Brisket in Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe
Posted on 21st of February, 2010 by Lévana
Every year, the expert cooking staff at Levana Restaurant showcases Passover programs in four prestigious hotels. A few years ago my son Maimon worked as one of the supervisors at the Scottsdale Resort. At one of the dinners, the guests were served brisket. One guest was heard to say, “This is delicious but not as good as Levana’s.” “That’s my mother!” my son cried proudly, like a third-grader, terminating then and there his incognito status as a member of the staff. Anyway, this is guaranteed to be the best brisket you’ve ever had. Never mind the weird ingredients. They work! And don’t worry if the brisket is too much for your guests to finish. It freezes beautifully. This recipe was included in the New York Times Jewish Cookbook, and will be included in The Brisket Book: a Love Story with Recipes, to be published in November!
Makes 12 ample servings.
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, quartered
one 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
¼ cup Dijon mustard (omit on Passover)
½ cup dry red wine
½ cup coke
1 cup ketchup
¼ cup honey
¼ cup cider-vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce (omit on Passover, or if you think your meat might be too salty)
½ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon coarsely ground pepper
1 first-cut brisket, six to seven pounds, rinsed and patted thoroughly dry
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350*F. Process all but last ingredient in a food processor until smooth. Place the brisket in a pan just big enough to fit it, and pour on the marinade. Cover tightly with a double layer of foil, and bake for 2 hours. Turn the brisket over, and bake uncovered for 1 more hour. Transfer the brisket to a cutting board. Transfer the sauce to a saucepan and reduce to about 2½ cups. Skim the oil off the top. Let the brisket cool slightly. Slice thin against the grain (if the slices look too long, cut the brisket in half across its whole length before slicing). Pour the gravy on top, and serve hot.
Dear Levana,
I have taken some of your cooking classes in Macy’s over the years and enjoyed them immensely. I loved your restaurant and have sent many shidduchim on their “dinner dates” to you, as well.
I have been exercising with Liz and she told me that she goes to your classes every Monday night. I really wanted to join her this week, but couldn’t make it. Hopefully, I will join another time.
In the meantime, she told me that you have a fabulous brisket recipe. I wonder if this is it?
Could you please answer these questions as this looks yummy.
1. Can I substitute the cider vinegar for either wine, balsamic, or regular white vinegar?
2. What should I substitute for the coke?
3. Should I use the kosher le’Pesach soy sauce?
Thank you so much!
Yes, Levana Restaurant was the scene of many romantic crimes….
Sure hope you will join us at one of the demos, they are lots of fun!
Any vinegar will do
Coke or ginger ale
soy sauce: Skip on Pessach. That was stated clearly in the recipe. No chazarei Pessach soy sauce (what is it anyway??? G-d only knows….
Doesn’t sound like you have my Passover menu and recipe file: Here you go: Enjoy! http://www.levanacooks.com/passover-seder-menu-and-recipes/ Have a great yom tov!
I make this brisket all the time — it is fabulous! My husband is diabetic, so I use diet Coke during Pesach (Zero during the year) and omit the honey. Everyone loves it.
Isn’t it the best?
Just followed this brisket recipe and the meat still feels tough. Should I keep cooking it? Covered on uncovered?
This recipe is 100% tried and true. If you started with a brisket at normal temperature (not frozen), if you fully preheated the oven, if you cooked it 2 hours covered, turned it over and cooked it one more hour, and mist importantly, if your oven is fully functional: I guarantee it: it’s done. If it’s not, you must check your oven
Thanks for your recipes and your help answering questions!
I know that a lot of people marinate brisket overnight in the refrigerator..does that work well with this recipe?
Answering both your questions:
You would rather have to use only one bottle of wine for cooking. Red wine will give the brisket a deeper flavor than white. This is precisely why I said nothing about white wine here.
Can you marinate the brisket? Although it certainly won’t hurt, it’s nit in the least necessary: and if it’s not, I see no reason to give my readers an extra step to take
If I want to brown my brisket first, does it change the cooking time? Thanks
Stuart I never brown mine, and it is always delicious. If you decide to brown yours, although I can’t imagine why, I think you should follow the instructions in the recipe that instructs you to brown it.
This recipe sounds like something that I would love, do you think the result would be good if I substituted the ketchup with tomato paste?I cant’ explain it (since I like tomatoes) but ketchup doesn’t agree with me.
Prag, why not? Replace the ketchup with tomato paste thinned with a little water, and you’re there! Freiliche Purim!