Braised Beef Brisket with Rich Onion Gravy
For a delicious and fork-tender oven braised beef brisket, cook it low and slow in red wine and onions. Then let it cool for easy slicing and puree the sauce for a thick and rich onion gravy. Great holiday roast!
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
Braised Brisket and Onion Gravy
- 1 4 lb beef brisket
- kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
- 2 large white onions, chopped
- 2 large carrots, finely chopped
- 2 medium cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 2 cups low or no sodium chicken stock, or homemade beef stock
- 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp orange zest, optional
Roasted Vegetables
- 8-10 medium carrots, left whole if smaller or cut into spears
- 12 large brussels sprouts, about 3/4 of a pound, cut in half
- 8-10 medium radishes, cut into halves and quarters
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
Braised Brisket and Onion Gravy
- Preheat oven to 325F. Take out your roasting pan.
- Remove the brisket from its packaging and sprinkle it liberally with kosher salt and black pepper. Prep the onions, carrots, and garlic.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sear the brisket on both sides until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Move the brisket to the roasting pan.
- Turn down the heat to medium low and add the onions, carrots, and garlic. Saute until soft and lightly browned, 5-7 minutes. Add the wine and stock and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, and orange zest. Bring it back to a boil. Pour the hot braising liquid over the brisket. Cover the roasting pan tightly with foil
- Braise the brisket for 3 - 3 1/2 hours. Or until you can pierce it easily with a fork. Let the brisket cool for 30 minutes, then transfer the brisket and all the braising liquid and vegetables to a sealable container and refrigerate the brisket overnight.
Roasted Vegetables and Serving the Brisket
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- At least 1 hour before you are going to eat, and up to several hours, begin preparing the brisket for serving.
- Separate the braising liquid from the brisket and move the brisket to a cutting board. Slice the brisket into 1/4 inch slices. (The brisket at this point can be covered and put back into the refrigerator if you are doing this ahead.)
- Take the braising liquid and puree it until smooth in the blender to make the onion gravy. Transfer the onion gravy to a saucepan and put it on low heat to warm through.
- Toss the roasting vegetables with the olive oil and salt. Spread them out on your roasting pan and roast them for 10 minutes. Give the vegetables and stir and turn them over, then make a space in the middle for the brisket. Add the brisket to the center of the roasting pan and pour a ladleful of the gravy over the brisket to keep it moist.
- Reduce the oven heat to 350F. Return the roasting pan to the oven and cook for 20 minutes, or until the brisket is warmed through.
- Transfer the brisket to a serving platter and surround it with the roasted vegetables. Pour the hot gravy into a container and serve along side.
Notes
- You can make the brisket up to 2 days ahead.
- Can't make it ahead? You will want to rest the brisket, covered with foil, for at least 1 hour out of the oven after the initial braising. Then separate out and puree the gravy and slice the brisket. Since the brisket will still be warm, you can either serve without rewarming or put it in the oven for just a few minutes to give it a little extra heat. Please note that the brisket will not slice as neatly without the overnight rest.
- Any combination of vegetables which you enjoy roasted can substituted. Broccoli, cauliflower, parsnips, and turnips are some which I like. If you decide to use a more tender vegetable, like asparagus, in the mix add it after you stir and turn the vegetables, since asparagus will not need 30 minutes to cook.