The Ultimate Brisket in Sweet and Sour Sauce

My brother in law, Buddy, disdains all food groups except Ketchup. Last year I made a really good lemon chicken and he poured ketchup all over it. However, when I served this brisket, he treated it as though it was being served to Royalty. No ketchep, just great admiration for a dish well cooked. This is truely the ultimate brisket.

1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1 two-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
6 large cloves of garlic
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 1/2 cups coca cola
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1. Heat oven to 360 degrees. Place everything but the brisket into a food processor and process until smooth.

2. Place brisket, fat side up in a heavy baking pan just large enough to hold it. Pour sauce over it. Cover tightly and bake to 2 hours. Turn brisket over and bake uncovered for one more hour or until tender. Cool, cover brisket and refrigerate overnight in cooking pan.

3. The next day, transfer brisket to a cutting board, cut off fat and cut meat with a sharp knife against the grain. Remove congealed fat from sauce and bring to a boil.

4. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Taste sauce to see if it needs to be reduced. If so, boil it down a few minutes. Return meat to sauce and warm in oven for 20 minutes.


This recipe was written by Joan Nathan, the foremost authority on Jewish cooking in America.