Passover Brisket Recipes

PASSOVER BRISKET (JEWISH BRISKET)

Steps:

• Mix all of the sauce ingredients together. Give it a taste. It should be a good balance of sweet and sour. If it needs more sweet, add more sugar, if it needs more sour, add more vinegar. Season well.
• Pat brisket dry. This is a very important step. The beef needs to be very dry before it goes into the pan. If it is wet, it will steam instead of sear which is what you want. Season with salt and pepper right before you sear it. Crank up the heat in your pan and add a little oil. It needs to be screaming hot before the beef goes in. We are after a nice crispy crust on the outside of our brisket.
• When both sides are seared put it in your roasting pan.
• Pour the sauce all over the brisket.
• Cover the brisket with the sliced onions.
• Add a few sprigs of thyme and season with salt and pepper.
• Cover with tin foil. I have a lid for this roasting pan. In fact, this is my favorite roasting vesicle, but my mom and my grandmother, and Rose Zawid, who made many, many of our Passover dinners always covered the brisket in tin foil. I do not mess with tradition. I do as I am told.
• Put the brisket in a 300 degree oven. I hesitate to give an exact time as it depends on how large your brisket is. Mine was 3.5 pounds and it cooked for almost 3 hours. Brisket should be fork tender. If it is not fork tender, put it back in the oven until it is.
• Let it rest a bit before you cut it. Slice on the bias against the grain. This is very important. If you cut with the grain, you will lost the texture of the brisket and it will be tough. This brisket was tender and succulent and all around delicious. This can be made a day ahead of time. In fact, I recommend that you do make it in advance. It will be even better the second day.

PASSOVER BRISKET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Puree plum tomatoes with juice in a food processor; set aside.
• Trim any remaining excess fat from the brisket. Generously season both sides with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add brisket and brown very well, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and add remaining olive oil, onions, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until quite brown and very soft, about 25 minutes. Add red wine, raise heat to high, and bring to a boil. Cook for about 2 minutes, scraping the browned bits of food off the bottom with a wooden spoon.
• Add pureed tomatoes, carrots, and celery and stir well to combine. Return brisket to the pot, spooning some of the liquid and vegetables over it.
• Cover and transfer to the preheated oven. Cook until brisket is very tender, about 3 hours, carefully turning the meat halfway through.
• Remove from the oven and let cool slightly, 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully remove brisket to a cutting board and slice across the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices.
• Transfer sauce and vegetables to a food processor and process until smooth. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.
• Return sauce to the pot and place sliced brisket in the sauce. Warm over medium-low heat for 5 minutes before serving.

PASSOVER BRISKET

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
• Using a paring knife and your finger, stuff brisket all over with garlic. Place brisket in a baking dish or casserole and bake until browned on top, remove from oven, turn brisket and return to oven until browned on both sides. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Add enough beef stock to casserole to come up 1 inch on sides, cover with foil and bake one hour.
• While brisket is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium high heat and saute onions in vegetable oil, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and most liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
• Remove brisket from oven after one hour and add caramelized onions and all remaining ingredients, moving meat around to combine ingredients. Cover and continue to bake until very tender but not falling apart, another 2 to 3 hours. Remove brisket to a carving board and slice. Strain reserved cooking liquids and pour over sliced brisket. Brisket may be returned to casserole dish and allowed to cool, then served the next day. (Reheated in oven.)
• Brisket is better if made a day in advance.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
• Recipe from New New Orleans Cooking, by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

BRISKET HOTDISH

Steps:

• Season the brisket on all sides with salt and pepper.
• In a large oven-safe braiser, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the brisket and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the leeks, carrots, and celery. Season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and stir to toast, 1 minute. Add the wine to deglaze and use a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the wine to a boil and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups of stock, the tomatoes and rosemary. Bring back to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the beef is tender, about 2 hours.
• Place an oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Remove the lid from the brisket and continue to cook until the sauce is reduced and thickened to a stew-like gravy, 20 to 30 minutes. Turn off the heat. Using two forks, break up the meat into smaller chunks, but not shredded. Add the peas and stir to combine. Arrange the potato smiles on top in concentric circles.
• Bake until golden, steamy and bubbling, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool slightly. Garnish with the parsley and chives. Serve with ketchup, if desired.

PASSOVER BRISKET

Steps:

• Heat oven to 300°F. In small bowl, mix brown sugar, garlic, wine, chili sauce, ketchup and vinegar with whisk until well blended. Set aside.
• Heat 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat 2 minutes. Pat beef brisket dry with paper towel; season with salt and pepper on each side. Sear beef 2 minutes on one side (beef will develop a dark crust). Turn beef; sear on other side.
• Place beef in large roasting pan. Cover with sauce, sliced onions and thyme sprigs. Cover with foil; bake 3 hours.
• Let beef stand 10 minutes. Cut across grain into slices. Serve with cooked onions and pan drippings.

JEWISH GRANDMA'S BEST BEEF BRISKET

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large deep skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Season the brisket generously with black pepper. Place in the pan and cook until the surface is a rich brown color, not burnt, but dark. Lift the roast and scatter the onions in the pan. Place the uncooked side of the roast down onto the onions. Repeat the browning process.
• Add the garlic to the pan, and fill with enough water to almost cover the roast. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cover with a lid or tight-fitting aluminum foil. Simmer for 4 hours, turning the roast over once halfway through. The roast should be fork tender.
• Remove the brisket to a serving platter. Bring the broth in the pan to a simmer, scraping the bottom to loosen any browned bits. Cook until reduced to a thin gravy. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.