Braised and Glazed Brisket

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 4 hour 35 mins

Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 6 Servings

I braise the brisket in some nostalgic ingredients like Coca-Cola and ketchup (stay with me), and add less-traditional ingredients like soy sauce to round out the flavor profile for that classic tangy-sweet-savory sauce. Cooked low and slow, the brisket comes out extremely tender and flavorful. But I don’t stop there.

Once it’s braised and perfectly tender, I take it one step further with a glaze. Set the brisket on a baking sheet and brush it with a mixture of sweet date molasses, tangy pomegranate molasses, and smoky harissa chili paste. Stick the glazed brisket back in the oven for just 10 extra minutes and what you end up with is that same tender piece of meat but now with a crispy, flavorful bark on the outside. You don’t usually see that on a Jewish-style brisket, but the Texan in me just couldn’t resist.

Ingredients

1 (4- to 5-pound) flat or point cut beef brisket
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (12-ounce) Mexican or regular Coca-Cola soda
1 large sweet or yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
6 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup low-sodium beef or vegetable broth
1/4 cup soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Chopped fresh parsley, chives, or mint, for garnish (optional)
2 tablespoons date molasses
2 to 3 tablespoons harissa paste
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

Instructions

Sprinkle 1 (4- to 5-pound) brisket evenly with 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. (Alternatively, refrigerate uncovered for at least 8 hours or overnight, then let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.)
Heat the oven to 300ºF. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the brisket fat-side down and cook undisturbed until some of the fat renders and the bottom is deep golden-brown, about 7 minutes. (It’s OK if the brisket is too big to lay flat in the Dutch oven. Let it come up the sides; it will shrink later!) Carefully flip the brisket. Cook, turning occasionally, until golden-brown all over, about 7 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.
Add 1 (12-ounce) Coca-Cola and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in 1 large coarsely chopped yellow onion, 6 smashed and peeled garlic cloves, 1 (2-inch) piece peeled and coarsely chopped ginger, 1 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, and 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar.
Return the brisket to the Dutch oven, fat side up, and nestle it in to submerge as much of it into the liquid as possible. Bring to a simmer.
Cover and transfer to the oven. Braise, flipping the brisket halfway through if it wasn’t fully submerged, until very tender when pierced with a knife, 3 to 3 1/2 hours. (If the brisket was fully covered by the liquid, you can let it cook undisturbed.)
Increase the heat to 425ºF. If you flipped the brisket, flip again to be fat-side up. Roast uncovered until the sauce has reduced and the top is deeply browned, 1 hour. Meanwhile, stir 2 tablespoons date molasses, 2 to 3 tablespoons harissa paste, and 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses together in a small bowl to make the glaze.
Carefully transfer the brisket to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Brush all over with half of the molasses mixture. Return to the oven and roast until the glaze looks sticky and is bubbling, about 5 minutes. Repeat brushing the brisket with the remaining glaze and roasting for 5 minutes more.
Let the brisket rest for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, use an immersion blender to blend the braising liquid directly in the pot until smooth (or transfer to a stand blender and blend until smooth).
Cut the brisket across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Pour some of the sauce on a platter, then arrange the brisket slices on top, slightly overlapping them. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs if desired.