Food

My mom’s brisket

Brisket Image by Carly Pildis

By Carly Pildis April 22, 2021

Comforting, warm classic Ashkenazi brisket that melts in your mouth and makes your house smell like your Bubbie’s. My mother is legendary among family and friends. The best part is that it is very easy, with time being the most important ingredient. It’s a perfect dish to let sit in the oven while you work. There is a reason it’s been comfort food for generations! I doubled her original recipe because I like it extra saucey.

4-5 pound first cut brisket
2 onions cut into slices
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 cup white vinegar
2 cups ketchup
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Break out your roasting pan, turn on your favorite song, and pour a glass of wine.

Place onions on the bottom of the pan. Blend together all of the other ingredients in a small bowl. Place meat in the pan and season lightly. Cover the brisket in wet ingredients. Cover with aluminum foil. Cook for 2 hours until it’s nearly fork tender. Let it cool for 20 minutes and then slice. Finish cooking it for an additional hour in your sauce. Serve warm with potato kugel, rice, or mashed potatoes.

Brisket is really better the next day and you may not have time to sit there for hours on end while it cooks. My Mom’s special trick is to cook it for the first hour and a half to two hours, slice it, place it back in that sauce, soaking up all that goodness overnight. Pop it back in the oven at 350 for an hour before dinner. Kiss your family before you light candles.

For more about this recipe and the author, click here.

Carly Pildis is an organizing and advocacy professional living in Washington, D.C.

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