Christmas Dinner Ideas — The Brisket That Holds the Year Together

Hanukkah ends and the year ends and I sit in the kitchen on New Year's Eve with a glass of wine and the radio and the quiet of a house that holds one person and the ghosts of forty years, and I think about what this year held: the first full year without Marvin at home. The first year of daily visits. The first year of the book. The first year of being Ruth-without-Marvin-in-the-next-room, which is a different Ruth than Ruth-with-Marvin-in-the-next-room, a Ruth who is lonelier and more productive and more tired and more alive, all at once, because the aloneness strips the distractions and the stripping leaves the essential: the writing, the cooking, the visiting, the loving. These are the essential acts. These are the bones of the life. The rest — the noise, the company, the shared evenings — the rest is the flesh, and the flesh is gone, and the bones remain, and the bones are strong.

I made brisket for New Year's Day. The constant. The anchor. The prayer. Six hours. Low heat. The recipe unchanged. The kitchen unchanged. The woman unchanged, except for everything that has changed, which is everything, and which the brisket does not acknowledge, because the brisket is loyal, the brisket is faithful, the brisket does what it has always done: it braises, it tenderizes, it fills the house with the smell of devotion, and the devotion is the love, and the love is the brisket, and the brisket is the chain, and the chain does not break.

When I say the brisket is unchanged, I mean it exactly — the same cut, the same pan, the same six hours I have kept for forty years, and that faithfulness is the whole point, because this year of all years I needed something that would not ask me to adapt or adjust or become someone new. If you are looking for your own anchor — a dish for a holiday table that will hold whatever grief or gratitude you bring to it — this is the one I reach for, every time, without question.

Christmas Dinner Ideas: Classic Braised Brisket

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 6 hours | Total Time: 6 hours 20 minutes | Servings: 8–10

Ingredients

• 4 to 5 pounds beef brisket, flat cut
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola or vegetable)
• 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 3 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat and season. Preheat your oven to 300°F. Pat the brisket thoroughly dry with paper towels and season all over with salt and pepper.
2. Sear the meat. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy roasting pan over medium-high heat. Sear the brisket fat-side down for 4–5 minutes until deep golden brown, then flip and sear the other side for another 3–4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Build the base. Reduce heat to medium. Add the onions to the same pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
4. Deglaze and combine. Pour in the red wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the beef broth, crushed tomatoes, carrots, celery, thyme, bay leaves, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine.
5. Braise low and slow. Return the brisket to the pot, fat-side up, nestling it into the braising liquid. The liquid should come about halfway up the sides of the meat. Cover tightly with a lid or heavy-duty foil and transfer to the oven.
6. Cook six hours. Braise undisturbed for 5 1/2 to 6 hours, until the brisket is completely fork-tender and yields without resistance. Do not rush this step — the low heat is the whole point.
7. Rest and slice. Remove the brisket from the braising liquid and let it rest on a cutting board for 15 minutes. Slice against the grain into 1/4-inch slices. Skim any excess fat from the surface of the braising liquid and spoon the sauce generously over the sliced meat before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 48g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 10g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 580mg