A few weeks ago my friends hosted a Passover Seder. Calling upon the Goldman family tradition, I embarked upon my first attempt to cook my mother’s brisket. A staple of many Passovers and even the occasional Thanksgiving, the tender slices of meat smothered in a bright tomato gravy evoke childhood memories of holidays and family, the recipe and the aromas as familiar as the cracks on the sidewalk on the way home from school.

The day before, I gave her a call informing her of my ambitious plan. Without blinking the proverbial eye, she proceeded to pass down the shared knowledge of three generations; the concentrated essence of hundreds of dishes over the years, starting with her grandmother and possibly stretching further into the canopy of the family tree. And so the oral tradition continues to yet another generation, this time inscribed into the web page before you.

But first, let me share with you a brief detour on my road to savory brisket heaven. Indeed, my journey to the promised land began with a shedding of tears befitting the bitter herbs that adorn the Seder plate. We started with a late night trip to our local grocery store, where I acquired every ingredient except for, well, the brisket. Or rather, I thought I got a Passover-capable brisket. It was fairly small at 3lb, plastic wrapped in conspicuously Irish garb, and positively swimming in a pink solution. Yes, the label “Corned Beef Brisket” did cross my mind as a peculiar base to build a symphony of braised goodness, but at the moment I supposed that corning was merely an alternate destination. This was not the case, as I soon learned after eagerly informing my mom of my purchase.

Fortunately, my partner Kaylee came to the rescue with a clutch B.J.’s run the next morning that yielded a sturdy 5lb brisket with a nice fat cap and, critically, no pinkish corning solution in sight. After following the below recipe, I transformed that brisket into an excellent dish worthy of my friend’s Passover table, and many more to come.

  • 5 to 8lb brisket, prefer lean.
  • Lawry’s® Seasoned Salt
  • 4 yellow onions, diced
  • Head of garlic, chopped whole
  • 1 unseasoned can of San Marzano tomatoes, prefer puree but whole work fine if you break them up.
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Bag of mini carrots
  • Bag of waxy potatoes
  • Beef stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Thyme
  • Olive oil
  1. Season brisket heavily with seasoned salt (more than you think you’ll need, it’s a thick cut of meat) and rest till room temperature.
  2. In a large roasting pan (preferred, although I used a dutch oven since I had a smaller brisket) heat olive oil till it shimmers.
  3. Sear on the fat side down until you develop a nice fond, then flip and sear the other side.
  4. Reduce the heat and take out the brisket to the side.
  5. Add the onions and stir around in the fat and fond.
  6. Add tomatoes and carrots.
  7. Add 6 dashes of Worcestershire, sprinkle of thyme, and bay leaves.
  8. Nestle brisket back into the pan, make sure to cover with some of the vegetables. I went ahead and added some stock here to help cover the brisket.
  9. Put in the head of garlic.
  10. Cover and place in the oven at 275°F for at least 6 hours. Periodically check the liquid and add stock when needed.
  11. When it’s soft and your home smells divine, take it out of the oven and cool it (if it’s cold out, try putting it outside on the porch with a lid). Wait for the fat to harden to make skimming a good amount of it easier (not all though).
  12. Slice brisket against the grain and put back into the gravy on the stove.
  13. Bring the gravy to a simmer and put in the potatoes, cooking until fork tender.
  14. Enjoy!