Sweet and Sour Brisket with Maple-Glazed Spiced Carrots and Potato Latkes

Thanksgiving was pretty much yesterday, but Hanukkah is Wednesday. Even though I am still full from last week, I like any excuse to make a brisket. This recipe is the best. So easy and the sauce is fantastic. This recipe is even better if you can make the brisket the day before you want to serve it. If you do not have time to do that, just add one package of Lipton's Onion Soup Mix to the sweet and sour sauce and it gets the flavor to where it needs to be the same day. The recipe does not call for it, but lets be honest, it is every Jewish mother's best friend.

I served the brisket alongside my favorite maple-glazed spiced carrots and potato latkes. Jason told me that I would win Top Chef brisket if there was one, so I figured this recipe was worth sharing. Enjoy!


Sweet and Sour Brisket
Recipe courtesy of Bride & Groom Cookbook by Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford

Sweet and Sour Sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1 can (14 oz) low sodium beef broth
3/4 cup Heinz chili sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 package Lipton's Onion Soup Mix (Optional. Use it. It makes it better.)

1 brisket (4 to 5 pounds)
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 large yellow onions cut into 1/2 inch thick slices

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the wine, broth, chili sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, thyme, onion soup mix, and bay leaf in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Season the brisket on both sides with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a 6 quart pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot add the brisket, fat-side down, and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn the brisket over and cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer to a plate. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pot. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Place the brisket on top of the onions and cover with the sweet and sour sauce.

Cover the pot, place in the oven, and bake for an hour and a half. Transfer the brisket to a cutting board, scrape off the excess fat, and cut across the grain of the meat into 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick slices. Return the slices to the pot, overlapping them. Spoon the sauce over the brisket, covering the meat well. Bake until the meat is fork-tender, 1 1/2 - 2 hours more.

For the best flavor, let the brisket cool, then cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the same covered pot in the oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

Maple-Glazed Spiced Carrots
Recipe courtesy of Bride & Groom Cookbook by Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1/4 inch thick slices OR 8 oz packaged baby carrots.
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons maple syrup
3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of cayenne pepper

Combine the carrots, water, butter, maple syrup, lemon juice, curry powder, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper in a small nonstick sauce pan over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the liquid has reduced to a glaze and the carrots are tender, about 8 minutes. (If using packaged baby carrots the cooking time will be longer. About 10 - 15 minutes.) Just before serving, adjust the seasonings by adding more lemon juice and kosher salt if necessary.

We completed our meal with a pinot noir from Amisfield in Central Otago, New Zealand. Picked up a few bottles when we were there a few years ago. Definitely not kosher, but who cares! So delicious.