Brisket and potatoes.

Recipe: Honey-Red Wine Braised Brisket

The Festival of Lights is upon us, and we are celebrating with traditional fare including latkes, sufganiyot and the holiday table pi猫ce de r茅sistance, brisket. 

Joshua Resnick, Lead Chef & Operations Manager for ICE New York, is no stranger to brisket 鈥 he鈥檚 done brisket three ways throughout his lifetime.

鈥淭he most recent was smoked in my dad's smoker,鈥 he says. 鈥淚n terms of braised brisket, I started with my mom and dad's recipe, but then I was doing research on different types of Jewish cuisine and came across a Roman-Jewish recipe and I really liked the look of it. I gave it a shot and started to tweak it before ending up where I did.鈥

Chef Joshua braises his brisket in a mixture of balsamic vinegar, red wine, rosemary, sage, honey and chicken stock.

鈥淚 really like this recipe,鈥 he says. 鈥淚t's familiar in style to classic braises but has a unique flavor from the herbs, vinegar and honey. I think it all plays together nicely in a unique way that works whether it's Passover in the spring or Hanukkah in the winter.鈥

For first-time brisket-teers, Chef Joshua encourages you to make brisket ahead of time, as cooling it in the juices overnight makes it easier to slice. And don鈥檛 forget to trim the fat so you don't end up with a greasy sauce.

鈥淔inally, buy more than you think,鈥 he says. 鈥淚t makes great leftovers and it'll go quick at the table.鈥

The recipe below is now a Resnick family staple for the holidays.

鈥淸It] will always hold a place in my heart because it was one of the first solid proteins my daughter really enjoyed,鈥 he says, recalling making it shortly after her first birthday in November of 2021. 鈥淪he housed it.鈥

鈥淚t made me feel like it was her way of telling me, 鈥楧on't worry, Dad, you鈥檙e doing a good job at this Dad thing.鈥 I'll never forget that.鈥

Happy Hanukkah, y鈥檃ll!

Recipe

Honey-Red Wine Braised Brisket

Yields: 6-8 Servings

 

Ingredients

  • 3-4 pounds brisket, trimmed of large pieces of fat
  • Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • Vegetable or canola oil
  • 1 yellow onion, sliced
  • 6 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 1/2 cup red wine, divided
  • Sachet of 2 sprigs rosemary and 2 sprigs sage
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1-2 cups chicken stock

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 300藲F.
  2. Season the brisket liberally with salt and pepper on all sides.
  3. In a straight-sided pan set over medium-high to high heat, sear the brisket on all sides until golden brown. Set aside and reserve.
  4. Degrease the pan, add in fresh fat and lower the heat. Sweat the onions and garlic until soft.
  5. Deglaze the pan with balsamic vinegar and 1/2 cup of red wine. Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove all the fond, and add the sachet and reduce the liquid by half.
  6. Return the brisket to the pan before adding in the remaining wine and enough stock to come 2/3-3/4 of the way up the side of the brisket. Bring the liquid to a boil.
  7. Cover the pan and place into the oven for 4 to 4 1/2 hours. The brisket should be fork-tender and the liquid should be reduced.
  8. Remove from oven and cool overnight. The next day, remove any hardened fat from the top of the pan. Carefully remove the brisket and slice against the grain into 1/2-inch thick pieces. Rewarm with the sauce and serve.

Related Recipe:  DIY Jelly Doughnuts for Hanukkah

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