Concord Grape Brisket

I grew up eating brisket for all our holiday dinners.  My mom would put the brisket in the oven in the morning and by the time I got home from school the smell of brisket cooking was all through the house.  

That brisket was the only recipe we used every year and it never failed to dissappoint.  With only 4 ingredients and a minimal amount of work people always asked my mom for the recipe (see Mum’s Brisket blog post for that recipe).  

Now that I have taken over the job of brisket-making for our holiday meals I’ve been experimenting with new ideas and my latest recipe, this Concord grape brisket, was so good I had to share.  

This recipe requires more ingredients and a bit more work but the result is so mouth-watering good I encourage you to try it.  If you have leftovers make yourself a delicious brisket sandwich on crusty bread with butter, the caramelized onions from the sauce and braising liquid drizzled over top.  This sandwich can be a messy one to eat so make sure you have lots of napkins around!

5-6 lb double brisket

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 sprigs thyme

2 Tbsp oil

2 Tbsp butter

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup Concord grape juice

3/4 cup Concord grape jam

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Season brisket generously with salt  and pepper. Spread garlic and thyme sprigs on both sides of brisket.  Let stand on counter for 1 hour or in fridge overnight.  Bring meat to room temperature for 1 hour before cooking. 

Scrape off garlic and thyme and set aside. Heat oven to 300F.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Blot beef with paper towel to remove excess moisture.   

Add brisket carefully into pan and sear without moving until deeply browned approximately 6 minutes.  Turn over and repeat on other side.  Transfer meat to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium and add butter and onions to pot.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Cook until onions are golden brown, approximately 15 minutes, careful not to let them burn.

Return garlic and thyme to pot and cook until garlic is fragrant.  Add wine and scrape up any browned bits from bottom of pot.   

Bring to a simmer, add grape juice and return meat to pot fat side up.  Cover and transfer to oven.  Cook until meat is extremely tender 2-3 hours.

Let cool then chill at least 8 hours or up to 2 days. The brisket is easier to cut when it’s cool.  

When ready to reheat, preheat oven to 250F. 

Remove brisket from pot and slice against the grain.  

Heat liquid in pot and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to half.  Add grape jelly and cook 2-3 minutes or until the grape jelly has melted into the sauce.   

Add sliced brisket back into pan and reheat for 30 minutes.

Remove brisket to serving platter, pour braising liquid over and serve.