Serves 10 

Note from Liz: There are lots of reasons to serve brisket on a holiday: It’s a guaranteed crowd pleaser, it’s the ultimate do-ahead entree (so much better if you do) and best of all, it’s almost effortless. With Rosh HaShanah falling so early this year, it’s sure to be a hot one so I’ll be cooking my brisket in a slow cooker. Not only will you avoid adding any heat to your kitchen but you can season your meat, set the crock pot and forget it for 10-12 hours. Easy! 

My go-to source for highest quality, kosher, pasture raised beef is Grow & Behold. I use the first cut brisket for this recipe and love the tender slices that can be shredded for brisket tacos. 

 

Ingredients: 

5 lbs. First Cut Brisket (2 briskets at approximately 2.5 pounds each is fine) 

 

Rub: 

  • 2 Tb. dry mustard 
  • 2 Tb. chili powder 
  • 1 Tb. powdered ginger 
  • 1 Tb. smoked paprika 
  • 1 Tb. cumin 
  • 3 Tb. light brown sugar 

 

Sauce: 

  • ½ cup fish-free Worcestershire sauce 
  • ½ cup ketchup 
  • 3 Tb. apple cider vinegar 
  • ½ cup water 
  • 1-2 tsp. liquid from 1 small can chipotle in adobo (optional; see notes*) 

 

Other: 

  • 4 Tb. olive oil
  • 1 tsp.each: salt and ground pepper 
  • 2 large Spanish onions, thinly sliced into half moons 
  • 1 head garlic, unpeeled, sliced in half, horizontally 

 

Directions: 

Pat brisket dry with paper towels and set aside. 

In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the rub. Combine and set aside. In another bowl, stir together the ingredients for the sauce. Set aside. 

Preheat the slow cooker to low. 

If you have 2 pieces of brisket, divide the olive oil, rub and sauce in half. Eyeballing the ingredients is fine; no need for precision here. 

Place all of the onions and both halves of the garlic head in the bottom of the insert. Rub each brisket, top and bottom, with 2 Tb. olive oil and half of the seasoning. Place the first brisket on top of the onion and garlic layer. Pour half of the prepared sauce over the meat. It may not look like enough sauce, but it is. 

Season the second brisket, top and bottom, with remaining olive oil and rub mixture. Place on top of the first piece of meat, covering with remaining sauce. 

Place lid on slow cooker, cook on low setting for 10-12 hours. 

Remove briskets from the slow cooker and cool. Strain gravy. Spoon some gravy over the unsliced meat and place the rest in a jar. Refrigerate meat and gravy. 

The next day: skim fat from gravy. With 2 forks, pull brisket (or shred with a knife) and pile on a platter next to pickled onions**, salsa, shredded greens and avocado. Tuck it all into a taco and enjoy. 

 

 

Notes:

*Chipotle in adobo has a smoky spicy flavor with an underlying sweetness. If your family is sensitive to heat, use 1-2 teaspoons of the canned sauce or skip it entirely. If your crew likes heat, use one of the canned chipotle peppers in the recipe but remove from gravy before straining. 

**Quickled (quick pickled) red onions are easy to make. Find an easy recipe by searching “pickled onions” at www.kosherlikeme.com.