Slow-cooked in a red wine sauce flavored with orange, rosemary, and thyme, this braised beef brisket is an easy entree to serve for company.

Platter of carved beef brisket garnished with oranges, pearl onions, fresh rosemary and thyme.

Braised Brisket Done Right
Key Ingredients
How to Make Orange Braised Beef Brisket
Recipe Notes
Make It A Meal
Got Leftover Brisket? Make a Sandwich
Red Wine Braised Brisket Recipe

Braised Brisket Done Right

Brisket is a delicious but very tough cut of beef, and making it into a tender and tasty main dish requires a long, slow cooking method. Oven-braising is the preferred choice, and it’s a simple process that only requires hands-on time at the outset.

The key to success for braised brisket is a flavorful braising liquid; this recipe definitely has that covered. It uses a full-bodied red wine combined with orange zest, orange juice, fresh rosemary, and thyme to tenderize and infuse flavor throughout the meat as it cooks. The result is a memorable main dish that your friends and family will love.

Key Ingredients

Beef brisket (shopping tips): Cuts of fresh brisket (often labeled as flat-cut brisket) usually range from 2-1/2 to 4 pounds. They are generally 1 to 1-1/2 inches thick and may have a thin layer of fat on the top. When shopping, be sure not to confuse fresh brisket with corned beef brisket. Primarily used in deli sandwiches and recipes like New England Boiled Dinner (aka corned beef and cabbage), corned beef is brisket cured in a flavored brine. Because the fat between the muscle fibers in a fresh brisket will slowly melt away during braising, the final yield in cooked meat will be about 2/3 of the brisket’s original weight.
Red wine: We recommend a medium to full-bodied fruity red wine like Pinot Noir or Merlot.
Navel oranges: Because they are a seedless variety, navel oranges are the best choice for this recipe. Look for organic if you can.
Fresh rosemary and thyme: Nothing beats the flavor of fresh herbs, but you can substitute dried herbs if need be. Remember that they are much more pungent than fresh, and you should always reduce the quantity called for by 2/3.
Bay leaves: Although many recipes for soups and stews call for bay leaves, you may not know exactly how they taste or what they do for your dish. Bay leaves have a subtle floral flavor, but mainly they help round out and balance other ingredients.

How to Make Orange Braised Beef Brisket

This is an overview of how this dish is made. Detailed measurements, ingredients, instructions, and times are available in the printable version of the recipe below.

Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Season the brisket on both sides with salt, onion powder, and a few grinds of black pepper.
Heat a heavy braising pan (see notes) over medium-high heat and coat the bottom with oil. Sear the brisket until browned, then transfer it to a plate and set aside.
Add olive oil to the pan and turn the heat to medium. Add the minced shallots and garlic and cook until softened and aromatic.
Scatter some flour over the shallots and garlic, and using a spatula, scrape up any browned bits that may have accumulated on the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking until the flour is well incorporated and beginning to turn golden.
Whisk in some water and continue cooking until smooth and starting to thicken. Slowly whisk in wine and orange juice and continue whisking until smooth.
Zest the whole orange and add it to the sauce along with the rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, then return the brisket to the pan.
Cut a few slices from the center of the orange you used for zest, lay them on top of the brisket, and top them with fresh thyme sprigs. Squeeze the juice from any remaining orange pieces over the top, then spoon some of the sauce over the meat.
Cover the pan and place it in the oven for two hours, removing midway through the cooking time to baste the meat with the sauce. After two hours, add the pearl onions to the pan and baste the meat again. Cover and return to the oven for another hour.
Remove the meat from the sauce, place it on a carving board, and tent it with foil to keep it warm. Transfer the onions to a dish and set aside.
Pour the braising sauce into a gravy separator (or skim the fat from the top with a spoon). Transfer about a cup to a glass measure, then add the balance to a small saucepan. Make a slurry for thickening the sauce by whisking one tablespoon of flour into the reserved cup of braising sauce until blended.
Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and slowly pour the slurry into the sauce, whisking continually until smooth and starting to thicken. If necessary, repeat the process using a little more flour. Once the sauce consistency is to your liking, transfer it to a bowl or gravy boat.
Carve the brisket against the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices. Transfer to a serving platter and spoon some of the sauce over the top. Garnish with pearl onions, some orange slices, and fresh herbs.

Recipe Notes

Make-ahead tip: This brisket recipe can be prepared a day in advance and reheated for about 45 minutes at 325°F. If you plan to refrigerate it before serving, you can skip the section in the instructions for skimming the fat from the sauce and remove what solidifies overnight in the refrigerator.
If you don’t have a braising pan: If you don’t own a braiser, don’t worry; just use an oven-proof pan that isn’t much larger than the brisket to avoid excess evaporation. A deep lasagna pan tightly covered with heavy-duty foil works well.
Recipe credit: This recipe was adapted from “Fast & Festive Meals for the Jewish Holidays” by Marlene Sorosky. We don’t often re-publish other people’s recipes, but we’ve made this a number of times and really enjoyed it. We decided to share since the book is now out of print (you can get used copies on Amazon, though).

Make It A Meal

Wondering what to serve with beef brisket? Try spooning some of the brisket’s sauce over our Rustic Mashed Potatoes and dish up a serving of Garlic Braised Green Beans to go along with it. Both side dishes are filled with flavor, yet simple enough not to compete with the star of the meal (aka the beef).

Sliced beef brisket on a plate with pearl onions.

Got Leftover Brisket? Make a Sandwich

For a unique twist on a steak sandwich, try combining slices of braised brisket with a tangy barbecue sauce, sautéed green peppers, and onions. Here’s how:

Cut enough brisket into thin slices to fill two 6-inch hoagie rolls.
Cut a medium-sized green pepper into 1/2-inch cubes. Sauté in olive oil with minced garlic and a handful of chopped onion or scallions. Cook until the green pepper is tender, then transfer the mixture to a plate and set aside.
Heat 1-1/2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce in the same pan over medium heat. Add the sliced brisket and stir to coat the meat in the sauce.
Return the green pepper mixture to the pan as soon as the brisket is warmed completely. Combine well, spoon onto the rolls and serve.