Tangy Brisket With Ginger

By Joan Nathan

Updated April 5, 2024

Tangy Brisket With Ginger
Bobbi Lin for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero.
Total Time
About 6½ hours, plus overnight chilling
Rating
4(3,851)
Comments
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Brisket in sweet-and-sour sauce is the Zelig of the kitchen. It takes on the character of whoever cooks it. In the early part of the 20th century, when ''The Settlement Cook Book'' reigned supreme in American Jewish households, recipes for savory briskets of beef with sauerkraut, cabbage or lima beans were the norm. As tastes became more exotic, cranberry or barbecue sauce, root beer, lemonade and even sake worked their way into recipes. Here, Coca-Cola is the secret ingredient, along with ginger. 

The result is sublime and the dish only improves if it's cooked a day in advance of serving it. However, you can prepare and serve it the same day, if you'd like, though you may want to use a fat separator to strain the fat from the finished sauce. Several readers commented that the original cooking time and temperature on the recipe (3 hours, including 1 hour uncovered, at 350 degrees) was inaccurate. We've retested and adjusted the recipe, so the brisket now cooks for 5 to 6 hours, covered, at 325 degrees. Please also note that this recipe is not kosher for Passover.

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Ingredients

Yield:12 servings
  • 1first-cut brisket, 6 to 7 pounds, rinsed and patted thoroughly dry
  • 1medium onion, peeled and quartered
  • 12-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, cut into chunks
  • 6large cloves garlic
  • 1cup ketchup
  • ½cup dry red wine
  • ¼cup cider vinegar
  • ¼cup soy sauce
  • ¼cup honey
  • ¼cup Dijon mustard
  • 1tablespoon coarsely ground pepper, or to taste
  • ¼teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1½cups Coca-Cola or ginger ale
  • ½cup olive oil
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

570 calories; 43 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 21 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 28 grams protein; 621 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Let meat stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. Heat oven to 325 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    Place everything but the soda, olive oil and brisket into a food processor, and process with steel blade until smooth. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and whisk in soda and olive oil.

  3. Step 3

    Place brisket, fat side up, into a heavy baking pan just large enough to hold it, and pour sauce over it. Cover tightly and bake for 3 hours. Turn brisket over, cover pan, and bake 2 to 3 hours more or until fork-tender. Cool, cover brisket and refrigerate overnight in cooking pan.

  4. Step 4

    The next day, transfer brisket to a cutting board, cut off fat and slice with a sharp knife against grain, to desired thickness. Set meat aside. Remove any congealed fat from sauce and bring to a boil on top of stove.

  5. Step 5

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Taste sauce to see if it needs reducing. If so, boil it down for a few minutes or as needed. Return meat to sauce and warm in oven for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
3,851 user ratings
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Comments

Emily Weinstein, Deputy Food Editor

Hello, all — we noticed that several of you mentioned that the cooking time and temperature were inaccurate on this recipe. (The original version called for 3 hours, including 1 hour uncovered, at 350 degrees.) We've retested the recipe and have edited it accordingly. You'll see that the brisket now cooks for 5 to 6 hours, covered, at 325 degrees. We also adjusted the recipe so the soda and oil are whisked into the sauce mixture separately, to avoid a leaking food processor.

Trixie

This is amazing. I've made it several times with one caveat-- the ingredients started to seep out of my cuisinart so now I blend the cloves, onion, ginger, garlic, wine, ketchup, honey and cider vinegar in there, then transfer it to a large bowl and whisk in the Coke and the olive oil. I also trim the fat off while it's warm, slice it and then return it to the sauce and let it refrigerate overnight (or longer) before serving.

Ivanna

Does anyone know how to convert this recipe (reflecting the adjusted cooking instructions) for either a slow cooker or pressure cooker?

Rebecca Finger

There's something wrong with this recipe. I followed all instructions to a T. Took a charred piece of shoe leather out of the oven after the second three-hour cook time and wasted $75 on a brisket I literally had to put in the trash.

Jane Rein jane.rein4

Help! I have made what I call this recipe-- bullet-proof-- 4 or 5 times in the past and LOVED the result UNTIL last night! The brisket was a bit thinner than usual when raw, and even though I followed the recipe exactly, the brisket crumbled when sliced and the sauce turned black when we got to the 30 minute at 350 degrees phase. What happened?! Anybody have any thoughts?

GH

I have made this brisket at least two dozen times. I don’t have to be super fussy about measuring ingredients. I also don’t blend the marinade ingredients - instead, I grate or finely chop the onion. We kind of like the more rustic texture. I usually make a half brisket, and cooking time ends up being closer to 5 hours in total. A real keeper of a recipe.

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