Onion Braised Beef Brisket

By JanetLynn198

Ingredients

• 1 beef brisket, 4-5lbs
• Table salt and ground black pepper
• Vegetable oil
• 3 large onions (about 2 1/2 lbs), halved and sliced 1/2” thick
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 medium cloves of garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tbsp)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 tsp cider vinegar

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 300F. Line 13x9" baking dish with two 24" long sheets of 18" wide heavy-duty foil, positioning sheets perpendicular to each other and allowing excess foil to extend beyond edges of pan. Pat brisket dry with paper towels. Place brisket fat side up on cutting board; using dinner fork, poke holes in meat through fat layer about 1" apart. Season both sides of brisket liberally with salt and pepper.

2. Heat 1 tsp oil in 12" skillet over medium-high heat until oil just begins to smoke. Place brisket fat side up in skillet (brisket may climb up sides of skillet); weight brisket with heavy Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet and cook until well browned, about 7 mins. Remove Dutch oven; using tongs, flip brisket and cook on second side without weight until well browned, about 7 mins longer. Transfer brisket to platter.

3. Pour off all but 1 tbsp fat from pan (or, if brisket was lean, add enough oil to fat in skillet to equal 1 tablespoon); stir in onions, sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and golden, 10 to 12 mins. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 min; add tomato paste and cook, stirring to combine, until paste darkens, about 2 mins. Add paprika and cayenne and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 min. Sprinkle flour over onions and cook, stirring constantly, until well combined, about 2 mins. Add broth, wine, bay, and thyme, stirring to scrape up browned bits from pan; bring to simmer and simmer about 5 mins to fully thicken.

4. Pour sauce and onions into foil-lined baking dish. Nestle brisket, fat side up, in sauce and onions. Fold foil extensions over and seal (do not tightly crimp foil because foil must later be opened to test for doneness). Place in oven and cook until fork can be inserted into and removed from center of brisket with no resistance, 3 1/2 to 4 hours (when testing for doneness, open foil with caution as contents will be steaming). Carefully open foil and let brisket cool at room temperature for 20-30 mins.

5. Transfer brisket to large bowl; set mesh strainer over bowl and strain sauce over brisket. Discard bay and thyme from onions and transfer onions to small bowl. Cover both bowls with plastic wrap, cut vents in plastic with a knife, and refrigerate overnight.

6. About 45 mins before serving, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350F. While oven heats, transfer cold brisket to cutting board. Scrape off and discard any congealed fat from sauce, then transfer sauce to medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until warm, skimming any fat on surface with wide shallow spoon (you should have about 2 cups sauce without onions; if necessary, simmer sauce over medium-high heat until reduced to 2 cups). While sauce heats, use chef's or carving knife to slice brisket against grain into 1/4" thick slices, trimming and discarding any excess fat, if desired; place slices in 13x9" baking dish. Stir reserved onions and vinegar into warmed sauce and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over brisket slices, cover baking dish with foil, and bake until heated through, 25-30 mins. Serve immediately.