or anything else about recipe? Or do i go the full 3+ hours to ensure max tenderness?