This onion and tomato roast brisket recipe is perfect for any Jewish holiday, but it’s been the centerpiece of our Passover table for generations. The beef is stuffed with a whole garlic clove, then cooked low and slow in the oven with a caramelized onion topping. This is truly the best brisket you will ever eat.
When we were at the peak of COVID, we gathered on zoom for a seder. Besides my family, the thing I miss the most is Passover brisket, and it seemed silly to make this dish for just two people.
My aunt Jennifer is responsible for most of my formative memories of brisket and most of my positive experiences with Passover. The highlight of family dinners is always the many chairs added year after year to make up for the new additions to the table; my undefeated record at afikomen; cousin Holly’s Chocolate Chip Macaroons; and my aunt’s brisket, eaten in two hours We all crave it after bitter herbs, boiled eggs, and the plague.
Passover has always been one of my favorite Jewish holidays, but in college I couldn’t always go back to Aunt Jenn’s in Connecticut. During my junior year, I was stuck in school and decided to throw my own seder. My friend Jamie bought a prayer book and lots of matzo. Gillian made her mother’s potatoes. I served the brisket.
It felt a bit odd to stray from my aunt’s famous dish, but thanks to the Gentile influence of Mr. Emeril Lagasse, I managed to fill the buffet table with a decent, if not perfectly perfect, tender, slow-cooked piece of meat.
I thought this was the perfect opportunity to resurrect my cookbook, which used to be a staple on my old blog Big Girls Small Kitchen (hard to believe and my first cookbook Posted over 10 years ago! ).
If you read last week’s post, then you know I’m flipping through my own archives from a decade ago. This recipe actually works, although SIBO Amigos will be eyeing the ingredients list – I sure haven’t used this much onion and garlic in a while!
My husband was also happy to see tomato sauce back in the fridge. I used an organic brand and was worried that without the chemicals it would lose the je ne sais quoi. But luckily it held up. Since I am now more sensitive to sugar, I have reduced the amount I add. If I were to do it again, I might even try eliminating it entirely and see what the ketchup does itself.
The result is the best Passover brisket you’ll ever eat: moist, rich, sweet with a slight kick. Stuffing the meat with garlic cloves is my favorite part. This is a technique inspired by Emeril. They melt completely by the end, but make the sauce and meat even more delicious.
If you are looking for more Passover recipes In order to complete the family dinner table, I have many gluten free desserts compliant in my file.you can’t go wrong Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies!
Read on for the best Passover brisket recipes! Until next year in Jerusalem…or at least, at our relatives’ house.
With health and hedonism,
Phoebe
The Best Passover Brisket
This onion and tomato roast brisket recipe is perfect for any Jewish holiday, but it’s been the centerpiece of our Passover table for generations. I’ve been making this version for my seder table, inspired by Emeril’s brisket, and it’s arguably the best Passover brisket you’ll ever eat: moist, perfectly tangy, sweet with a slight kick feel. Stuffing the meat with the garlic cloves is my favorite part – they melt perfectly at the end but make the sauce and the meat even better. That subtle touch and homemade caramelized onions (no soup-mixing business here) set this brisket apart.
serving size 12
raw material
- one 5-pound brisket
- 8 garlic cloves Cut lengthwise into 4 pieces
- sea salt
- 1 quart beef stock
- 2 Vidalia or Sweet Onions thin slices
- 1 cup ketchup
- ¼ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon chili
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or rosemary
- 2 bay leaf
instruct
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Preheat oven to 500°F.
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Place the brisket on the work surface. If the fat cap is on the thicker side (1/2 inch), remove a little fat, leaving an even 1/4 inch layer.
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Use a paring knife to make vertical cuts through the meat, and stuff a piece of garlic into each cut. Do this until the meat is full of garlic. Season both sides with salt and pepper, then place the brisket in a large saucepan, Dutch oven, or rimmed roasting pan (preferably metal) and sear it in the oven, starting with the fat lid side up, about 10 per side minute.
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Remove pan from oven and pour in beef stock (Note: If you are using a Pyrex dish, wait a few minutes for pan to come to room temperature so it doesn’t shatter.). Turn the oven down to 350 degrees, cover the dish with a lid or foil, and cook in the oven for 1 hour.
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Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and sauté, stirring at intervals, until softened and caramelized, about 30 minutes.
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Remove the meat from the oven and add the tomato paste, sugar, paprika, smoked paprika, cayenne, thyme or rosemary, and bay leaves to the pot. Using a fork, toss everything with the beef stock. Put the caramelized onions over the meat. Cover the pan again with a lid or foil and return it to the oven to bake for 2-3 hours. NOTE: If you want to thinly slice the brisket, remove it after 2 hours. If you want it to fall apart, more like a pulled brisket, let it sit for a full 3 minutes.
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Remove the meat from the oven to a cutting board. Slice the brisket thinly against the grain. Serve the meat back in the sauce, or store in the refrigerator overnight—the brisket can be made a day or two ahead.
notes
If your pot is big enough, you can add some potatoes or carrots to the cooking process in step 5 before adding the sauce. Keep both in fairly large chunks so they don’t get overcooked.
If you make it, please tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe – I’d love to see it!
