Naturally sweet and caramel flavored dates paired with wine, onions and garlic make this brisket extra special and over the top delicious.
Feel free to add fresh or dried herbs like thyme and rosemary to the braising liquid. These herbs will balance the sweetness and bring out flavor notes in the wine. Dried ancho chilies add earthiness and deep bass notes to round out this holiday brisket.
When cooking with wine you don’t want to use actual cooking wine, it’s best to find a bottle of an affordable wine that you wouldn’t mind drinking. Try a mixed case of budget-friendly kosher wines, you might even find a bargain wine you really like.
Braised Brisket with Dates and Red Wine
Servings
10 Servings
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 12-14 pound whole brisket (whole brisket will yield a meltingly tender brisket)
- 2 large Spanish onions sliced
- 1 bottle dry red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir)
- 2 whole heads garlic sliced in half crosswise to expose the cloves
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 cups chopped pitted dates
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 320°F.
- Pat dry brisket. (wet brisket will not caramelize, it will just steam!) Season brisket with salt and pepper. Heat a braising pan or large Dutch oven, lightly coated with evoo over medium high heat.(if you don’t have a pan large enough to accommodate the whole piece of meat, cut the meat in half and sear each piece separately-do not be afraid to cut it in half)
- Sear the brisket on both sides (about 5-7 minutes per side), being sure to allow each side to caramelize and turn dark brown. Remove brisket and set aside.
- Add onions to the pan and caramelize being sure to season with salt and pepper, until dark brown and very soft, about 10-15 minutes.
- Pour in the bottle of wine, then add 2 heads garlic, 2 cups chicken broth, and tomato paste.
- Nestle brisket back into the pan. Add dates, cover and place in oven.
- Braise brisket for 3 ½ – 4 hours or until a fork can be inserted easily without resistance.
- Remove brisket and allow to cool before slicing across the grain.
- Taste and adjust seasoning of the braising liquid, strain if desired, serve over brisket.
Are you sure about a 12-14 lb brisket. That would never fit in a braising pan or Dutch oven.
Also I”ve personally never seen a brisket that big. That’s almost 1/2 of a cow!!
I currently making this recipe, but I had to cut down my 8.5 lb brisket down to 6.5 lbs to fit in my 12″ diameter 3.5″ deep braising pan.
Also in your article it says to cook @325 for 1hr per pound of brisket. BUT your recipe says 3.5-4 hrs for a 12 -14 lb brisket.
I’m going to do my 6.5 lb for 6 hrs, do you agree?
Thanks
Hi Brad — you can buy a whole brisket that size but if your butcher doesn’t sell whole briskets then I recommend 2nd cut. For your size brisket 4 hrs (to about 4.5 hrs) should be just perfect. Even though the general rule of thumb is in fact 1 hour per pound at 325F, I have found, and am going to adjust my article to say that 45 minutes per pound for under 4 pounds and 40 minutes per pound for over 4 pounds works wonderfully. But just so you know at this low and slow method you can’t really overcook a whole or 2nd cut brisket. In fact my favorite thing to do is make brisket the night before, cool and slice and submerge in the gravy and gently rewarm before serving — this method or braising a touch longer in the over if you are serving immediately will yield a tender melt in your mouth whole or 2nd cut brisket.
You can yes
Can I make thus with just the second cut? Do I just halve everything?
Yes, you can leave them out.
Will this recipe still be delicious without the dates? Trying to cut out as much sugar as possible
320 degrees Fahrenheit
what temp does this cook in the oven?
You sure can, the only reason not to, is to make a really large brisket and keep it intact, but it will work.
hi, can i make this in the crockpot?
I didn’t see any chilies in the clip? When should they be added and are they dried chilies? Thanks!