Make this brisket on a Sunday and enjoy it for dinner or lunch during the week, or serve for a meat & potatoes dinner party. The brisket is braised for 4 hours and then the meat and gravy are refrigerated overnight. A great winter dish ... spring, summer, and fall too!
Ingredients
2 sweet onions, cut into rings
2.5 lb brisket (ask for "flat cut" or "first cut")
3 T brown sugar
ketchup or tomato sauce {enough for a light coating on the meat, about ¼ c ketchup or 8 oz tomato sauce}
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
2 c water
Instructions
Heat oven to 325.
Lay out heavy duty aluminum foil in heavy roasting pan, large dutch oven, or large oven-safe pot. You may want to lay out two pieces, perpendicular to each other, to make sure you will be able to seal it all in when you're done.
Layer the onion rings at the bottom of the foil.
Lay the brisket, fat-side up, on the onions.
Add brown sugar, ketchup, and salt & pepper to taste. Pour the water in; I like to do this at the bottom, by the onions, but it will braise for so long that the flavors will all permeate the meat regardless.
Wrap tightly in foil, pinching and crimping to seal the foil.
Bake 3.5 to 4 hours (or more - it will just get more tender). When you pull at the meat with a fork, it should easily separate.
Remove from the oven.
Lay a new piece of aluminum foil on the counter. Place the slab of meat on the foil. Tightly wrap the meat in the foil, and refrigerate overnight.
Carefully transfer the gravy and onions to a separate container, like a pitcher with a snap-tight lid. Refrigerate overnight.
The next day, trim the fat off the top of the brisket and discard it. Slice the brisket into thin pieces, against the grain. Skim the fat off the top of the gravy and discard.
Transfer the brisket slices to a casserole dish and top with the gravy and onions.
Heat at 300 until heated through - leave at least 30 min for this step.
Notes
When buying brisket, estimate one pound per person - that will be enough for everyone, and will also leave you a bit of leftovers.
Recipe by My Utensil Crock at https://www.myutensilcrock.com/2017/02/26/moms-brisket/