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.
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Delicious! It was an easy-to-make superb dish for winter. This recipe has become our weekly family meal.
The recipe seems easy to follow, but the meat comes out tough. Any idea why? Am cooking it too long? Are my cuts too thick?
Hi Mike, Sorry to hear you’re having a problem with this! As long as the initial cut of meat wasn’t too lean, it should eventually get tender. My guess is that you’re not cooking it too long as it should only get more tender the longer it cooks. Sometimes you can unknowingly buy a bad cut of meat. Have you tried this recipe more than once?
I typically rely on your recipes as no-fail without feeling the need to experiment before making for company but this simply did not work out both flavorwise and how it came out overall.
My husband has a bad reaction to tomato paste. What would you suggest as a substitute topping during the cooking process?
Hi Louise, it’s fine to just omit the tomato paste. Hope you enjoy!
This recipe is exciting! I made it last night and just the thought of it makes my mouth water. My husband and I could not believe how good it was and because of a manager’s special on a London broil it only cost a little over $1.50 for a portion of it that fed both of us( I made the recipe to feed only two so as not to have leftovers although as Jennifer said it is even more delicious the next day). Anyway, the beef was so tender! The onions were exquisite too! The ‘gravy’ was bursting with flavor as well. I am making baked ziti this Saturday so I plan to use the small amount of leftovers in it to give it a unique yet scrumptious savory, sweet, and complex, ‘secret’ flavor.
Made this recipe for Passover exactly as printed. First bite one person closed their eyes to savor the taste and said “we need this recipe.” This is also the first time ever there was no leftover brisket. Wonderful!
Hi, Jenn. I haven’t tried this recipe yet, and I’m wondering: when you slice the brisket and put it back in the oven, do you re-cover the pan with aluminum foil? The recipe doesn’t specify.
By the way, there’s a great brisket recipe in the Rochester Hadassah Cookbook (“Sweet & Sour Brisket”). My mom made a Seder this year and it was a wow.
6 lbs. single brisket
2 onions, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup ketchup
1 cup water
1 tablespoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
Place brisket in heavy skillet and brown on all sides. Add and brown onions and garlic. Add remaining ingredients. Cook, covered, until meat is tender, about 2 1/4 to 3 hours. Serves ten.
My mom cooked it longer and finished it in the oven, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours. It almost dried out, but didn’t.
Happy Passover.
Joel
P.S. Thanks for showing me how to properly carmelize onions for my French onion soup.
Happy Passover to you too, Joel! Yes, you do re-cover the pan with foil before placing back in the oven — sorry if that wasn’t clear. Your mom’s brisket recipe looks delicious; I will definitely try it.
Jenn, I just talked to my mom, and she cooled the brisket for a day before slicing it and putting it in the oven. She says it’s better if you wait a day before slicing it. The meat absorbs the juices overnight.
Anazing! My guests said it was the best passover brisket ever – i used 9 pounds, doubled the recipe and lengthened cooking time, thanks for the recipe!
I’m making this for Christmas and I ordered a 10lb brisket. How much longer did you cook it for? I’m planning on making it on Monday or Tuesday and then reheating on Wednesday for Christmas dinner. Any suggestions on my 10lb brisket would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Pam, I’ve never cooked a 10-pound brisket! It will take substantially longer in the oven. I’d add about 20 percent to the cooking time and then check it to see if it’s tender.
Hi Jen….I made this as a trial run with a small brisket and 4 onions and it came out great. The onions melted down to thick spread like consistency, and was delicious. So tonight I made 2 slightly larger ones for passover together in a blue enamel roaster, with 8 onions, and it is fork tender but the gravy is not thick, but watery. Why? What is the consistency of the gravy supposed to be like?
Thanks, Linds
Hi Linda, It can vary but it shouldn’t be too watery. It should thicken up nicely in the fridge but if it doesn’t you can always blend some of the onions into the sauce to make it thicker.
Delicious recipe with very good instructions. Added more carrots as my family loves them. I never thought to slice the brisket part-way through cooking – great suggestion.