This Braised Brisket Stew Recipe is the epitome of what I think of as a comfort food. It’s warm and cozy with fork-tender meat, and a sauce full of vegetables that have taken on its delicious flavor. 
The mere thought of cooking something slowly in the oven all day gets me excited!
Making something like this beef brisket stew is my favorite type of cooking. I’m talking about cooking that is slow and that completely transforms food into something even more flavorful and delicious. This is what I think of as comfort food kind of cooking.
You need to love flavor and cooking for this — and you need to have a considerable amount of available time. This is what I love do — which is why of course, I’m often cooking on the weekends!
Brisket is a tough cut of meat that needs hours to become tender. Once it does, brisket is incredibly delicious and it will melt-in-your-mouth.
I love to serve this beef brisket stew recipe over something like this Creamy Gorgonzola Polenta.
Or you can serve it over rice, pasta, mashed potatoes, or — my favorite way — with a thick, crusty, slice of roasted garlic bread.
While this beef brisket stew recipe is a brilliant addition to a Hanukkah or another holiday dinner, it’s also perfect for a super cozy, casual dinner party. Or any night! This is the type of stew you can make ahead and still wonderful — perhaps even better. (You can make it up 4 days ahead of time.)
Really, any way you serve this, it will be absolutely scrumptious.
And that’s a promise!
My mom has been making beef brisket stew for as long as I can remember, and she always wings it. And she wings it perfectly! After years of interrogating her about her method (well, her method of winging it), I have come up with this scrumptious recipe.
Can you think of a more pleasant way to spend your weekend?
Enjoy!
This stew recipe is the epitome of what I think of as a comfort food. It's warm and cozy with fork-tender meat, and a sauce full of vegetables that have taken on its delicious flavor.
*Please note that the majority of the prep time is inactive.
- 1 (2 1/2-pound) beef brisket
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- olive oil for the pan
- 1 cup Pearl onions, peeled
- 1 cup Peewee potatoes, washed, dried and cut in half
- 2 large carrots, peeled, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 cup frozen peas thawed
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
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Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F, and coat a large oven safe skillet (cast iron is perfect) -- or use a Dutch oven with olive oil.
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Rub the brisket with the Worcestershire sauce, coating it evenly, and season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
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Place the brisket, fat side up in the oil coated pan, and cover it with a fitted lid or heavy-duty foil. Place the brisket in the preheated oven for 6 hours.
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Remove the brisket from the oven, and place it on a large plate. (Leave any juices in the pan.) Let the brisket cool slightly, and then use the back of a knife or a spoon to gently scrape off the fat and discard it.
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Place the meat on a cutting board and cut it into thin (about 1/2-inch) slices -- against the grain! Set aside.
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Turn the oven up to 300 degrees F.
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Place the pan with the brisket juices on the stove over medium-high heat and add the onions. Once they're beginning to brown, add the potatoes and carrots. Cook the vegetables until they are all nicely browned, about 7 minutes.
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Move the vegetables to the sides of the pan and use a large, flat-bottomed spatula to return the sliced brisket to the center of the pan.
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Pour the stock and wine over the meat and vegetables and cover the pan. Place in the preheated oven and cook until the meat is extremely tender and the vegetables are soft, about 1 hour.
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Stir in the peas, season generously with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
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Can’t wait to make this hearty meal when the temperature drops!
sounds amazing!!! how would you convert this to a crockpot recipe?
sure, this would be great in a crockpot, too! 🙂
Delicious! Did you have your butcher cut down a brisket? I haven’t seen one anywhere that’s under 6 pounds!
excellent question — yes, i always ask to have one cut in half! or, double the recipe and eat it for a couple of weeks! 😉
I made this recipe today. Very quick to get started. 5 min of prep and in the brisket went for 6 hours. I was able to find a 2.1 lb brisket that was already in the meat case by the butcher. I added turnips in place of 1/2 potatoes. I also added a bay leaf during the last hour of cooking. Served it with dinner rolls to soak up the wonderful juices!
Rachel, I’m so happy this recipe was easy and delicious! Yay! Happy New Year! 🙂
Oy vey, I wish I didn’t find this recipe. It’s going to be trouble. I mean the yummy caloric kind, NOT the difficult to make kind. Ugh! I’ll definitely be making this in the next few weeks.
Alison, make it! Don’t worry about calories! It’s yummy and in moderation, good for you, too! 🙂
Gorgeous photos! I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Can you tell me what PeeWee potatoes are? I never heard of them before. What kind of red wine did you use? Thanks!
Hi Katherine! These potatoes are just very tiny and cute — often labeled Peewee, and often “baby” potatoes. Here’s an example: http://bit.ly/zSAb2i — As for the wine, use a red wine you like to drink — the alcohol cooks off, not the flavor! (I used a Pinot Noir that I love.) Have fun! 🙂
I made this today & my family loved it. I didn’t have pearl onions so I used sweet onions & garlic. Since we’re eating paleo I skipped on the potatoes & added thyme as well as other spices, dish went well with roasted brussel sprouts. Great recipe 🙂
Hi Carolyn, I’m so happy to hear your family loved this! I bet it was perfect with the roasted brussels sprouts. 🙂
The meat just fell apart after the 6 hrs at 250. It just shredded. Couldn’t even slice it. To brown the onions you have to reduce the pan juice a lot I am checking to see if I am right to reduce the pan juices, and to find out what to do next time so the meat doesn’t shred.
Hi Fran. I’m so sorry you weren’t able to slice the meat — I haven’t had that problem at the temperature for this duration of time. Is your oven calibrated? If so, next time, check it after 4 hours, before continuing on — if it’s not tender enough then, just keep checking every 30 minutes or so until it is. (I hope it was still delicious!) As for the the pan juices, with the heat at medium-high, they should cook/caramelize nicely — even in the juices. I hope this helps for next time!