Handmade Hanukkah: 3-Ingredient Hanukkah Brisket

Welcome to Day 2 of my Handmade Hanukkah series!  Yesterday, I shared a fun DIY menorah made from repurposed salt shakers.  Today, I'm sharing one of my favorite Jewish holiday foods... my mom's beef brisket.  I guess it's not technically a Jewish food the way latkes is, but we always had it for holidays growing up.  Fork tender and smothered in thick mushroom-onion gravy it goes perfectly with everything from potato latkes to noodle pudding...as long as you're not kosher.  It's also better the longer it sits, so it's the ideal entree to make ahead and freeze...then all you have to do is pop it in the oven to reheat and you're good to go.  This is especially nice when you're up to your ears in oil frying all those potato latkes.

There are only three ingredients, so it couldn't be easier to make... 

INGREDIENTS:

4 lbs. beef brisket

2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup

1-2 packages of dry onion soup mix. 

HELPFUL HINTS:

1.) Do NOT use corned beef for this...LOL.  I made that mistake the first time I cooked this myself and let me tell you....the salt content was off the charts.  To this day, after 10 years together, it's the only thing I have ever cooked for my husband that he would not eat. 

2.) Semi-condensed soup works too, for a lighter version, but makes a less creamy gravy.  You can always thicken it up later with flour.

3.) I prefer this recipe with only one packet of dry soup mix because I think it's too salty with two packs, but I'll leave it to you to decide.

DIRECTIONS:

Line a baking dish with a large sheet of aluminum foil.  (If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend Reynold's 100% recycled aluminum foil.  It costs the same as regular, feels heavier and is better for the environment.  Another option is If You Care brand's recycled foil, although it is much thinner. That's actually what I'm using in these photos.)

 

Mix the mushroom soup and the onion soup mix to make your gravy. Pour half of the gravy into the dish, place the meat on top, then cover the meat with the rest of the gravy. Make sure your brisket is totally smothered, then seal the foil tightly, completely encasing the contents. (Sorry, I forgot to get a picture of the meat covered with gravy.) Bake at 300 degrees for two hours.

Let brisket cool slightly, then slice against the grain.

Place slices back in a clean pan and cover with gravy. At this point you can either heat and serve or freeze it for later.

That's all there is to it! 

Ready to try a brisket for Hanukkah this year?  If not, what will you be making?  I'm always on the lookout for great new recipes and menus so feel free to share your favorites in the comments below.  (And don't be afraid to make this anytime of year!  It's not just for Hanukkah.)

Thanks for stopping by...hope you'll come back soon. In my next post, I'll be sharing my mom's recipe and tips for perfect potato pancakes!  Follow along at any of the links below so you don't miss a thing. XOXO, Cindi

Facebook | Twitter | BlogLovin | Subscribe to this Blog