The Rabbi’s Wife’s Brisket

This recipe for the Rabbi’s Wife’s Brisket is the best brisket recipe using only 5 ingredients to make the most tender brisket ever.

May 28th is National Brisket Day! You must celebrate by making the best brisket recipe I’ve ever had: the Rabbi’s Wife’s Brisket. My sister-in-law shared this recipe with me a long time ago. Someone gave her the recipe, so I’m not sure of the original source. But I’ve been making it ever since. Everyone loves it.

Share the brisket love on social media today using the hashtags #NationalBrisketDay, #BrisketDay and #RecipesForHolidays.

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“Only Texans and Jews understand brisket.”

-Anthony Bourdain

The History of Brisket:

Brisket is a cut of meat that comes from the cow’s lower chest. It has its roots in the Jewish culture. In Jewish cooking, brisket has long been a favorite meat to braise for Jewish holidays and on Sabbath. Jewish refugees brought their methods of cooking brisket with them when they immigrated to America.

The earliest mention of smoked brisket in America was in a Texas newspaper deli counter grocery advertisement in 1910. By 1916, Weil Brothers in Corpus Christi was advertising smoked brisket too. The popularity of brisket spread across Texas over the 1900’s. Slow smoking BBQ brisket is now a big part of Texas culture (and in other areas of the south too).

Ingredients needed:

• canned whole berry cranberry sauce
• bottled chili sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• Kosher beef brisket
• seasoned salt

How to make Rabbi’s Wife’s Brisket:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cranberry sauce, chili sauce and a dash of Worcestershire sauce; set aside.
3. Place the brisket in a roasting pan. Fill with 1/4-inch water. Season the brisket with seasoned salt. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the brisket from the oven and pour the cranberry mixture over the top. Cover the pan tightly with foil. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees, and bake for 4 hours.

Remove the brisket from the oven, slice the beef against the grain, and put it back in its juices. Refrigerate overnight (important step!)

Reheat, covered, at 350 degrees F. for 45 to 60 minutes.

Brisket is a great main dish to serve for holidays, and it’s a good one to serve if you just have a bunch of hungry people in your house for dinner! I like to serve this Rabbi’s Wife’s Brisket with macaroni and cheese. It’s a delicious combination!

Once you slice the meat and add it to the platter, be sure to spoon on plenty of the sauce to keep it nice and tender. Enjoy!

Fun Facts about Brisket:

• From one cow, you can get two briskets (one on each side of the chest).
• A brisket can a lot of connective tissue in it, which is why it’s typically cooked or smoked low and slow to tenderize the meat.
• Hickory wood is the best to use for making smoked brisket.
• Once finished cooking, pieces of brisket can be returned to the smoker to make burnt ends. These are very popular in Kansas City Style barbecue.
• Corned beef brisket is brisket that has been cured in brine.
• In Germany, brisket is braised in dark beer.
• Brisket is a common cut of meat used in Vietnamese Pho soup.
• Brisket is often considered the National Dish of Texas.