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Jewish Brisket for the Holidays

By Katie Workman

4.93 from 56 votes

on Mar 27, 2020, Updated Jun 11, 2025

This recipe is for Jewish-style brisket; the meat is braised low and slow in the oven until it becomes savory and fall-apart tender. The brisket, perfect for the Jewish holidays, is nestled in a combination of tomatoes, red wine, and broth (though you can use one or two of those liquids if you prefer). Down South, brisket is usually slow-cooked over indirect heat, with basting and smoking often involved.

This classic style of brisket is essentially a Jewish pot roast. I have made this brisket recipe about 50 times, for Rosh Hashanah, Passover, and just because, and it never fails to get raves. I season my brisket with some garlic and thyme, plus salt and pepper. Then the meat is gently braised in its sauce in a 300-degree oven with sweet chunks of carrots and lots of onions. It takes about 20 minutes to get into the oven, and then the cooking time is basically hands-off. Plus, you don’t have to sear the meat before baking it, which saves a step and some clean up.

Serve this traditional Ashkenazi Jewish brisket recipe with mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, or noodle kugel. Pick your side dishes accordingly if you want the meal to be Kosher or Kosher for Passover.

Many of us think of brisket during the Jewish holidays (Rosh Hashanah and Passover, in particular) and rarely otherwise. But like Jewish latkes, my family is so crazy about brisket that I make it for family dinners throughout the colder months. First, brisket is a pretty inexpensive cut of beef. Second, aside from acknowledging that it needs to cook for a few hours, it takes very little work. Don’t you just love a main course that you can ignore?

Make-Ahead Jewish Brisket

There are a few reasons to make the brisket a day or two ahead of time.

1. It tastes better; the flavors really meld and blend with time, and the meat is at its most tender.
2. Your life will be easier the next day because dinner is basically made.
3. The fat will harden on the top of the sauce as it chills in the refrigerator. You can then scrape off the hardened layer of fat from the cooking liquid, creating a more concentrated sauce with no greasiness.
4. It’s much easier to slice the brisket when it’s cold. Then you tuck the slices back into the sauce and reheat it at your leisure.

Leftover Brisket

Leftovers are fabulous and easy to reheat in the oven or on the stove over low heat. Leftover brisket will keep in an airtight container for up to 6 days.

You can also freeze brisket in a freezer-proof container or a freezer-proof zipper-top bag, with as little excess air as possible. I like to freeze brisket in some of its sauce. It will freeze for up to 6 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight.

I always make an extra-large brisket and plan for leftovers because my family loves this Brisket Barley Soup recipe almost as much as the original meal!

Best Sauce for Jewish Brisket

You’ll see that the brisket recipe calls for three liquids: broth, tomatoes, and wine, which result in a rich sauce with a nice depth of flavor. If you use only one or two of these liquids and just make the quantity equal to about 6 cups of braising liquid, the results will be fine. The tomato paste adds richness to the cooking liquid, but if you don’t have any, add some squirts of ketchup or skip it altogether.

Brisket tastes so good because of its long, slow cooking in liquid in the oven, and it’s fairly magnanimous about what kind of liquid it is braised in. Cooking the brisket in the sauce prevents the brisket from drying out.

What to Serve With Jewish Brisket

Pick and choose for a Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah, or Passover Menu.

• I always pair this fork-tender brisket with a potato dish, like Herb Roasted Fingerling Potatoes.
• I always serve a salad with dinner — some favorites are Chopped Winter Salad, Romaine and Slivered Kale Salad with Lemon Dressing, and Mixed Lettuce Salad with Mustardy Dressing.
• Choose one or two simple vegetables to accompany this brisket, such as Roasted Asparagus, Sautéed Broccoli Rabe, or Roasted Lemon Brussels Sprouts.

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4.93 from 56 votes

Jewish Brisket

By: Katie Workman

Cooked low and slow in the oven, this is Jewish comfort food at its best. Perfect for Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Seder, and any chilly winter night.

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 People

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Ingredients 

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• ▢ 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ▢ 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 first-cut beef brisket (4 to 5 pounds)
• ▢ 2 cups chopped onions
• ▢ 4 large carrots (peeled and thickly sliced)
• ▢ 3 bay leaves
• ▢ 3 tablespoons tomato paste (optional; see the Cooking Tip)
• ▢ 1 cup low-sodium beef or chicken broth
• ▢ 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (in juice or puréed)
• ▢ 1 cup red wine (any kind is fine; or an additional cup crushed tomatoes or broth)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley (optional; for garnish)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt

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Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 325 F.
• Place the olive oil, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and stir to mix. Rub the mixture all over.
• Place the brisket, fat side up, in a large casserole or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. Toss in the onions, carrots, and bay leaves. If you are using the tomato paste, blend it into the broth, then pour over the meat and vegetables. Then, pour the crushed tomatoes and red wine, if using, on top. The liquid should cover the meat and most of the vegetables. Cover the casserole and bake the brisket until the meat is very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
• If you are serving the brisket the next day, let it cool, then put the entire casserole in the refrigerator. About an hour before serving, skim off any hardened fat, then take out the meat and cut off any excess fat from the top of the meat. Slice the brisket across the grain, as thin or thick as you like, then neatly return the sliced meat to the cooking liquid.

  Reheat the brisket on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in a preheated 325 F oven, until everything is warmed through and the cooking liquid has reduced and thickened up a bit, about 30 minutes in the oven, maybe less on the stovetop. Adjust seasonings as needed.
• If you are serving the brisket right away, remove the meat from the casserole and let it rest on a platter loosely tented with aluminum foil. Let the cooking liquid and vegetables sit for about 15 minutes, then spoon off any fat that has accumulated.

  Place the casserole over medium-high heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces a bit, about 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings as necessary. Slice the meat neatly across the grain, return it to the pot, and remove and discard the bay leaves.
• You can serve the brisket in the casserole or transfer it to a large shallow bowl. Remove and discard the bay leaves and sprinkle the parsley on top of the brisket, if desired.

Notes

Cooking Tips

• You’ll see that the brisket recipe calls for three liquids: broth, tomatoes, and wine. If you use only one or two of these and just make the quantity equal to about 6 cups of liquid, the results will be fine.
• The tomato paste adds richness to the cooking liquid and is great, but if you don’t have any, add some squirts of ketchup or skip it altogether.
• The reason brisket tastes so good is mostly because of its long, slow cooking in liquid, and it’s fairly magnanimous about what kind of liquid it is braised in.
• Leftover brisket? Use it to make Brisket Barley Soup.

Nutrition

Calories: 362.76kcal, Carbohydrates: 13.3g, Protein: 40.25g, Fat: 14.27g, Saturated Fat: 4.86g, Cholesterol: 112.49mg, Sodium: 545.37mg, Potassium: 1060mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 6.79g, Vitamin A: 4387.52IU, Vitamin C: 13.41mg, Calcium: 59.2mg, Iron: 5.13mg

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More Jewish Holiday Main Course Options

• Chicken Marbella 
• Chicken Thighs with Onions and Green Olives
• Garlicky Roast Chicken with Shallots and Potatoes
• Beef Brisket with Wild Mushrooms (another Jewish-style brisket!)