When I lived near my family, Passover was one of my favorite holiday meals and this Jewish Brisket recipe is a fantastic choice to make for that dinner — succulent, tender, and done in a juice that is just the right amount of sweet and sour.
What Is Passover Brisket?
Passover is an annual celebration that commemorates the liberation of the Jews from Egyptian slavery. Passover Brisket is a very popular Jewish beef brisket dish of Ashkenazi origin. The meat is from the lower chest of the cow and is usually slow-cooked or braised. It is a very popular Jewish dish in the United States. We propose this delicious Passover brisket recipe and to serve as in the picture above.
Can I Make This Ahead Of Time?
Brisket is one of those dishes that will be even better the second day. In the proceeding 24 hours, the flavors can develop and the meat is more easily cut. Because of this, you are more than encouraged to make this a day ahead of time. In fact, I recommend it. Cook it until it is just about done but not quite tender. Let it cool, put it in an airtight container, then store it in the fridge for up to 2 days. When ready to eat, reheat it on LOW in the oven or on the stove. You may want to add a bit of beef broth or barbecue sauce to moisten it up.
What To Serve With Brisket
I served this with smashed potatoes, steamed asparagus, thyme and white wine carrots, matzah and homemade haroset. It is traditionally served with potato kugel and vegetables one might associate with a roast — carrots, brussels sprouts, onions, etc. Other dishes include coleslaw (a traditional cabbage slaw or something different, like an apple slaw or broccoli slaw), baked beans, and/or cornbread. In short, a lot of what one might serve with a pulled beef can be served alongside brisket. (*Note: If you need your meal to be kosher, only use kosher-certified ingredients.)
FAQs
What cut of meat do I need to make this kosher?
I made this one with a beautiful, fancy, Kobe brisket, but any good beef brisket will do. Brisket is from the front part of beef, so as New York Times reporter Julia Moskin said: “Brisket is implicitly kosher since it’s from the front of the animal.”
Can I make brisket in a slow cooker?
Certainly. Start by lining the bottom of the slow cooker with the garlic and onions. Place the brisket on top. Mix the sauce as described above. Pour the mix over the meat. Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or HIGH for 4-6 hours. Once it’s done, remove it from the slow cooker and let it rest for 10 minutes so the juices can redistribute throughout the meat.
Do you think the brisket braise would work on short ribs?
Absolutely. I think that the braising liquid would be good on just about anything. Not too sweet and not too tangy.
You used good Catholic wine though. . .
Do you know how hard it was to find Manischewitz? I did find it before I made the Haroset though.
If making this a day ahead, should I separate the meat from the sauce in order to skim it? Did you find it to be greasy or should I just throw the whole thing into the fridge as is and reheat the next day?
I have never separated it out before. My husband reheated today and said that it looked like it had separated but once it heated through it was back to normal. I would not separate the braising liquid because I would be afraid that you would lose some moisture. He said that it was not greasy in the least bit. Hope that helps.
Looking at the sauce ingredients, I’m just wondering if it tastes like barbecued beef or not so much?
It tastes more sweet and sour than barbecue.
Chili sauce is not kosher for passover because it contains corn syrup. Do you have a substitute?
I am not sure to be honest, my grandmother always made hers this way, I guess she was not overly concerned with everything being Kosher for Passover. You could just use wine to cook it in.
How To Store Brisket
Let the brisket cool completely, wrap it in foil or plastic, then place in the fridge for up to 2 days. You may want to slice up the brisket before storing it if you are dealing with a big piece. It will make serving later easier. You can also freeze the brisket for up to 3 months by wrapping it in foil or plastic and then placing it in an airtight container before putting it in the freezer.
Passover Brisket (Jewish Brisket)
Ingredients
- 1 – 3.5 pound brisket
- 3 onions sliced thin
- 3/4 cup chili sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 cup red wine
- 4 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 cloves chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Mix all of the sauce ingredients together. Give it a taste. It should be a good balance of sweet and sour. If it needs more sweet, add more sugar, if it needs more sour, add more vinegar. Season well.
- Pat dry. This is a very important step. The beef needs to be very dry before it goes into the pan. If it is wet, it will steam instead of sear, which is what you want. Season with salt and pepper right before you sear it.
- Crank up the heat in your pan and add a little oil. It needs to be screaming hot before the beef goes in. We are after a nice crispy crust on the outside of our brisket.
- When both sides are seared put it in your roasting pan.
- Pour the sauce all over the brisket.
- Cover the brisket with the sliced onions.
- Add a few sprigs of thyme and season with salt and pepper.
- Cover with tin foil. I have a lid for this roasting pan, but my mom and my grandmother, who made many, many of our Passover dinners always covered the brisket in tin foil. I do not mess with tradition. I do as I am told.
- Put the brisket in a 300 F oven. I hesitate to give an exact time as it depends on how large your brisket is. Mine was 3.5 pounds and it cooked for almost 3 hours. Brisket should be fork tender. If it is not fork tender, put it back in the oven until it is.Let your house permeate with the most delicious aroma. Get on with the other parts of your meal.
- Let it rest a bit before you cut it. Slice on the bias, against the grain. This is very important. If you cut with the grain, you will lost the texture of the brisket and it will be tough.
Leave a Comment