Onion -Braised Beef Brisket

 September 2025

Recipe from America's Test Kitchen

I had a hankering for brisket. I used to smoke brisket on our gas grill but I haven't used the gas grill for several years so I went looking for another recipe. I settled on this onion-braised brisket recipe. Brisket is lean and needs to be cooked for a long time to become tender. This recipe takes two days to complete and makes a gravy/sauce as a bonus.

The recipe is for a 4 to 5 pound brisket, way too much for the two of us. I purchased a 2.1 pound brisket but didn't reduce the quantity of the rest of the ingredients. For braising I used an 11x8-inch dish rather than 13x9 and lined it with two sheets of aluminum foil. The brisket was dried with paper towels, holes poked in the fat cap with a fork, and both sides were seasoned with salt and pepper. The brisket was well browned on the stove then set aside while the braising liquid was prepared. Sliced onions were cooked in some of the rendered beef fat along with some sugar and salt. Minced garlic was added and cooked until fragrant then tomato paste. Paprika and cayenne pepper were added and cooked then flour was sprinkled over the mixture and stirred until well combined. Chicken broth, red wine, bay leaves, and fresh thyme were added and simmered. The sauce and onions were poured into the foil-lined pan under the brisket. The foil was folded over the brisket which then cooked until the brisket was fork tender, 4 hours in a 300° oven. The brisket was placed in a bowl and the sauce was strained over the meat. Discarding bay and thyme, the onions were placed in a second bowl. Both bowls were stored overnight in the refrigerator. Except for the roasting period it took just over an hour to prepare the brisket.

On the second day congealed fat was removed from the brisket and sauce.  The sauce was simmered and the brisket cut into ¼-inch slices; we got 9 slices. The sliced brisket was placed in an 11x8-inch baking dish and covered with the sauce to which the onions and vinegar had been added. This was heated in a 350° oven until heated through then served. The preparation on the second day took 45 minutes.

We had brisket for dinner four times, reheating the meat and sauce together in the microwave. The brisket and gravy and onions were good. The brisket was a little bland, perhaps it should have cooked longer. The sauce did not stay in the aluminum foil and some of it boiled away in the oven but there was enough for our four meals. The sweet braised onions added a nice element to all meals. While good, I don't expect to use this recipe again. The preparation is rather involved and takes two days. There are other recipes for roast beef and gravy that are just as good and take less time and effort.