Cast Iron
by: Genius Recipes
May21,2021
4.5
26 Ratings
- Prep time 7 minutes
- Cook time 4 hours
- Serves 10 to 12
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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
- Test Kitchen-Approved
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- 1 6-pound first-cut (a.k.a. flat-cut) beef brisket, trimmed so that a thin layer of fat remains
- 2 teaspoonsall-purpose flour (or matzoh meal)
- 1 pinchFreshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoonscorn oil (or other neutral oil)
- 8 medium onions, peeled and thickly sliced
- 3 tablespoonstomato paste
- 1 pinchKosher salt
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 carrot, peeled
Directions
- 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.
Tags:
- Jewish
- Brisket
- Carrot
- Beef
- One-Pot Wonders
- Serves a Crowd
- Cast Iron
- Fall
- Winter
- Christmas
- Hanukkah
- Entree
See what other Food52ers are saying.
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Hollis Ramsey
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Liora Kahn
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jbrau13
Recipe by: Genius Recipes
Popular on Food52
149 Reviews
Lucie April 20, 2023
This is insane, no notes
Anne J. April 10, 2023
I have been making this brisket ever since the New Basics cookbook came out. Always wonderful and forgiving. If you want to make this gor Passover, just omit dusting the brisket with flour. Tastes just as good without.
ssauvageau January 13, 2023
I’m just clarifying that you don’t salt the meat til step 4, after the tomato paste is applied?
Arrxx January 13, 2023
This recipe is pretty forgiving. I find best to brown meat before salting. So I salt after I spread the tomato paste on. Just remember that timing is very dependent on your meat, oven etc. If after you slice and cook it's not tender just cook some more. Might need to add some liquid - water, red wine etc. This recipe never fails me and it's so easy!
Juanita S. December 20, 2022
Damn. Just incredible.
Chrysten November 6, 2022
Distressed ~ just tested brisket at 3 hours and it’s not edible. So chewy, I couldn’t even eat a piece of a slice. Followed the recipe exactly. People coming over for dinner. Does anyone think this will relax? Also have a lot of liquid from onions. Not worried about that….maybe we’ll have soup, instead??
ellemmbee November 6, 2022
Are you sure you sliced it against the grain?
Chrysten November 6, 2022
Sooooo, just watched a YouTube video and it turns out, I didn’t. Whoops. Have now cooked low for 2 more hours. It’s a bit less chewy but not great. thanks for the tip.
ellemmbee November 6, 2022
Yay YouTube! We’ve all been there. If you have an immersion blender, you could use it on the juices and onions and make a delicious soup. Good luck!
Chrysten November 6, 2022
Thanks! We ended up extending cocktail hour for a bit to see if it would tenderize more - with result brisket was in oven at 275- 300 degrees for about 7 hours. Guess what? Tender brisket. Go figure. Thanks again - so very nice of you to respond and help.
ellemmbee November 6, 2022
Wonderful news! If you are curious, check out Harold McGee: On Food and Cooking. I learned all about roasting times and temps. I do a pork shoulder for 6 hours and 275 that is SO good. McGee explains what is actually happening to the meat. Anyway, glad things worked out for your evening.
Arrxx January 13, 2023
Agree about needing to slice against the grain. Like all braised meats this tastes WAY better the next day. It's a great do ahead recipe. Cook, chill, warm slowly the next day. Try it sometime when you can.
Nancy September 9, 2021
Nach Waxman died in early August 2021. He helped many chefs and writers find information through his NYC cookbook store and the rest of us home cooks with his marvelous brisket recipe. Obituaries and tributes out there. RIP and may his memory be a blessing.
Hollis R. March 26, 2021
I’m going to borrow the bed of onions for my 3.35 lb brisket, but no tomato paste (no tomato at all, I’m painting it all over with Kitchen Bouquet, then browning; my agrodolce will come from apple cider vinegar, carrots, celery and cabbage). No slicing midway, roasting very low and slow. Leftovers — I’m cooking it mainly for the shredded leftovers — will be wrapped in tortillas with serranos, scallions, diced red onion and sour cream. And whatever else looks good.
Cbeckens December 10, 2021
So, you’re just not making this recipe, correct?
Juanita S. December 20, 2022
What is a kitchen bouquet?
Liora K. March 26, 2021
OK.. I've just put this in the oven to serve for 1st night seder! I hope mine looks like yours.... it's that picture that made me choose this recipe. I love that it gets cut midway through. I did end up adding some brown sugar and apple cider vinegar to the tomato past because I love the sweet and sour thing. I know I shouldn't have messed with it, but I'll let you know how it comes out.
Arrxx January 13, 2023
Pomegranate molasses is also good. Drizzle it on with the tomato paste.
alisonia July 20, 2020
Top notch recipe. I made a 2.5 lb brisket in a small oval Le Crueset that seemed a bit small at first, but it worked perfectly. Spread about 4 T of tomato paste on brisket, and I think that was key.
AgentP December 10, 2017
The recipes I know cook the brisket much longer. Is the short time due to the fact that it is cut half way through?
Tina May 4, 2017
I made this a few weeks ago for my son who is a big fan of "Big Bang Theory". It was a huge hit with the whole family and I'm making it again tonight at his request.
Kathleen M. December 12, 2016
Can this recipe be done in a slow cooker without the searing of the meat before hand? Also, is it necessary to cut the meat inbetween cooking?
Arrxx December 12, 2016
The searing really helps. You can broil it to get a nice browning. Cutting the meat in between makes each piece tender and flavourful. So - don't skip that step is my advice. I've eaten and made lots of brisket cutting is what makes this recipe GENIUS. Otherwise just use another recipe.
Miranda S. April 20, 2016
I've done both cup for cup Thomas Keller's gluten free flour and I've omitted the flour altogether. Both were fine!
Arrxx April 20, 2016
Try potato starch. The four is to brown the meat and produce a crust.
liminalgrl April 20, 2016
Is it possible to do this either without flour or with gluten free flour? Making the recipe for passover, and some guests are gluten free.
jbrau13 April 7, 2016
This should work in a roasting pan covered with heavy duty foil, right? Don't have a big enough pot for my very large brisket!
Kristen M. April 11, 2016
Hi there, I'm sorry for the delay—the answer is yes!
Karen T. February 6, 2016
How would I adjust the timing for a 3 and 1/4 pound piece of meat?
andrea P. January 18, 2016
I've made this so many times, it's great. Also try Joan Nathan's recipe with coke, ginger, honey and soy. It's life-changing!
James H. June 29, 2022
Where can one find Joan’s recipe, I did a search on Food52 but nothing recipe for brisket came up. Thanks for your assistance.
George K. January 18, 2016
The flavor was great. Two observations: (i) some pieces were tougher than others; (ii) there was an insane amount of liquid on the bottom. My guess is that I have to cook it longer and probably add more onions. Thoughts?
elf1 January 19, 2016
I would agree that maybe you needed to cook it for longer, also I find it improves the flavour making it more intense if you reduce the liquid by boiling it down on the top of the cooker. It really is a fab recipe!
George K. January 19, 2016
That is a great suggestion. Thanks!
Kristy M. January 15, 2016
The same thing happened to me re: buying 16 pounds of beef brisket. Bummer. It did seem like a lot, but I didn't realize how much until I tried to start cooking. I cooked 2/3 in two different pots, but I still have 1/3 (5 1lbs) in my fridge. It's too bad you couldn't have sent word out via email to the people that ordered the book through your website.
Kristen M. January 15, 2016
Hi Kristy, I'm sorry you had this experience, too—and thank you for your feedback. This is a great idea if any other errors of this size happen with future books. I hope you're finding good ways to make use of (or freeze) the extra brisket.
George K. January 18, 2016
I read it as 16 pounds but had a strong feeling that it was a typo. 16 pounds of meat serves more than 12 people.
Kristy M. January 18, 2016
That's what I thought too George, but I asked the butcher and he said to estimate a pound of meat per person and that brisket cooks down, so he said it sounded about right. Ah well.
Pamela E. April 2, 2020
It calls for 1, 6 lb piece not 16 pounds
