making brisket like a bubbe

Boy, do I love this Le Creuset dutch oven. Cooks like champ, cleans up in a snap. Thanks, Sis!
Boy, do I love this Le Creuset dutch oven. Cooks like champ, cleans up in a snap. Thanks, Sis!

Ok, so you have to start with Coca-Cola, that tenderizes the meat. Use a whole can. Then add some ketchup, some honey, some red wine and some oil to keep the meat moist. Measurements? I don’t know you just throw it all in there. About the same amount of each. Maybe half a cup. Maybe a little more ketchup. A chopped onion is nice. Chop it fine. If you want some zing add some mustard powder, just a little, and some paprika. Mix it up good. You need to be sure you have enough liquid to cover the meat. Marinate it overnight. Then cook covered at 325. It there’s not enough liquid, add a little water or broth. How long? Depends on the size of the brisket. Maybe 4-1/2 hours or a little more for 5 pounds. It’s best if you make it a day or two ahead. Once the meat cools, slice it against the grain, and then put it back in the sauce. Just heat it up a little bit to serve. You can also make it ahead and freeze it.

Made this for our Yom Kippur “break-fast” meal (dinner after the day-long fast for Yom Kippur) and everyone loved it. The meat was so tender and just falling apart. Filing this one away for next Pesach.

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32 Comments

  1. Thank you for this recipe. I will try it! I LOVE all of my Le Creuset and do have the oval roaster. Le Creuset is cast iron with an interior which makes it more easy care than traditional cast iron. It is my go to cookware. And the best part? You will NEVER have to replace it. It is expensive, but it is worth every dollar.

  2. This Southern Roman Catholic can’t wait to try this recipe! My mouth watered just looking at the recipe!

  3. Even simpler: Slice an onion or two. Throw it in the bottom of the roaster. Take your brisket and make little indentations all over it with a sharp knife. Chop up 2 slices of bacon and insert the pieces into the indentations. Salt & Pepper. Cover the roaster. Throw in 325 degree oven for at least 3.5 hours for a 3 lb brisket, turning every half hour or so–or when you think of it. No need to add any liquid at all. The brisket will make its own juices, but you can add some water at the end of cooking if there’s not enough liquid to your liking.

    This might not be as zingy, but it avoids the overnight marinade if you want same-day results.

  4. I love my Le Creuset pots. Just never never use them to stirfry anything:). That enamel pops off like popcorn.

    I have a question for you. On a day of atonement, clearly we don’t send Happy Yom Kippur greetings. But the Internet gives me either L’Shana Tovah, or “G’mar Hatimah Tovah” or “May You Be Sealed for a Good Year (in the Book of Life).” That second is probably too much for a non-Jew to use gracefully.

    So how best for a non-Jew to appropriately recognize this holiday, in relationship to Jewish friends and family? Thoughts?

    1. Lisa, You can also just say “Happy New Year” if you know someone is observing. L’Shana Tovah is what I’ve observed used most generically if you’re comfortable with using the Hebrew.

        1. Kathleen, my husband was born there, and lived there and Long Beach. Actually my MIL (step-mom to my hubs) was originally from Detroit, and moved to So Cal in the 1960’s.

  5. I do a very similar one, using ginger beer instead of coca cola, and stewed tomatoes and blackstrap molasses instead of ketchup. I have the same pot as you, but have found it easier to do it in a slow cooker – make it every Hanukkah.

  6. I have some Le Creuset pieces, but have never used them – I don’t cook a lot. But – I’d like to try your recipe. Do you marinate and cook in the same pot?

  7. I just started reading your posts and am addicted! And, now to find out you celebrate Yom Kippur, just like me, makes it even more delightful. I hope your family and you have a happy and healthy New Year.

  8. My dear late friend Stan talked me into buying one of those Dutch ovens 10 years ago, so he could prepare his famous risotto when he was visiting. Every time I use it, I think of him.

  9. I make almost the same recipe but I also add a packet of dry spaghetti mix. My family has loved this for years.

  10. I had Le Creuset about 40 years ago, discarded after lots of chips and thinning of enamel. After reading Molly Stevens cookbook on braising I bought a big and a small low, wide LC dutch oven – the results are fabulous and clean up is incredibly easy. I swear Le Creuset has gotten better. The lower dutch ovens make a better braise and sauce.

    Part of my life simplification plan is to make more meals that go for a second or third day and braising is just the ticket. Your bubbe’s brisket sounds perfect.

  11. I read the comments about about Le Creuset enamel popping off and chips and thinning of enamel. I’ve had my Le Creuset pieces for YEARS (even bought a couple of them second hand on ebay) and have never had any enamel problems or chipping or thinning.

  12. Happy New Year! I can’t wait to try this recipe. Would you share what you serve alongside the roast? (potatoes? noodles?) and maybe even everything that rounds out your holiday menu? My great aunt made a fantastic apple pastry but everyone remembers it differently and no one has her recipe.

    Since everyone is keeping score, my Le Creuset (large round pot) is 30 yrs old and used often, but it does have a few little scattered dots where you can see the iron poking through the white enamel. It’s not anything that would make me discard or choose not to use the pan. I’d love to get a couple more (a large saute-type pan that I could use for frittatas comes to mind….)

  13. We love our dutch oven–it’s a different French brand, Fontignac, but just as lovely. I am definitely going to try this brisket recipe. But at Pesach, we can’t use the Coke! (Or is there kosher for Passover Coca Cola?!)

    At any rate, may you and your family have a year of blessings.

  14. Bonnie Stern’s simple brisket does NOT contain Coca Cola – more the kind of things my friends would consider “kosher”, aka real food:

    http://www.bonniestern.com/bonnies-recipes/recipe/bonnie%27s-passover-brisket/

    It is also an example of how a lot of contemporary Ashkenazi food is drifting more and more over to Sephardic, Mediterranean flavours. I celebrated the holiday with Jewish friends in Paris, and there was a mixture of Ashkenazi and Sephardic dishes. My friends there (Jewish and not) are mostly not observant, but enjoyed the traditions and symbolism.

    And, of course, the wine… (psst, even the friends who are nominally Muslim).