This Onion Braised Beef Brisket yields melt-in-your-mouth tender beef, smothered in an onion gravy that is loaded with delicious flavor. The brisket is slow braised the day before serving, that allows the flavors to build overnight. The next day, the brisket is gently warmed in the oven, while the onion gravy is heated separately. Making this one day ahead made for less work in the kitchen, on the day of our holiday dinner. Our guests loved this recipe as much as we did!

My husband loves brisket and I enjoy preparing it for him (and me). This particular recipe for Onion-Braised Brisket turned out with tender beef and a sauce/gravy that was out-of-this-world spectacular!

What I most appreciated about this recipe is that I could slow braise this brisket the day before our holiday dinner gathering. The next day, all I had to do was slice and warm up the brisket, in the oven, and heat the onions and sauce. Voila!

The key to tender brisket is that it has to be cooked low and slow for several hours. Brisket contains a lot of connective tissue (collagen), which can make it tough. If the meat is cooked quickly you’ll get tough, dry meat. Cook a brisket slowly, with some liquid, and the collagen turns into gelatin. I was so pleased with how tender this cut of beef turned out. It takes about an hour (or so) for the prep work. Once that’s done, let the oven do the rest of the work!

I have a small market that sells quality meats, and the butchers are friendly and helpful. I ordered a five pound brisket, trimmed of excess fat. With today’s prices, I gasped a little, as it cost over $60.00! However, it was for a holiday dinner, so it was worth the splurge.

Season with salt and pepper, and poke both sides with a fork. The next step is to sear the brisket. A 12″ cast-iron skillet or large Dutch oven is what you’ll need.

Avocado oil has become my personal choice for searing meats, because it has a high smoke point. The pot is super hot, and the brisket has been patted dry and seasoned. The fan is turned on, and the kitchen window is open. Here we go!

I realized that I couldn’t really weigh the brisket with another Dutch oven on top, since I chose the oval shape. A cast-iron bacon press had to do, and it did! There’s a beautiful sear. Carefully flip the brisket over.

I’d say that both sides have a nice sear. Why sear? Flavor! The dark “fond” in that pan, will give great flavor to the onions that are going to fill up the pot.

Three LARGE onions did the trick. Slice them about 1/2″ thick.

Leaving a little bit of fat in the Dutch oven, add the onion, brown sugar and salt. Add garlic and tomato paste, until the onions darken. Cook until medium golden–about 10-12 minutes. For that glorious sauce, add paprika and cayenne, then chicken broth and red wine. Add flour to thicken the sauce.

Add fresh thyme and bay leaves, scraping the bottom of the pan. Cook until the sauce thickens (about 5 minutes).

A 9×13 baking dish is lined with heavy aluminum foil with long overlaps.

Carefully pour the onion mixture on the bottom of the foil lined pan, and nestle the brisket on top. Fold over the edges of the foil to enclose the brisket– but don’t crimp it closed! Why? So you can check for doneness!

Pop this into the oven for 3-1/2 to 4 hours. NOTE: I wish I had placed the dish over a baking sheet, as the liquid oozed out and made a mess of my oven! Duly noted for next time. Allow the brisket to come to room temperature for at least 1/2 hour.

Pour the sauce through a fine mesh strainer, and toss out the thyme and bay leaves. Cover the brisket with the sauce in a dish and the onions in covered bowl in the refrigerator, overnight. Your work is done.

It’s showtime! Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the brisket on a cutting board, transfer the sauce (removing any congealed fat) into a sauce pan. Heat the sauce over medium heat, skimming off any fat that surfaces. Slice the brisket against the grain about 1/4″ thick. NOTE: I had difficulty using the sawing method. Aha! A sharp knife, pressing down, did the trick. Afterwards, I wondered “why didn’t I use my electric knife?!”. The onions are then added to the warmed sauce, with a little cider vinegar.

The brisket has warmed up beautifully, and it’s tender. Big sigh of relief! Pour onion sauce over the brisket and serve. As a side dish, I made my Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes the day before as well.

Air-Fryer asparagus is so easy to make. Olive oil, salt and pepper for 10-12 minutes makes this super easy.

TASTING NOTES: Yes, the prep work for this recipe took a couple of hours from start to finish– including dishes. At least, this was all done the day before our guests arrived. The end result is that I was able to relax and socialize while our dinner heated in the oven. How was this recipe? Wow! As promised, the brisket was super tender. The sauce was so flavorful! Reheated leftovers were just as good, the follow day. Yes, this recipe will receive encores. It’s one of my faves.

I would not recommend cooking brisket in a slow cooker, by the way. A slow cooker doesn’t reach the right consistent temperature to break down the collage– resulting in tough meat. The oven is your best tool.

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The Best Onion-Braised Beef Brisket

This Onion Braised Beef Brisket yields melt-in-your-mouth tender beef, smothered in an onion gravy that is loaded with delicious flavor. The brisket is slow braised the day before serving, that allows the flavors to build overnight. The next day, the fat is easily removed and the brisket is gently warmed in the oven, while the onion gravy is heated separately. Making this one day ahead made for less work in the kitchen, so I could enjoy our holiday dinner. Our guests loved this recipe as much as we did!

Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time6 hours
Overnight chilling time12 hours
Total Time19 hours

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Atlanta Brisket, Onion-Braised Beef Brisket

Servings: 10

Author: Debby – www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Equipment
1 12" Cast Iron Skillet I used a large cast iron Dutch oven
1 Baking Dish or large Dutch oven
heavy duty aluminum foil
kitchen tongs
foil lined baking sheet to prevent spilling of braising liquid (which happened to me)!

Ingredients
1 beef brisket 4 to 5 pounds, flat cut preferred
Salt and ground black pepper
vegetable oil I prefer Avocado oil
3 large onions about 2 1/2 pounds, halved and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 medium cloves garlic minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon paprika
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper double if you prefer a spicier sauce
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup dry red wine
3 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Garnish before serving:
2 teaspoons cider vinegar to season sauce before serving

Instructions
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 300 degrees.
Line 13 by 9-inch baking dish with two 24-inch-long sheets of 18-inch-wide heavy-duty foil, positioning sheets perpendicular to each other and allowing excess foil to extend beyond edges of pan.
Pat brisket dry with paper towels. Place brisket fat side up on cutting board; using dinner fork, poke holes in meat through fat layer about 1 inch apart. Season both sides of brisket liberally with salt and pepper.
Sear the brisket:
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch skillet, or large Dutch Oven, over medium-high heat until oil just begins to smoke.
Place brisket fat side up in skillet (brisket may climb up sides of skillet); weight brisket with heavy Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet and cook until well browned, about 7 minutes.
Remove Dutch oven; using tongs, flip brisket and cook on second side without weight until well browned, about 7 minutes longer. Transfer brisket to platter.
Cook onions and prepare braising liquid:
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan (or, if brisket was lean, add enough oil to fat in skillet to equal 1 tablespoon).
Stir in onions, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add tomato paste and cook, stirring to combine, until paste darkens, about 2 minutes.
Add paprika and cayenne and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Sprinkle flour over onions and cook, stirring constantly, until well combined, about 2 minutes.
Add broth, wine, bay, and thyme, stirring to scrape up browned bits from pan; bring to simmer and simmer about 5 minutes to fully thicken.
Oven steps:
Pour sauce and onions into foil-lined baking dish.
Nestle brisket, fat side up, in sauce and onions.
Fold foil extensions over and seal (do not tightly crimp foil because foil must later be opened to test for doneness). NOTE: I recommend placing the baking dish on a baking sheet, as the juices overflowed in my oven, a bit. What a mess!
Place in oven and cook until fork can be inserted into and removed from center of brisket with no resistance, 3 1/2 to 4 hours (when testing for doneness, open foil with caution as contents will be steaming). Carefully open foil and let brisket cool at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.
Final steps for the day before:
Transfer brisket to large bowl; set mesh strainer over bowl and strain sauce over brisket. Discard bay and thyme from onions and transfer onions to small bowl.
Cover both bowls with plastic wrap, cut vents in plastic with paring knife, and refrigerate overnight.
The next day:
About 45 minutes before serving, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees.
While oven heats, transfer cold brisket to cutting board.
Scrape off and discard any congealed fat from sauce, then transfer sauce to medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until warm, skimming any fat on surface with wide shallow spoon (you should have about 2 cups sauce without onions; if necessary, simmer sauce over medium-high heat until reduced to 2 cups).
While sauce heats, use chef's, electric knife or carving knife to slice brisket against grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices, trimming and discarding any excess fat, if desired.
Place slices in 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Stir reserved onions and vinegar into warmed sauce and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Pour sauce over brisket slices, cover baking dish with foil, and bake until heated through, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
To Make and Serve the Brisket on the Same Day:
To Make and Serve the Brisket on the Same Day: If you would like to make and serve the brisket on the same day, after removing the brisket from the oven, reseal the foil and let the brisket stand at room temperature for an hour. Then transfer the brisket to a cutting board and continue with the recipe to strain, defat, and reheat the sauce and slice the meat; because the brisket will still be hot, there will be no need to put it back into the oven once the reheated sauce is poured over it.

Notes
Recipe source: Cook’s Illustrated January/February 2005
Notes from America’s Test Kitchen: This recipe requires a few hours of unattended cooking. It also requires advance preparation. After cooking, the brisket must stand overnight in the braising liquid that later becomes the sauce; this helps to keep the brisket moist and flavorful. Defatting the sauce is essential. If the fat has congealed into a layer on top of the sauce, it can be easily removed while cold. Sometimes, however, fragments of solid fat are dispersed throughout the sauce; in this case, the sauce should be skimmed of fat after reheating. If you prefer a spicy sauce, increase the amount of cayenne to 1/4 teaspoon. You will need 18-inch-wide heavy-duty foil for this recipe. If you own an electric knife, it will make easy work of slicing the cold brisket. Good accompaniments to braised brisket include mashed potatoes and egg noodles. For a Passover menu, substitute matzo meal or potato starch for the flour.

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