Braised Sweet and Sour Brisket

This tender, melt in your mouth braised brisket is everything you want in a well made brisket. The sweet and sour brisket is braised in a tangy and rich sauce that glazes over the brisket beautifully.

A well made braised brisket is often the star of the show at most Jewish holiday dinners. I have fond memories of enjoying slices of sweet and sour brisket during our Passover seders and Hanukkah dinners. Though, brisket is good any time of the year, if I do say so myself.

For the perfect pairing try my Celery Root Latkes or go classic with Mom's Crispy Potato Latkes. For a sweet finish to this classic Brisket try my Italian Rainbow Cookie Hamantaschen.

Sweet and Sour Brisket

This sweet and sour brisket takes strong inspiration from my mom's sweet and sour sauce and the results are melt in your mouth delicious!

The braised brisket is cooked low and slow and makes for a fantastic main course to any holiday celebrations. I would suggest serving sweet and sour brisket alongside crispy potato latkes for Hanukkah with a nice fresh shredded kale salad on the side or with lemony matzo ball soup as a first course.

If you're looking for a more savory brisket, check out my slow cooker red wine brisket.

Let's Talk Brisket

Brisket is a good hunk of beef that usually ranges anywhere from 3 pounds up to 6 or even 8 pounds. There are different cuts of brisket where you can buy a whole brisket or different cuts of the brisket. For more info on cuts and butchery, check out WA State Beef Commission.

• Flat Cut: Also called the first cut, the flat cut is what is used in this Jewish style brisket. The flat cut has a layer of fat on one side and not a lot of inter-muscular fat, which means it needs a good long low and slow braise in a sauce to keep the meat tender.
• Point Cut: The other part of the brisket, called the point or the "second cut", has more inter-muscular fat, which over all is more flavor, but may not slice as nicely as the flat cut.

Ingredients

• Brisket: 3 to 5 pound flat cut brisket. Do not trim any fat as this cut needs the fat to keep the meat tender.
• Salt and Pepper: Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper is all you need to season the uncooked brisket. This is a goo hunk of meat so don't be shy with the salt.
• Oil: Olive oil, avocado oil or grapeseed oils are the ones I use to drizzle the dutch oven with.
• Onion: A yellow or white onion, sliced thinly is sauteed and gives the sauce a lovely sweet and savory flavor.
• Tomato Paste: A few tablespoons of tomato paste thickens the initial sauce and creates a lovely sweet flavor.
• Paprika: Use either sweet paprika for a more mild flavor or smoked paprika for a smokier flavor. Tip: Add the spices when you saute the tomato paste to wake up the flavors.
• Red Wine: A red blend or Cabernet can handle the robust brisket.
• Tomato Sauce: Either unseasoned tomato sauce, tomato puree or strained tomatoes is perfect for this recipe.
• Worstechire Sauce: Optional, but a few dashes gives a great savory element to the sauce.
• Beef Stock: I like using a beef stock base that I can add water to, such as Better Than Bouillon.
• Brown Sugar: This is what gives the sweet flavor in the sweet and sour sauce.
• Lemon Juice: My mom swore by using "sour salt", which is citric acid. But lemon juice works just as well, and is what gives the sour flavor to the sauce.

How To Make Sweet and Sour Brisket

Sear the Brisket

1. Dry the brisket very well with paper towels and season liberally with salt and pepper on all sides.
2. Bring a wide dutch oven over medium-high heat and drizzle with olive oil.
3. Once the oil is hot, sear the brisket on all sides until a deep crust forms on the meat. This is creating fond and the initial layer of flavor. Once seared, remove the brisket and set aside.

Make the Sauce and Braise the Brisket

1. To the dutch oven, drizzle more oil if needed and add sliced onions. Saute the onions until just softened, about 2-3 minutes,
2. Stir the paprika and tomato paste in and saute for another 30 seconds. Pour the red wine and use a sturdy spatula to scrape up any meaty bits from the bottom of the dutch oven. Reduce wine and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes until thickened. Place the brisket back into the dutch oven, fat side up.
3. In another bowl, add the tomato sauce, beef stock, a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and lemon juice and mix until combined. Pour the mixture over and around the brisket.
4. Bring the sauce up to a boil, cover, then place in 300 degree Fahrenheit oven for 3-3 ½ hours until the brisket is fork tender and sauce has thickened.
5. Once done, remove the cooked brisket from the dutch oven and place on a cutting board. Let the brisket rest for at least 10 minutes, then slice the brisket, across the grain.
6. Place the sliced brisket back in the sauce and use a spoon to baste the sauce onto the brisket.
7. Garnish with fresh chopped herbs, if desired and serve.
8. If you have any leftovers, and that's a BIG IF, you can make my Brisket Tacos with Pickled Onions or my Brisket Empanadas with Passion Fruit Chimichurri.

Brisket Making Tips

• Take the brisket out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking, so get the chill off and so the meat can come to room temperature.
• Make sure to dry the brisket very well with paper towels so it gets a good sear.
• Take the time to sear the brisket on all sides to create and initial layer of flavor.
• Don't remove any of the fat from the brisket. The first cut needs the fat to keep it tender. After the brisket is cooked, you can skim away fat from the sauce if needed.
• Don't overcook the brisket. Just cook until you can easily pierce the brisket with a fork and it releases easily, then slice the brisket.

More Jewish Recipes to Try

• Crispy Potato Latkes
• Cherry Pistachio Rugelach
• Sweet and Sour Cabbage Rolls
• Garlic Rosemary Challah
• Chicken Liver Paté

Sweet and Sour Braised Brisket

Samantha Ferraro

LittleFerraroKitchen.com

This tender brisket is everything you want in a Jewish style brisket. The sweet and sour brisket is braised in a tangy and rich tomato sauce that glazes over the meat beautifully.

4.88 from 8 votes

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Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Resting Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 4 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Main, Main Course

Cuisine Jewish

Servings 6 servings

Calories 572 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Dutch Oven Braiser

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 3 ½-4 pound brisket
• ▢ 2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil more if needed
• ▢ 1 yellow or white onion sliced thin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon paprika
• ▢ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ ¾ cup red wine such as Cabernet
• ▢ 15 ounce tomato sauce
• ▢ ¼ cup brown sugar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ▢ 2-3 dashes Worcestershire
• ▢ 2 cups beef stock

Instructions

 

• Dry the brisket very well with paper towels and season liberally with salt and pepper on all sides.
• Bring a wide dutch oven over medium-high heat and drizzle with olive oil.
• Once the oil is hot, sear the brisket on all sides until a deep crust forms on the meat. This is creating fond and the initial layer of flavor. Once seared, remove the brisket and set aside.
• To the dutch oven, drizzle more oil if needed and add sliced onions. Saute the onions until just softened, about 2-3 minutes,
• Stir the paprika and tomato paste in and saute for another 30 seconds. Pour the red wine and use a sturdy spatula to scrape up any meaty bits from the bottom of the dutch oven. Reduce wine and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes until thickened.
• Place the brisket back into the dutch oven, fat side up.
• In another bowl, add the tomato sauce, beef stock, worstechire sauce, brown sugar and lemon juice and mix until combined. Pour the mixture over and around the brisket.
• Bring the sauce up to a boil, cover, then place in 300 degree Fahrenheit oven for 3-3 ½ hours until the brisket is fork tender and sauce has thickened.
• Once done, remove the cooked brisket from the dutch oven and place on a cutting board. Let the brisket rest for at least 10 minutes, then slice the brisket, across the grain.
• Place the sliced brisket back in the sauce and use a spoon to baste the sauce onto the brisket.
• Garnish with fresh chopped herbs and serve.

Video

Notes

• Take the brisket out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking, so get the chill off and so the meat can come to room temperature.
• Make sure to dry the brisket very well with paper towels so it gets a good sear.
• Take the time to sear the brisket on all sides to create and initial layer of flavor.
• Don't remove any of the fat from the brisket. The first cut needs the fat to keep it tender. After the brisket is cooked, you can skim away fat from the sauce if needed.
• Don't overcook the brisket. Just cook until you can easily pierce the brisket with a fork and it releases easily, then slice the brisket.
• For more wonderful beef recipes, try my Grilled Tomahawk Steak with Chimichurri Butter or Cast Iron Steak with Mushrooms.

Nutrition

Calories: 572kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 58gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 164mgSodium: 1509mgPotassium: 1356mgFiber: 2gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 515IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 48mgIron: 6mg

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