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An enamel baking dish holding a sliced oven brisket topped with onions with jus on the side.
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5 / 10 votes

Edna Lewis's Oven Brisket

Our Edna Lewis's oven brisket recipe is a classic. It's an eminently affordable Sunday supper made with a bare minimum of ingredients—essentially just brisket, onions, and love.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time3 hours
Total Time3 hours 15 minutes
Course: Mains
Cuisine: Southern
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 414

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds brisket
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Vegetable or olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter or vegetable or olive oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds onions, peeled and sliced
  • 4 whole allspice berries
  • 1 bay leaf
US - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).
  • Pat the brisket dry and season it with salt and pepper to taste. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, slick it with just a little oil, then add the brisket. Sear it well, turning until all sides are well-browned. Place the seared brisket in a heavy ovenproof pot or pan such as a Dutch oven.
  • Wipe the skillet clean and then add the butter or oil and onions and return to medium-highish heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pretty well browned, 7 to 10 minutes.
  • Sprinkle the brisket with pepper and then add the browned onions, allspice, and bay. Cover tightly and transfer to the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 225°F (107°C) and let cook, undisturbed, for 2 1/2 hours.
  • Transfer the brisket to a cutting board to rest. Reserve the pan juices in the skillet.
  • Spoon off any visible fat from surface of the juices and discard the bay leaf. Spoon the onions into a sieve or strainer, place it over the pan juices, and press the onions through the sieve, discarding any solids. If desired, strain again and reduce over medium heat for a few minutes. Taste and season the pan juices with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Slice the brisket and serve with the pan juices.

Notes

  1. Leftovers and storage—Leftover brisket can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Leftovers make excellent sandwiches, can be stuffed into brisket tacos or can be used in these steak quesadillas.
  2. Scaling—To scale the recipe, use 1/2 pound of onions for each pound of brisket. Plan to cook the meat for approximately 1 hour per pound.
  3. How much meat to buy—Brisket will shrink as it cooks. Purchase enough meat for 1/2 pound of uncooked brisket per person.
  4. Carving the brisket—For tender meat, always carve against the grain of the meat.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 414kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 146mg | Sodium: 199mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g