Lemon-Garlic Brisket

By Melissa Clark

Updated Dec. 15, 2025

Lemon-Garlic Brisket
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop Stylist: Sophia Eleni Pappas.
Total Time
3 ¼ hours
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
3 hours
Rating
5(224)
Comments
Read comments

My mother, Rita Clark, adapted this recipe from Edda Servi Machlin’s “The Classic Cuisine of the Italian Jews," tweaking it slightly by using brisket instead of eye of round, and adding plenty of minced garlic. It’s fresh and lemony tasting, much zestier than the usual brisket, and far more tender, too, thanks to the acid in the lemon juice. It lasts for days in the fridge and makes excellent sandwiches. Best of all, it’s one the easiest brisket recipes out there.

Featured in: This Simple Brisket Deserves a Place at the Holiday Table

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings
  • 2medium lemons
  • 4 to 4½ pounds brisket
  • 1tablespoon fine sea salt, more to taste
  • 1teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ⅓cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2cups beef or chicken broth (preferably not unsalted)
  • 6large garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
  • 4thyme or rosemary sprigs, tied into a bouquet if you like
  • Garnishes (optional): chopped herbs (parsley, chives, tarragon, fennel fronds) or tender celery leaves; chopped or thinly sliced white or red onions; capers; flaky sea salt; smoked paprika or crushed red pepper; more grated lemon zest
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

633 calories; 51 grams fat; 19 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 24 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 36 grams protein; 634 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

    Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grate the zest of the lemons into a small bowl. Squeeze the juice of the lemons into a separate bowl.

  2. Step 2

    Season the brisket with salt and pepper. If the brisket is too big for the pot, cut it in two pieces (it will shrink as it cooks).

  3. Step 3

    Over medium heat, warm a Dutch oven large enough to hold the brisket snugly and add the olive oil. When the oil is shimmering, sear meat until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side.

  4. Step 4

    Add the lemon juice and cook for 5 more minutes, turning the meat over so it can absorb the juice.

  5. Step 5

    Reduce the heat to low; add the broth, garlic and herbs, and bring liquid to a simmer. Cover the pot and place it in the oven. Cook until the meat is very tender, 2½ to 3 ½ hours, turning the meat three or four times while it cooks.

  6. Step 6

    Uncover the pot and add the lemon zest, stirring it into the liquid. Continue to cook uncovered for another 15 minutes. Discard the herbs.

  7. Step 7

    If you have time, let the brisket cool in the pot, then refrigerate overnight (see Tip). Otherwise, transfer brisket to a cutting board and slice the meat against the grain.

  8. Step 8

    Skim the fat from the top of the sauce. (If you’ve refrigerated, it will have solidified, and you can pull it off.)

  9. Step 9

    If the sauce seems thin when you remove the meat to slice it, put the pot on the stovetop and simmer it to thicken for 5 to 15 minutes. Taste sauce and add more salt and lemon juice as needed. Serve topped with any of the garnishes.

Tip
  • If you’ve made the brisket ahead of time, slice it while it’s cold (this gives you the neatest slices), then warm it up in the sauce, either over low heat on the stovetop or in a 350-degree oven for about 40 minutes.

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5 out of 5
224 user ratings
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Comments

Leslye Borden

I loved this article. I too tried to make every occasion different and delicious. I once made a Mexican themed Thanksgiving, replete with cranberry jalapeno sauce and tequila braised onions. My family hated it and looked forward to "real" Thanksgiving the next night at Grandma's. Now we always have "traditional" Thanksgiving and I make one dish different, for my own interest and satisfaction.

Prakash Nadkarni

Pressure cooking/Instant Pot in Step 5 instead of stovetop cooking works well. The "meat/stew" setting - 35-45 mins + natural release- is pretty effective in breaking down the brisket's abundant collagen to unctuous gelatin. The brisket sold at Costco is pretty enormous, but I use this approach for corned beef (which is made from brisket).

#FreeDC

Definitely better than tequila braised chicken! Followed the recipe without adjustment and none needed i think. I recommend the point cut of brisket which weighs about 3 lb. Goes well with cucumber and dill salad.

Alex Witchel

With all due respect to my mother, this is the best brisket I have ever had. Or made. The lemon is a game changer.

liane thatcher

This was our Christmas dinner and what a hit! We did cook it the day before, used #2 cut as the butcher said more flavorful, only 4 T of lemon. When we warmed it up on the 25th we set aside some of the sauce and made a gravy. Everyone loved it. Very good and relatively easy.

Theresa O

Incredible and easy! I made it the night before as suggested. The next day I removed the fat and added 2 cups of stock before heating on the stovetop. With this addition, it was nice and juicy with plenty of flavorful sauce. It definitely needed the additional liquid. Other than that no edits!

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