Classic Braised Brisket with Onions
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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, reminiscent of French onion soup.
Over the years, I’ve made a few tweaks to the recipe, but you can still find the original here. It’s ideal for preparing ahead of time, as the flavors deepen when served the following day. For me, it’s a Jewish holiday staple, alongside classics like matzo ball soup, challah, and latkes. (For Passover, swap the flour for matzo meal.)
“Goodness, this is a magical meal.”
What You’ll Need To Make Classic Braised 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.
- 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
Braised Brisket Video Tutorial
Step-by-Step Instructions
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, but it’s worth it—it takes time to break down the meat’s connective tissue and get that melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Step 7: Serve or store. You can serve the brisket right away, but it’s even better if you chill it overnight and reheat the next day. It also freezes beautifully.
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.
- Season generously. Brisket is a big cut, so don’t be shy with the salt and pepper—they help create a flavorful crust and bring out the meat’s depth.
- 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.
- 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.
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Classic Braised 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, then 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. (Note: If the sauce seems greasy, transfer the meat and vegetables to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Pour the sauce into a bowl and let sit until the fat rises to the top. Using a small ladle, spoon out the fat. Pour the skimmed gravy back over the meat.)
Notes
- Nutritional information was calculated for a 5-lb (2.25-kg) brisket.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: The brisket can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and refrigerated. Reheat the brisket in a 300°F (150°C) oven until hot, about 45 minutes. The brisket also freezes well for up to 2 months; defrost in the refrigerator 2 days ahead of time.
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.
Comments
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Hi, Jenn: This recipe was a big hit with the family on Easter. I did make a few small changes: (1) I used a small can of tomato sauce instead of the paste and then removed excess liquid during cooking. I used it later to make gravy. (2) I added mushrooms to the onions and rutabaga to the carrots. It was such a big hit with my 7-year-old granddaughter that her Dad made sure to get the URL for the recipe.
Hello, yes I made the brisket the way I read it , it was pretty good but I think I put too much paste on it because I have a lot of red sauce
I made this today and it was delicious. I did make a few changes. I did not want any tomato in the dish as we have had a lot of tomato sauce lately and did not want any tomatoey leftover sauce either. So, I made some dried porcini mushrooms into powder in my dedicated spice´coffee grinder. I did the rub as you suggested, then added a coat of the porcini powder and left it overnight. Browned meat and onions, then covered with beef broth, a bit of soy sauce (1 tbsp) and a few drops of Magi seasoning, bay leaf powder, celery seed and thyme (about one quarter tsp of each) It was really great at dinner, came home after going to a movie, needed a snack and toasted some very flat kalamatta sourdough bread, and put a small amount of meat on top, it was even better having sat a few hours. Looking forward to more leftovers in the next few days. (I omitted carrots and tomato paste) Loved the idea of all those onions, plan on making some french onion soup with some of the leftover saue, hope I have enough for two servings!.
oh, I guess I omitted the flour too. But you got me started in the right direction I wanted to go but was hesitant.
After several people asked if you could use a disposable aluminum,I’m not sure how you can sear a brisket and then carmelize the onions in a disposable pan. Will it hold up to gas burners?
Hi Carol, while you can roast the brisket in the disposable aluminum pan, you do need to use something more substantial (like a roasting pan or an enameled cast iron pot) for the searing of the beef and cooking of the onions. Sorry if that wasn’t more clear!
Thank you for the clarification. This was outstanding . It will be my only brisket recipe I will make in the future.
I have been roasting brisket for about 35 years. I slice 3-4 large onions with a few handfuls on the bottom of a turkey roasting pan, place raw trimmed brisket generously sprinkled with only Lawry’s Seasoning Salt on top of raw onions. Place handfuls of the rest of the sliced onions on top of the meat (some fat on top). Pour in about 1 cup of water. Cover securely with heavy duty foil . Bake at 325 for 3 1/2 hours. Test with fork. Should feel like butter in all parts. If not put back in oven for about 15-20 min. testing until fork tender.
I think I messed up! My brisket came out with a bit burnt taste and a bittneress. Maybe I cooked the onions on too high a heat? Everyone else raves about it so must be my fault!
Love your site, thank you for every thing you do
Hi Jordan, sorry to hear that the brisket tasted burnt! Was the meat tender? If so, I suspect that maybe the onions were a bit burnt. If you try the recipe again, try adding a little water to the pan to help deglaze it while cooking the onions. (It helps to release all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan and prevent them from burning).
Hi Jenn,
Thanks for publishing this terrific recipe!
Brisket is tough (pun is incidental only) to come by here in Italy. You can only obtain it by being acquainted with a butcher who breaks down entire animals since this is cut (Punto di Petto in italian) is not as ubiquitous as it is in the States or parts of eastern Europe).
I’ve made your version several times, most recently with a slight variation, rubbing the meat with Safinter Pimenton de la Vera (smoked Spanish Paprika) after salt and pepper, but before dredging the brisket in the flour. The Pimenton adds a subtle smoky flavor that complements the finished dish without unbalancing the base of caramelized onions or the sweetness of the carrots. I’ve had no complaints either way…Next time, I’m thinking of dialing down the sweetness by using some fresh rosemary sprigs and substituting 1/3 of the onions with some radicchio tardivo!
Best,
Magnas
Tried this for Xmas day dinner. I made it on the 24th and we had it on the 25th. Fantastic dish loved by my whole family. We had yor best ever buttermilk biscuits too. Thanks Jen for a great site, fantastic recipes . You are by far my favourite online site, I rarely use cookbooks anymore lol.
Thank you, Sharon! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed the recipes.
could I use the same steps with a diferrent meat? Sirlion roast maybe
Hi Alexandra, you could try it, but you’ll definitely get the best results with a brisket.
Thanks for Nach’s recipe. I am the author of The Brisket Book: A Love Story With Recipes. (Andrews McMeel.) And I am the brisketeer who first noted that Nach’s brisket recipe is the most Googled. An honor! Credit to Nach and to me. Also, Nach developed the art of “interval cutting.” A brisket breakthrough if there ever was one. And finally, the latest iteration of his classic recipe – with his edits – is not in Silver Palate but in The Brisket Book. Perhaps you could mention that. And, as I say when I sign my books, “May you always have leftovers…”
Thanks for the clarification Stephanie! I will make an update to the recipe on my site. Congrats on the success of your book!