Jewish Grandma's Best Beef Brisket

Needs more -- vegetables, carrots, celery, onions -- for a rich pot liquor. Don't use water -- use a rich beef stock. For an excellent piece of meat, be certain to buy a FIRST-CUT BRISKET!!

I am a first time cook of Beef Brisket, not to mention, that I don't often cook too much of anything else either, but I longed for the Beef Brisket Sandwich you get in a good Jewish Deli without going all the way to New York ;) The Brisket turned out great; the flavor was exactly what I was aiming for. I thought that I had drown the brisket, as some of the other's did, the pot size is very important in proportion to the size of the piece of brisket, but as the recipe directed, ‘after removing the Brisket from the pot’, I simmered the broth with the Pot Lid ajar, until it reduced (about 1hr) to a fine delectably tasty gravy. Yes this recipe will be well used and some of the hints in the other reviews as well, But, let us not forget this was and is the only recipe that I found that met my requirements for a Delicious mouth-watering Brisket of Beef sandwich. My Gratitude and Appreciation to you FriendlyFood for submitting and sharing your Mothers Recipe. Note: This was the first time since my Mother passed that I used her old seasoned & blackened (Dutch oven), I think that’s what it’s called? Anyway it brought back many fond memories of her in the kitchen cooking her favorite recipes such as pot roast or turkey & giblet gravy. Thanks & Regards RECIPE NOTES: • Be careful with the pepper (Don't over season, you can't change after it is cooked and too much pepper will make the Brisket inedible. If your not sure(try dusting off excess pepper before cooking) • Be sure to N

I made this recipe and added one more ingredient, it turned out fabulous!! The other ingredient I added, was a packet of onion soup mix. I did not add the beef broth, but added water as the recipe directed, and with the onion soup mix, the gravy turned out thick and wonderful! Thank You.

I'm not a fan of corned beef, which is how most people prepare beef brisket. I have used a similar recipe like this for years, the only differences are: I brown the roast completely before adding the onions, and as I allergic to garlic, I leave that out. The size of the pan determines how much the liquid will reduce. If you roast in a dutch oven, there will not be much reduction, so use less water. When I make it, I fill only half up the roast. If you use a more shallow pan, fill to cover the roast. Delicious!

This recipe saved my dinner. I had an extra large brisket, so I cut it in two and made this and Oh So Tender Brisket. The other turned out like jerky (my fault, I think the recipe has great potential), so I was happy to have this as backup. I had a few issues with the actual execution of the recipe. I couldn't figure out how the uncooked side of the meat would brown on top of onions so I browned it before adding the onions. Because the onions were thickly sliced, adding the liquid to nearly cover the meat results in swimming meat when the onions cook down and a LOT of liquid left at the end. I used beef broth (1 can regular, 1 can Campbell's double strength). I made gravy and the flavor was good, but pretty salty so I'll adjust the broth content next time. The meat was wet, but not moist (if that makes sense). I've never made brisket before so that may just be the nature of the beast. The simple ingredients really allowed the meat flavor to take center stage and meat purists will appreciate the taste.

My picky bf and son loved this. This was my first time to cook a brisket so I don't know what I did wrong. I followed the recipe exactly but the brisket did not come out fork tender as stated. Also, my gravy was more like water (maybe I put too much). I put enough to almost cover the meat. I will try this again with less water.

This was my first time making brisket and it was awesome. It was so tender and flavorful and the gravy was so good. I can't wait to have it again. Thanks for posting.

This is truly fabulous. I used Better th*n Boullion, kosher salt, and dried onion for my base in addition to the list here...Also added carrots (baby peeled), celery, and extra fresh garlic and fresh onions. I served it with garlic mashed potatoes. I did one major thing different: For the first 2 1/2 hours, I simmered it in a covered deep saute skillet on the stovetop. Then, I transferred it for the remaining 2 hours to the oven, covered at 260*F. I found that this made a thicker, richer liquor. At the end of 4 hours, we ate (it was terrific), and I left it in the oven for another 3 hours on 200*F and it was even better. I bet by tomorrow it will be so tender that it will melt in the mouth. Thank you so kindly for sharing!

Delicious! Everyone heard we were having brisket and thought of the corned beef, but were plesentaly surprised with this recipe. Its really tasty. I also browned the second side before putting it on the onions! Great!

I really love brisket, after all, I'm Jewish. The thing is, this recipe, and most I have found, leave this overcooked dry outcome. Whenever I go to those fancy buffets that serve brisket, they are serving it with lots of pink inside, and to be honest, this is the way I really like it. The other way requires lots and lots of soaking in sauce to make it tender and I don't really have the patience or inclination to do that.

I'm currently attending culinary school in connecticut, and needed to find recipes for "kosher food day". Being the only jew in my class, I wanted to show my knowledge of cooking off a bit, and then realised i've never used a recipe in my life. unfortunatly, my teachers won't allow us to go into the kitchen without some recipes written down, so, having this guideline really helped. Thanks!

I make a version of this; I brown the brisket and remove. With the drippings I then, sautee chopped onion, 2 cloves garlic chopped, 1 cup chopped mushrooms and 2 chopped carrots. I add 2 cans of beef broth and 1/2 package of onion soup mix. Add back the beef and add one bay leaf. Simmer for 3 hours on low boil. Cool and slice beef against the grain. Best served the next day with garlic mashed potatos.

Best melt in your mouth brisket ever!

Wow, this was fantastic! I am very surprised by the flavor! I did change a few ingredients/directions. I used low sodium beef broth instead of water. This gave the brisket more flavor and tenderized the onions more as well. I also browned the brisket fully before adding the onions. Finally, I recommend fully submerging the brisket in the broth to in order to get a rich, delicious gravy for the meal.

Use Red wine and beef bullion instead of water

i cooked this for my german boyfriend and he was elated. it was delicious!

Very good, I also added more veggies to the mix especially carrots and parsnips ( adds a wonderful sweetness) . If you want to adda real zing don't use water use low sodium V-8 juice. Amazing!!

We didn't care for this. It was really bland and tasted like boiled beef. Will not try again

This is the same recipe I have used since I was married 43 years ago! I have not made it in at least 15 years and I could not find my recipe anywhere. On my first try I located it on your website. The only difference is that I add 3 beef buillion cubes at the very end to make the sauce heartier. If the sauce is too thin, add a little cornstarch that has been dissolved in a small amount of cold water. Tastes just like a Jewish Deli meat......delish!

This is the best brisket recipe I have tried! It's easy to make with few ingredients and you most likely have everything in your house. I want to try it in my crock pot to make it even easier.

This is DA BOMB! Just delicious and a very successful dinner! I did follow some pointers by other reviewers and browned on all sides plus covered it in low sodium beef broth instead of water. I served it with smashed garlic red taters and oh my! Thank you FriendlyFood for sharing this.

This is my mother's recipe for brisket also. And my grandmother's - so this is a TRUE Jewish brisket recipe, as my grandmother came from Poland. Anyhow, I made brisket for the first time and I didn't have a recipe. I knew, though, how to make it from watching my Mother countless times. She was at work, so I looked it up here and I found her exact recipe. I followed it and my family loved the results. This is a great make ahead as it tastes good on the first day but even better on the second day. Also brisket goes a long way, so it is perfect for company. It goes with anything - my preference is over rice.

Delicious and relatively easy...perfect combination. Made this for passover dinner this year.

Thank you! I'm a new cook and I bought a rump roast cut 'cuz I didn't know the difference, but I cooked per instructions and it came out perfect!! It was so easy I'll make this again and again. I reduced the left over juices and added a little cornstarch to thicken as a gravy. I'm getting rave reviews. Thanks so much.

Pretty tasty, very tender. With the left over broth, I let sit in a bowl in the fridge overnight. Took most of the fat off. Added 2T brown sugar, 1T dry thyme, 2T flour, 1 beer and simmered to a reduction of half the amount. Made 3 french onion soups. Topped the french onion soup with a slice of french bread and 1/2cup shredded swiss cheese. Baked at 400 for 20 minutes

Easy and to the point. We has this with roasted asparagas and potato's.

This recipe was great. I did not have any cloves so I left them out, but still great.

I had never made a fresh beef brisket before. After searching the internet, came across this recipe. I read the reviews and got a little concerned when people said it needed more flavor. Here is what I did: Browned both sides of the brisket (it was a little over 4.4 lbs.). Mixed 2 packets of brown gravy mix with enough water to cover about 3/4 of the meat. Chopped the onions and garlic and mixed it with the liquid before pouring it over the top. Covered and cooked for a little over 2 hours. Maybe the heat was set too high because it was perfect at that time! Any longer and I think it would have become dry. My Husband couldn't get enough of it and kept saying it tasted like prime rib...silly Man :o)

My husband made this brisket and even though I told him to use beef broth and reduce the amount, he forgot. It was lacking flavor but I believe it was because of the amount of water. The brisket was super tender and cooked to perfection at about 3 1/2 hours. With a couple of tweaks this recipe will be used again.

This was amazing! Just like my grandmothers .. Although in channeling my own grandma I did also add a few things ... I used three large cloves of elephant garlic and put them in last they disintegrated and added a little sweetness and added beef bullion and celery and carrots. But the basics of this recipe were perfect to jump off of. So happy to find it :) I also loved doing it in a dutch oven as opposed to the oven.

I made this tonight an it was AWESOME!!! My dad said it reminded him of Demph- (Demf?) from his childhood. Everything was sooooo tender and soft. It was all done in 1 pot. I made sure to take the meat out to reach room temp and it was a hit! I browned both sides of the brisket before adding onions, carrots and halved baby potatoes. I used a whole box of beef stock and sliced 2 garlic cloves in half. A++++ I will make this at least once a month. Thank you!

I salted & peppered the brisket, added 3 pkts Swanson beef flavor boost, & water to cover brisket. I added too much liquid so after 2.5 hours add 1cup celery, 1cup carrots, & 2cup mushrooms. Put in the oven 260 F (uncovered so liquid would reduce) for 2 more hours. I added Trader Jo*s frozen mashed potato medallions to thicken. Honestly, it was a little dry and bland. Next time I would add the onion soup mix or try another recipe.

I made it for Rosh Hashanah dinner and it was a hit!!! I followed the recipe and the only substitution I made is the use of low sodium beef broth instead of water. The next day the left over juice poured over sliced left over brisket I reheated in the oven at 250 degree for 45 min. And it was even better then the first day. Great Recipe, thanks for sharing. A+++!

This recipe was quick & easy, and it came out delicious. The only thing I would recommend adding would be a couple to a few beef bouillon cubes to the water or using beef stock instead of the water, but the cubes did it for me, I added carrots the last hour, and it was raved about the whole nIght!

Absolutely delicious. I added carrots and celery and it worked out good. I will definitely make this again.

I used steak seasoning instead of salt and pepper. After searing the meat and cooking the onions, I added white wine and chicken stock instead of water, and kept it at a low simmer. I chopped potatoes into small chunks and also added them to the skillet along with mushrooms. After about 3 hours, the meat was fork-tender. I transferred it to a cutting board to rest and pulled out the potatoes, then boiled the remaining liquid down to a very tasty gravy.

My family loved this recipe! I added Kosher grape juice and Kosher Lipton Onion soup mix. I normally do not cook but this was really worth the smiles on my families faces.

I prefer smoked brisket, or brisket slow-cooked in the oven, but this was pretty good, with tweaks. I did find it lacking in flavor. The 'gravy' needs a much richer flavor. Next time I would use beef broth instead of water. There was just too much water (if you are to follow the directions of almost covering the meat with water) and it just diluted the flavor. The meat also needs salt, not just the gravy. I had a small piece of brisket of about 3 lbs, so I cooked it a little less than the stated time. It game out tender and juicy. I browned the meat under the broiler to try and give it some color since it had faded during the simmer.

This was delicious - I was worried it might be bland, but I didn't change a thing and it was wonderful. Both my husband and I went back for 2nds and it was even better the next day for lunch!

The only thing I did not do was to cook the juices into a gravy. The brisket fell apart as it was so tender. Loved it! I gave it three stars only because it was a simple recipe and nothing so much outside the box. However, it was delicious! Would definitely recommend!

I added some wine, beef broth, and a bit of BBQ sauce because I had some and set it on high for 8 hours while a group of us on weekend getaway went hiking - too easy! In fact, the frozen brisket defrosted with the other ingredients in the crockpot while we drove there. Did I mention too easy? Delicious. Are it with salad and sour cream noodles. Thank you!

It was incredibly salty and I washed it twice to get off the spices already on. It was dry and tasted like a salt lick. I tried all the tricks to tame down the crazy salty gravy. What a waste of ingredients

I love brisket. I have a very good brisket recipe, BUT this recipe was off the charts its so delish and oh so easy! I did add carrots and used beef broth. I definitely recommend it.

This recipe was just OK. It definitely doesn't have much taste but the meat was the perfect texture. I made a homemade horseradish sauce for dipping to help with flavor. Next time I'll use a different recipe, one with more seasoning. But, I would absolutely use the directions in this recipe to get the meat so tender.