This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This beef brisket recipe is the most tender brisket I make, and it slices like butter. The meat cooks low and slow in a sweet barbecue and currant jelly sauce until it pulls apart with a fork, with deep, savory flavor in every bite and enough sweetness to keep everyone going back for more.
I make this for the holidays and for any Sunday when I want dinner to feel like a big deal without standing over the stove all day. What I love is that I cook it the day before, so by the time everyone sits down, all I have done is reheat and slice. It has been the brisket my family expects at the table for years.
What sets this one apart is that day-before method. Chilling the cooked brisket overnight lets the fat firm up so I can lift it right off, and slicing the cold meat against the grain gives me clean, even pieces instead of a shredded mess. The sweet barbecue and currant jelly sauce does the rest, turning a tough cut into fork-tender slices with almost no work from me.
This is a holiday-table kind of dinner, so I usually round it out with a pan of my smoked baked beans going at the same time.
Family Favorite
Why I Finally Stopped Slicing This Brisket Hot
I used to fight this brisket the day I cooked it, slicing it warm and ending up with ragged, greasy pieces that fell apart. Going back into it, the fix was simple. I cook it a full day ahead now, chill it overnight, and lift the firm fat right off the top before I slice. The meat holds together, the sauce tastes cleaner, and I dialed in the seasoning so even a smaller brisket does not turn out too salty. It comes out tender and sliceable every single time.
Even your picky eaters will love this recipe. My mom never liked brisket, until I made it for her using this recipe. Now she loads up her plate and cleans it off every time!
What You’ll Need
Full amounts are in the recipe card below. These are the ones worth a note before you shop.
- Brisket: Buy a flat, untrimmed brisket and cook it fat side up. That layer of fat bastes the meat as it cooks and then firms up overnight so you can lift it off. A trimmed, lean brisket dries out over a long cook.
- Currant jelly: This is what makes the sauce. It melts into the barbecue sauce and gives it a sweet, glossy body that balances the savory beef. Grape jelly is the closest stand-in if you cannot find currant, but currant is what I use.
- Barbecue sauce: Use a sweet, thick sauce here. I like Sweet Baby Rays Hawaiian-style or a sweet original. The sauce carries the whole dish, so use one you actually like the taste of.
- Seasoning salt: Lawry’s is what I season with, but go lighter on it if your brisket is on the smaller side. The full jar of jelly and bottle of sauce stay the same, so a smaller cut can pick up too much salt if you use a full measure.
- Russet potatoes and yellow onions: They cook right in the pan under and around the brisket, soaking up the sauce and drippings. The onions melt down into a soft bed and the potatoes come out savory and tender.
How to Make Beef Brisket
Step 1: Build the Pan Lay the sliced onions across the bottom of a large roasting pan so they cover it in an even layer. Set the brisket on top, fat side up, and scatter the potato chunks around it.
Step 2: Season the Brisket and Potatoes Sprinkle the garlic powder, paprika, and seasoning salt over the brisket and the potatoes. Go a little lighter on the salt if your brisket is smaller than six pounds.
Step 3: Mix and Pour the Sauce Stir the currant jelly, barbecue sauce, and water together in a bowl until the jelly is worked in and the sauce is smooth. Pour it evenly over the brisket and potatoes.
Step 4: Cover Tight and Bake Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 4 hours. Keep the foil on the whole time. A tight seal traps the steam, and that is what turns this tough cut fork-tender.
Step 5: Cool, Then Chill Overnight Let the pan cool on the counter for an hour or two, then refrigerate it overnight. This is the step that makes the whole recipe work, so do not rush it.
Step 6: Skim The next day, lift the firm fat off the top and discard it.
Step 7: Slice Cold Take the brisket out to a cutting board and slice it against the grain, then lay the slices back in the pan with the onions and potatoes.
Step 8: Reheat to Serve About an hour before dinner, heat the oven to 350 and cook the brisket uncovered for 30 minutes. If it starts to brown too much, lower the heat to 300 and lay the foil back on loosely. Serve the potatoes in their own bowl with the sauce on the side.
How Much Brisket to Buy per Person
Plan on about half a pound of raw brisket per person. A six-pound brisket feeds a crowd of around twelve, and it cooks down as the fat renders. I usually buy a little extra on purpose because the leftovers are as good as the first night, and nobody complains about seconds.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Keep leftover brisket in the sauce, covered, in the refrigerator. Reheat slices low and covered so they stay moist, either in the oven or gently on the stovetop in the sauce.
The meat pulls apart even more the second day, which makes the leftovers ideal for piling onto rolls for brisket sandwiches.
More Dinner Recipes
Beef Brisket
Ingredients
- 6 pounds brisket
- 8 russet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- 4 yellow onions medium, sliced
- 12 ounces jar currant jelly
- 2 cups BBQ Sauce 1 bottle either Jug Brand or Hawaiian BBQ sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon Lawrys Seasoning Salt
Instructions
- Place sliced onions on bottom of roasting pan4 yellow onions
- Place brisket, fat side up, on top of onions. Spread potatoes around the brisket6 pounds brisket, 8 russet potatoes
- Season brisket and potatoes with garlic, paprika, and Lawreys.1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon Lawrys Seasoning Salt
- Mix jelly, bbq sauce, and water in a medium mixing bowl12 ounces jar currant jelly, 2 cups BBQ Sauce, 1 cup water
- Pour over brisket and potatoes
- Cover tightly with foil.
- Bake 350 degrees for 4 hours (keep the foil on)
- When done, let cool on the countertop for 1-2 hours.
- Refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning, skim the fat off the top of the brisket.
- Remove brisket from the pan, slice horizontally (against the grain) on cutting board
- Put sliced brisket back in the pan with onions and potatoes.
- 1 hour before serving, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook brisket uncovered for 30 minutes. Lower temperature to 300 and cover lightly with foil if getting too brown
- Serve potatoes on its own bowl with gravy on the side.
Jenn’s Notes
- Make this the day before. After it bakes, let it cool, then refrigerate overnight so the fat firms up on top and lifts right off.
- Slice the cold brisket against the grain for clean pieces, then reheat it in the pan with the sauce.
- If you use a smaller brisket, keep the full jar of jelly and bottle of sauce but go lighter on the seasoning salt so it does not get too salty.
- Leftovers reheat well in the sauce and make great sandwiches.
