How to cook beef brisket

Slow and low heat cooking is the key to having a tender, delicious beef brisket dinner. Though it’s most popular as corned beef around St Patrick’s Day, this large, tough cut of beef can also be transformed into a delectable fall-apart meat as a pot roast or as the classic New England boiled dinner. The following beef brisket recipes will show you how to cook a brisket into a flavorful, yum-worthy meal.

Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

Corned beef is the ever popular Irish American meat dish served for St. Patrick’s Day. Already loaded with flavor, a corned beef brisket can easily be cooked in the slow cooker, giving you time to prepare your other favorite St. Paddy’s Day recipes.

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 4 cups apple juice
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 2 small heads green cabbage, cut into wedges
• 1 (3 to 4 pound) corned beef brisket

Directions

1. Add apple juice, brown sugar, and mustard to a large slow cooker and stir to combine.
2. Add cabbage and corned beef brisket; cover slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
3. Remove brisket and cut against the grain into thin slices; serve beef with cabbage and cooking liquid.

More St. Patrick’s Day foods, Irish recipes, and more!>>

The Best Family-Style Pot Roast

You don’t need a holiday or special occasion to cook a pot roast, but the delectable leftovers will give you a mini-holiday from cooking for a couple of days. Braising a beef brisket with onions, garlic, spices, and an ultra-flavorful braising liquid makes this pot roast a family favorite.

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1, 3 1/2 pound beef brisket
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• Juice of 3 lemons
• 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; brown brisket on all sides then set aside.
2. Add onions and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes; add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
3. Add broth and tomato sauce, stirring to combine; place brisket in the pot, using a ladle to baste brisket with sauce and onions.
4. Bring liquid to a boil; cover pot and reduce heat to low; simmer for 75 minutes, basting and turning brisket every 10 to 15 minutes.
5. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, paprika, mustard, lemon juice, zest, ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper; pour over brisket.
6. Cover pot and continue to simmer for 75 to 90 minutes, basting and turning brisket, every 15 minutes, until brisket is tender.
7. To serve, slice brisket against the grain and plate it with the sauce left in the pot.

More slow cooker beef recipes>>

New England Boiled Dinner

Though this classic beef brisket recipe requires a long cooking time, the result is a family-pleasing combination of flavorful, tender slices of beef and hardy vegetables.

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 pounds beef brisket
• 20 peppercorns
• 10 whole cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 turnips, peeled and quartered
• 6 red potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 6 medium carrots, cut into thirds
• 1 small head green cabbage, cut into 6 wedges
• Prepared horseradish to taste

Directions

1. Place brisket in a large Dutch oven and cover brisket with an inch of water.
2. Add peppercorns, cloves, bay leaf, mustard seeds, cinnamon sticks, and salt to the pot.
3. Turn burner on high heat and bring liquid to a low boil; reduce heat until liquid is at a low simmer; cover tightly and cook brisket for 4 hours, or until you can easily insert a fork into the beef.
4. Carefully transfer meat to a large plate and cover with foil to keep the meat warm.
5. Add the turnips, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage to the pot; increase the heat to medium-high and bring the liquid to a high simmer; cook, adjusting heat down if water starts to boil, until vegetables are tender.
6. Slice brisket against the grain into thin slices and plate with vegetables and some of the broth; serve with horseradish sauce.

More beef brisket recipes

Italian-Style Beef Brisket
Irish Corned Beef Brisket
Beef Brisket in Chili Pasilla Broth