Nana’s Jewish Style Brisket

This Jewish style brisket is my grandmother’s specialty, slow braised with carrots, onion, and pineapple (one of the two secret ingredients) for a perfectly balanced and tender brisket.

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I write a lot on this blog about my Italian heritage, but as my tagline says, I’m actually both Italian and Jewish; Italian from my dad’s side and Jewish from my mom’s. I’ve actually done a few Italian-Jewish blend recipes (like these rosemary latkes and this pesto babka) but today I’m pulling out a recipe that strictly comes from my mom’s side of the family: my grandmother (Nana’s) Jewish style brisket. I have incredibly fond memories of going to her house for Jewish holidays and feasting upon this incredibly tender and flavorful brisket. And since she’s reached an age where she’s not cooking so much anymore, she’s passed a lot of her recipes down to my brother and I so that we can still continue to enjoy her cuisine.

Making a Jewish style brisket may seem like a daunting task, but its actually quite simple. You will need a few hours to make this brisket, since it takes a long time to get it super tender. The rest of the recipe, however, couldn’t be simpler. Dice up some carrots and onions, season your brisket with my grandmother’s two secret ingredients (see below), and bake it until tender.

WHAT MAKES A BRISKET JEWISH?

So since this recipe is a called a “Jewish style brisket,” you might be wondering: what exactly makes a brisket Jewish? There’s nothing actually different about the brisket itself, but rather in the way you cook it. In most of the country, when people think of brisket they think of smokers and BBQs (and in fact I also have a smoked brisket recipe here). But the traditional Jewish style brisket is braised rather than smoked, and instead of BBQ sauce is served with the gravy and vegetables that you cook it with.

Most Jews serve brisket for holidays (Passover, Hanukkah, etc.), because the amount of time that it takes to cook makes it a very “special occasion” meal. And if I’m being completely honest, this brisket was always my absolute favorite part (besides maybe latkes on Hanukkah) of going to my grandmother’s house for the holidays. The Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants at the turn of the century most likely began cooking brisket because it is a cheap cut of meat, one that takes a lot of time and effort to cook. But us Jews are no strangers to hardship, making the brisket a cut of meat that speaks to us on a deeply cultural level.

NANA’S SECRET RECIPE

A lot of the Jewish style brisket recipes that I found online have a lot of things in common. They slow roast the brisket with some kind of vegetables, usually onions and carrots, but sometimes potatoes. Nana’s recipe, however, stands apart in a few ways. For one, she uses French onion soup packets (the Lipton’s ones, that you use to make sour cream and onion dip) to season the brisket. This brings a deeply savory and onion-y flavor to the brisket, which complements the roasted onions super well.

The other secret ingredient that Nana uses is pineapple, both pineapple pieces and juice. You’d never know by tasting the brisket; it doesn’t taste particularly pineapple-y. But the pineapple brings a sweetness that balances the savory aspects of this dish perfectly, as well as some acidity for brightness. The acidity of the pineapple also works to break down the brisket, tenderizing it even more. Plus, those juices keep the brisket incredibly moist while it cooks.

When you go to serve this brisket, slice it thinly and top it with all the vegetables and juices that it cooked in. This will keep it nice and tender, leaving you with a brisket perfect for any Jewish holiday, or really any special occasion.