Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Easy Baked Beef Brisket – Slow and Low is Not the Tempo

Remember that time you waited all day for your “low and slow” beef brisket to finish cooking, and once it finally did, it was dry? It left you disappointed, disillusioned, and wondering what went wrong. Well, I won’t bore you with all the scientific, easy-to-Google details, but basically meat can “stall” during long, low-heat methods, and never reach the proper internal temperature to fully release all the succulent goodness. 

If you really nail it, the results can be amazing, and I’ve gotten lucky a few times on the smoker, but this significantly faster method is much less risky. Unless you really overcook it, you shouldn’t have to worry about dry meat, and you can instead worry about other things, like whether you cooked enough meat. By the way, I'm not sure if they invented it, but I adapted this from something I saw watching an America's Test Kitchen rerun, so if you have issues, please contact them.

Speaking of enough meat, if you decide to use a whole brisket, this method will work as shown, but you’ll probably need to give it a little more time at the end to ensure it’s fork tender. Or not, but there’s only one way to find out, so have your poking fork handy, and use as needed. Whether you’re looking for a brisket recipe for Passover, or you’re simply interested in moister meat in less time, I really hope you give this easy, baked brisket recipe a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 6 portions Easy Baked Beef Brisket:
(Adapted from America's Test Kitchen)
3 pound beef brisket (the flat half of a full brisket)
4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne

For the gravy/braising liquid:
2 tablespoons butter, oil, or rendered fat
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 cup apple juice or cider

- Bake at 325 F. for 1 1/2 hours, then reduce oven to 250 F., and cook for about 2 hours 15 minutes, or until fork tender.
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20 comments:

Commuter said...

Dear Chef John, would it be possible for you to make a video for miso black cod recipe (Nobu style)? No matter which recipe I try (even sous vide) it’s always a failure :’( I trust your recipes, they always turn out great!
Many thanks and best regards,
Zahira, Dubai

bate said...

What about the carrot salad ?

bate said...

What about the carrot salad ?

ccmonty said...

Would this also work if, instead of apple juice, you used apple cider or even hard cider?

Unknown said...

Thanks for a the new recipe, Looks mouth-wateringly delicious... What ideas would you have on how to keep the aluminum foil from touching the meat? Could you maybe use potato pieces between? I enjoy your cooking expertise and fun narration of each video.
Thank-you, David from Indiana.

Unknown said...

Thank you for the new video recipe, looks mouth-wateringly delicious. Any ideas for separating the aluminum foil from the meat? Could you use potato pieces between the meat and aluminum foil? Enjoy cooking expertise and your fun narriation of each recipe video. Thank you, David from Indiana

Aaron Sharpe said...

This looks excellent. If I were to cook a whole slab of brisket, do you think I would need to adjust the cooking time(s)?

Cindy K said...

I don't know how you knew I had a brisket defrosting when you posted the recipe but dang, it was the best brisket I ever made. We've used the smoker, the oven for 12 hours, the stovetop braise... nothing even came close to the texture and juiciness of this method. We have particular trouble getting beef tender as we buy grass fed beef from a local farmer. though lean and lovely this makes for fairly tough braising cuts.

We added a touch of mustard when we finished the sauce, but it was delicious as written. That was just us cooking :).

Unknown said...

Is there a substitute you'd recommend for the apple juice/cider? I'm allergic to apples. Looks amazing! Can't wait to try it out!

Unknown said...

This sounds delicious! Do you think I could make it in a slow cooker? Thanks!

Unknown said...

This sounds delicious! Do you think I could make it in a slow cooker? Thanks!

Iver said...

My wife and I made this exactly as per the recipe. It was freaking delicious.
Take the time to make the yogurt sauce. It really takes each bite to another level!

Unknown said...

Any info / guidance on cooking times for a 4.7 LB flat piece ?

Super duper mom said...

I wonder if I could cook some carrots in with the brisket?

Super duper mom said...

I wonder if I could cook carrots in with the brisket?

Coffeefirst said...

Where can I find the potato pancake recipe?

HT said...

Made this Tuesday night. It was fantastic, best brisket I've ever had (well maybe the 2nd Ave Deli is better, but not by much). I used the electric pressure cooker - 1.5 hours at high. Came out fork tender and basically perfect.

Thank you.

Island Boy said...

The grade of brisket that I can buy here in the Cook islands is the lowest quality it seems and is generally converted into salted beef.

Tried a few times on the BGE but didn't get the results like eating brisket in New Zealand where good quality beef is available.

I pimped this recipe with sichuan pepper, celery salt instead of plain and some ground cumin.

Threw some green peppercorns in with the onions and it came out awesome!

Unknown said...

Chef John,

I wanted to thank you so much for this recipe. It's great. I followed your directions exactly. I paid $30. for a 3# brisket. Wow, prices lately are expensive than ever. But, it was really delicious. There are only 2 of us so we had a lot leftover after filling up to it till we could no more. We are having hoagies today with the left over meat. I am really pleased. I would like to know if there's a way one could 1/2 the recipe and have it turn out so great? What would be the times and temp?

Lucy

Unknown said...

Hi Chef can you recommend a braising liquid other than apple juice as I am one of those "unfortunate souls who only eat meat and veg"! Also can you come up with a almond or coconut flour pie crust?

Thanks and thanks, Kelly