Growing up Rosh Hashanah always meant a trip to grandmaās house. Ten kids running around, eight adults, games, music, naps on the living room floor after temple and, of course, a whole lot of food.
Grandma always had a spread:Ā matzah ball soup, brisket, chicken, kasha, roasted vegetables, salads andĀ potatoes. Every year grandma outdid herself. Her meals evolved and as the ten of us got older, there seemed to be more and more food (and no leftovers the following day).
As we all got older, got married, moved, had lots of kids, joined different temples, our traditions changed. Grandma now comes to our houses. For a change, we finally get to feed her and she gets to sit back and enjoy as we did when we were children.
Figuring out how grandma made her brisket was always a challenge. If you have ever seen the show āEveryone Loves Raymondā you kind of get the idea of where this is going. She might have given you the recipe but it never tastes the same. I tried for years. Maybe it was the love she put into it, maybe she left out an ingredient, I will never know, but now it was up to me to figure it out.
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One of my favorite things about cooking now for the holidays is I get to take all these traditional foods that grandma once made and put a modern twist on it. Her chicken liver that made all the kids cringe? Now we make it vegetarian and itās gone within seconds; the potatoes that were smothered in mushrooms and onions are now plain and simple. The brisket that she made, you know the one that sat in the oven all day, now is made in a crock pot. I still cook with the love, but with a modern twistĀ ā easy, simple, throw together in the morning, come home from Temple and serve.
Notes:
- I like to serve the brisket on a large plate with a little gravy and all the vegetables surrounding the cut up brisket. I put the rest of the gravy in a serving bowl or serving container so my guests can enjoy some extra gravy on the side.
- This dish can also be frozen if you wanted to prepare ahead. I would recommend using one of those throwaway tins (which makes for easy clean up). Place meat into tin, pour over sauce and when cool freeze. The morning of your dinner, take out to thaw and heat up in the oven till warm.
Crockpot Sweet and Sour Brisket
This is a modern twist on my grandmotherās brisket, which I loved growing up. This simple recipe is easy to throw together in the morning.
- Total Time: 5-10 hours
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 3 lb brisket
- 2 Tbsp neutral oil
- 2 large onions, diced
- 6 carrots, cut into matchsticks
- 5 stalks of celery, chopped (+ leaves if you have)
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- Ā¼ cup dried cranberries
- 6 Tbsp cider vinegar
- Ā¼ cup brown sugar
- Ā½ cup ketchup
- Ā¾ cup stock (I used chicken)
- Ā¾ cup red wine
- a handful of fresh cut herbs (I used parsley and tarragon)
Instructions
- Heat up a large skillet and add 1 Tbsp oil. Sprinkle all sides of your brisket with a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Add brisket to the sautƩ pan and brown on both sides (about 5 minutes per side). When brisket is browned, add to crock pot.
- In same skillet, add a touch more oil and sautƩ onions, celery, carrots and garlic for about 5-10 minutes, cooking the vegetables just a touch.
- Meanwhile in measuring cup add wine, stock, brown sugar, ketchup and vinegar. Whisk and set aside.
- When vegetables are done add cranberries and cook for another minute. Pour in the wine mixture and add herbs, bring to a boil.
- Carefully pour vegetables and sauce over brisket, cook high 4-6 hours or on low 8-10 hours.
- When done, take out meat, let cool for 5 minutes or until easy to handle, cut, plate and spoon some vegetables over with a touch of gravy.
Notes
- I like to serve the brisket on a large plate with a little gravy and all the vegetables surrounding the cut up brisket. I put the rest of the gravy in a serving bowl or serving container so my guests can enjoy some extra gravy on the side.
- This dish can also be frozen if you wanted to prepare ahead. I would recommend using one of those throwaway tins (which makes for easy clean up). Place meat into tin, pour over sauce and when cool freeze. The morning of your dinner, take out to thaw and heat up in the oven till warm.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4-10 hours
- Category: Entree
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Ashkenazi
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Rosh Hashanah
Pronounced: roshe hah-SHAH-nah, also roshe ha-shah-NAH, Origin: Hebrew, the Jewish new year.
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This recipe is seriously SO good. Tangy, sweet, and flavorful. I did triple the recipe for a dinner party of 20, and good thing I didāeveryone wanted seconds. My Jewish grandma even said that it was fantastic!
I have a slow cooker but not a crockpot. How would the timing differ? How about the cranberries?
What type of wine do you use?
Slow cookers and crockpots are essentially the same thing. You can use any red wine you’d also be happy to drink! Enjoy.
Crockpot is a brand of slow cooker
this is so good, thanks for sharing
Iām not a fan of slow cooker meat usually, but this is really delicious! I take out some of the liquid and thicken it with a simple cornstarch slurry to make a thicker gravy, otherwise, I just follow the recipe. I do use a dry wine, as itās sweet enough to me.
I made this with chicken! Switched the red wine for white. I really do try not to mess w/a recipe the first time, but I had lots of chicken thighs and the butcher had no brisket! It was really good!
Sounds good. I have so much frozen thighs
I would only add, that our Brisket had to have approximately 1/42āl edge on it(fat)
Yum!
Had to smile referencing the different results regarding your grandmother’s recipe. Perhaps by going easy and simple, the labor she put into her recipe is the missing ingredient.
Did as one commentator states, using chicken thighs rather than brisket and following the directions as written.
Thank you for the enjoyable nostalgic time travel, recipe and tips.
This recipe sounds delicious. I really want to try it but can I leave out the cranberries without affecting the taste?
Sure!
Can this be made in the oven instead of a crock pot? if so, can you please suggest timing and temperature?
This recipe was developed for the crock pot, but we have many, many brisket recipes made in the oven on the site, like this French Onion Brisket or this Classic Holiday Brisket.
I can not have any alcohol and it doesn’t all burn off in the cooking. What can I use instead?
This is a handy guide to substituting wine in recipes.
I am not a big wine drinker. Can you provide some examples of some good wine to use in the recipe? Is it better to use a dry red wine versus a sweet one?
The general rule is to use wine you’d be happy to drink (or, in your case, serve to others), but you can also substitute it for something else. We like this handy guide when it comes to wine substitutions.
The meat melts in your mouth ! Except I don’t use cranberries and instead of wine I use red natural grape food coloring.This cut of meat is rich in connective tissue, which is composed of collagen, making it ideal for slow cooking or braising. During cooking, the collagen breaks down into gelatin, enhancing the flavor and juiciness of the dish.
can i make this recipe using the stove top instead of a crock pot?
Easy directions. Will eat it tomorrow for Rosh Hashana dinner š½ļø. Thanks š
Chop the onions?
Diced or thinly sliced, it doesn’t matter so much as you’re slow-cooking this dish, so they will be tender.
Iām in the process of prepping the vegetables now to make this recipe. But your photo doesnāt look like itās the same recipe. It show carrot chunks instead of matchsticks. And where are all the onions and celery? I only gave it 3 stars because I donāt know yet how it will turn out