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Beef Brisket sliced on a white surface

Beef Brisket

Savor the rich flavors and succulent texture of this beef brisket recipe, slow cooked to perfection (in the oven).

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword beef brisket
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Refrigerate time 8 hours
Total Time 11 hours 20 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 474 kcal
Author Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy

Ingredients

  • 1, 3 to 4 pound beef brisket first cut
  • 2 1/2 Tablespoons avocado oil divided
  • 3 large onions halved and thinly sliced
  • 6 garlic cloves roughly chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 cups semi sweet red wine
  • 2 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar NOT dark
  • 1/4 cup ketchup

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set the oven rack to the center position.
  2. Let the brisket sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
  3. Pat brisket dry with paper towel. Season the Brisket on all sides with a total of 2 
teaspoons salt and 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper.
  4. Heat a large oven-safe skillet (with high-sides) over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon 
of avocado oil and heat for 1 minute. Add the brisket to the pan and sear for about 5-7 minutes on each side until golden brown. Transfer the brisket to a large plate and set aside.
  5. To the pan, add remaining 1 1⁄2 tablespoon of oil and sliced onion and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes or until they begin to soften. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan and mix into the onions. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
  6. Mix in the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper, paprika, cumin, red wine, broth, brown sugar and ketchup.
  7. Nestle the brisket (and any of its juices from the plate) into the liquid-onion mixture and spoon the liquid-onion mixture over the brisket.
  8. Bring the liquid in the pan to a boil over high heat. Then, turn off the heat, cover the pan with an oven-safe lid and place the skillet in the oven and bake for 3-4 hours or until the meat is soft and pulls apart relatively easily.
  9. Turn the oven off, open the oven door slightly, let sit for 30 minutes to help it begin to cool down.
  10. Carefully take the pan out of the oven (make sure to keep an oven mitt or towel on the handle of the pan so you don’t accidentally get confused and burn yourself) and let cook completely.
  11. Place the brisket onto a cutting board and slice the brisket against the grain into 1⁄2” thick slices. Transfer back to the sauce.
  12. Refrigerate the cooked sliced brisket in the sauce covered overnight for the most tender & juicy results. I like to transfer the brisket to a 9”x13” pan at this point for easy fridge storage & reheating, and cover with parchment then foil.
  13. When ready to serve, turn the oven to 350°F and place the pan of sliced brisket into the oven for 30 minutes to warm up until fully heated through.

Recipe Notes

  • Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.

  • My brisket was 3 1⁄2 pounds. It’s recommended to cook the brisket for 1 hour per pound, 
but I cooked mine for 3 hours total since I really didn’t want it to dry out and it seemed 
ready then (reaching 210°F when taken out of the oven). 


  • This sauce is on the sweeter side, but it’s really tasty and not too sweet!! For a less 
sweet sauce, I would use dry red wine (since I used semi sweet) and reduce the brown 
sugar to 2 tbsp total. 

  • The brisket was very tasty the day-of, but honestly was 10x better the next day and 
somehow got insanely more moist and juicy when refrigerated overnight. I think that may be the key to an incredible brisket that holds its shape when sliced while still being super tender. 

  • I challenged myself to use “first cut” brisket which is less fatty (compared to “2nd cut” brisket which has more fat), since the first cut is harder to make super juicy and soft. And I’m glad I tried the leaner brisket because with the braising technique and then refrigerating overnight it’s incredible and comes out super soft! 

Nutrition Facts
Beef Brisket
Amount Per Serving
Calories 474 Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Fat 21g32%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 11g
Cholesterol 141mg47%
Sodium 1359mg59%
Potassium 871mg25%
Carbohydrates 13g4%
Fiber 0.4g2%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 47g94%
Vitamin A 354IU7%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 32mg3%
Iron 5mg28%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.