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This iconic brisket recipe is famous for a reason: it’s easy to make, packed with flavor, and perfect for any special occasion. No wine or stock needed—the onions do all the work, melting into a rich, flavorful gravy. Best of all, it can be made entirely in advance, making hosting a breeze!
This celebrated beef brisket recipe comes from the late Nach Waxman, owner of the beloved New York City cookbook shop Kitchen Arts & Letters. First published in The Silver Palette New Basics Cookbook in 1989, it’s said to be the world’s most Googled brisket recipe. It’s surprisingly simple: the brisket roasts on a bed of onions that slowly caramelize into a deeply savory sauce.
Over the years, I’ve made a few tweaks to the recipe, but you can still find Waxman’s original brisket recipe here. For me, it’s a Jewish holiday staple, especially for Rosh Hashanah and Passover. It’s the sort of main course I’m happy to build a gathering around: familiar ingredients, a generous platter to pass, and plenty of onion gravy for everyone.
“Goodness, this is a magical meal.”
What You’ll Need To Make Classic Brisket With Onions
- Beef Brisket: Turns meltingly tender when slow-braised, soaking up all the rich sauce. This recipe uses a first-cut (flat-cut) brisket—it’s lean but has just enough fat to keep the meat juicy and flavorful.
- Kosher Salt, Ground Black Pepper & All-Purpose Flour: Season the meat and help create a nice crust when searing; the flour also thickens the sauce as it cooks. Replace the flour with matzo cake meal for Passover.
- Vegetable Oil: Used to sear the brisket, giving it a golden, flavorful crust.
- Yellow Onions, Garlic & Carrots: The onions cook down into a sweet, caramelized base for the sauce; the garlic adds savory flavor, and the carrots soften as they braise, soaking up all the flavor and adding a subtle sweetness.
- Tomato Paste: Adds a rich, concentrated tomato flavor that deepens the sauce.
- Fresh Chopped Parsley (Optional): Sprinkled on at the end for a bit of fresh, herby color.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Video Tutorial
How To Make Brisket
Step 1: Season and flour the brisket. Generously season the brisket with salt and pepper, then dust both sides lightly with flour.
Step 2: Sear the meat. Heat the oil in a heavy roasting pan or Dutch oven until shimmering, then sear the brisket on both sides until browned and crusty in spots. Transfer it to a platter.
Pro Tip: Take your time when searing—proper browning means deeper flavor in the final dish, so don’t rush it.
Step 3: Cook the onions. Add the onions to the pan and cook, stirring and scraping up all those browned bits (which add tons of flavor to the braising liquid), until they’re soft and golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Step 4: Add everything back. Nestle the brisket on top of the onions, spread the tomato paste over the meat, and scatter the carrots and garlic around the edges. Cover tightly with aluminum foil or a lid and bake for 1½ hours.
Step 5: Slice the brisket. Take the brisket out and transfer it to a cutting board. Slice it thinly—about ⅛ to ¼ inch thick—against the grain (it’s easier to slice now than later, and the second braise allows the slices to soak up lots of juice, keeping the meat moist and flavorful).
Step 6: Finish cooking. Return the slices to the pan, overlapping slightly, and baste with the pan juices. Pop it back in the oven and bake for a few more hours until tender. Cooking brisket can be an exercise in patience—it takes time to break down the meat’s connective tissue and get that melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Serve: Spoon the onions, carrots, and sauce over the sliced brisket, and sprinkle with parsley if you like.
Tips for Making The Best Brisket
- Use the right cut. Brisket comes in two cuts: flat-cut (also called first-cut) and point cut (this recipe uses flat-cut). The flat-cut is lean but has a fat cap that adds flavor and moisture—keep some of that fat on for the best results.
- Pick the right pan. You want a pan that holds the brisket and veggies snugly—too much empty space can cause the liquid to evaporate too fast and burn.
- Keep it covered. Covering the pan well traps steam and keeps the meat nice and tender.
- Let the onions make the sauce. There’s no stock or wine missing from the ingredient list—the onions and beef release their own juices as they cook. A snug pan and tight-fitting lid help keep that moisture in. Check occasionally during the second braise; if the pan is getting dry, add a little water.
- Slice against the grain. Look for the lines running through the meat—cut across those lines, not with them, for the most tender bites.
- Check liquid levels as it cooks. Make sure there’s always enough braising liquid in the pan so the brisket stays moist; add a splash of broth or water if it’s getting low.
- Make it Ahead. Brisket tastes even better the next day as the flavors deepen. If you can, make it a day ahead and reheat gently before serving.
Brisket is typically prepared one of two ways: braised in the oven, like this version, or smoked BBQ-style. If you’re looking for the BBQ version, head over to my smoked brisket recipe—it’s cooked low and slow in a smoker until tender and juicy with a crusty bark.
Make-Ahead, Freezing & Reheating
If your schedule allows, make this brisket a day before you plan to serve it. The flavor gets even better overnight, and having the main course finished makes a holiday dinner a lot easier. Chilling also lets the fat firm up on top of the sauce so you can easily lift it off before reheating.
- Make ahead: Store the cooked, sliced brisket with the onions, carrots, and sauce in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Pack the brisket with its vegetables and sauce in an airtight freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months. Transfer it to the fridge about 2 days before serving to thaw.
- Reheat: Arrange the brisket and vegetables in a baking dish with the sauce, cover tightly, and warm in a 300°F oven until heated through, about 45 minutes or longer depending on the quantity and depth of the dish. If the sauce has thickened too much, add a splash of water before reheating.
Classic Brisket with Onions
Ingredients
- 5 to 6 lb first-cut (or flat-cut) beef brisket, trimmed so a thin layer of fat remains in some spots (do not over trim!)
- 1½ tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (okay to substitute matzo cake meal for Passover)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 8 medium yellow onions, peeled and sliced ½-in (13-mm) thick
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 6 carrots, peeled and sliced into large chunks on a diagonal
- Handful fresh chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Set an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Season the brisket on both sides with the salt and pepper. Lightly dust the brisket with the flour, then shake and turn to coat evenly.
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a heavy flameproof roasting pan or ovenproof enameled cast-iron pot just large enough to hold the brisket and carrots snugly.
- Add the brisket to the pan and sear on both sides until crusty brown areas appear on the surface, 5 to 7 minutes per side. Transfer the brisket to a platter.
- Add the onions to the pan and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cook until the onions are softened and golden brown, about 15 minutes. (If browned bits stick to the bottom of the pan and start to burn, add a few tablespoons of water and scrape with a wooden spoon to release them.)
- Turn off the heat and place the brisket, fatty side up, and any accumulated juices on top of the onions. Spread the tomato paste evenly over the brisket, then scatter the garlic and carrots around the edges of the pan.
- Cover the pan very tightly with aluminum foil (preferably heavy-duty or two layers) or a lid, then transfer to the oven and cook for 1½ hours.
- Transfer the brisket to a cutting board and, using an electric or very sharp knife, slice the meat across the grain into approximately ⅛ to ¼-in (3 to 6-mm)-thick slices.
- Return the slices to the pan, 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. Cover the pan tightly and return to the oven.
- Lower the heat to 325°F (165°C) and cook the brisket until it is fork-tender, 1¾ to 2½ hours, or longer if necessary. The brisket is ready to serve with its juices, but it is even better the second day.
Notes
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
What To Serve With Brisket
Give that onion gravy somewhere to go: creamy mashed cauliflower, mashed potatoes, or crispy roasted potatoes all make good sides. Add French green beans with shallots to round out the plate, and if you’re celebrating a Jewish holiday, start with matzo ball soup.
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Well, Jenn, you hit it out of park with this one. Excellent. Super easy; extremely delicious. Thank you.
H Jenn,
I want to make this but I’m wondering if I should cut total cook time down for a smaller cut of beef? Maybe 5 lb cut. I don’t want it to dry out!
Hi Darcy, this is for a 5- to 6-lb cut of beef, so I’d follow the recipe as written. Hope you enjoy!
I’m not sure why I look at alternate brisket recipes. I always land up using this recipe. I’m a vegetarian so it’s always tough to cook meat dishes. This recipe has never failed me. It is simply outstanding. No changes made. I make it 2 days prior. Sits in the fridge. I reheat it at 275 for about 2 hours tightly covered. I don’t remove the fat that collects as I think it keeps the brisket soft. There are never any leftovers ever. Thanks Jenn. It’s great to actually use recipes made and tested by humans.
I make your brisket at least twice a year. I noticed that the recipe notation says it was updated. Curious to know what changes you made. I’d do a comparison but I never save the recipe
Thanks for ALL your amazing recipes
Hi Sandy, The step-by-step photos were updated recently, but the recipe itself is exactly the same. Glad you enjoy the recipes!