Holiday Beef Brisket is a delicious Christmas main dish! This easy slow cooker recipe is made ahead so you can enjoy stress-free festivities. The brisket is infused with the savory flavors of onion soup mix and the tangy sweetness of cranberry sauce.
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Today I’m sharing what will be your favorite Holiday main dish! What could be better than making a scrumptious Christmas dinner main dish ahead of time in a slow cooker? I have made this recipe a dozen times, and it is just so good! Holiday Beef Brisket is a real family favorite.
After a huge fancy brunch, lots of gift-giving, nibbling on cheese trays and hors-d’oeuvres, eating our weights in cookies, and time with family, the last thing I want to do is make a complicated meal Christmas evening.
So I have several easy company-worthy dinners up my fur-cuffed sleeves to quickly and almost effortlessly put a gorgeous Christmas dinner on the table! One of my favorite main courses is Holiday Beef Brisket.
What Is Holiday Beef Brisket
Holiday Beef Brisket is a melt-in-your-mouth Christmas brisket recipe served as a main course. It is also known as Jewish Brisket or Christmas Brisket.
Why You Will Love Beef Brisket
- EASY TO MAKE – Put everything in a slow cooker and forget it!
- THREE INGREDIENTS – Three ingredients work their culinary magic to make this the best recipe for the holidays.
- DELICIOUS – A true crowd-pleaser. It has a holiday taste.
- MAKE AHEAD– This recipe is an easy make-ahead main dish.
What You Will Need To Make Holiday Beef Brisket
Just 3 ingredients and a bit of time will give you a scrumptiously tender, full-of-flavor, meaty Christmas main dish!
Beef Brisket: Brisket is part of the pectoral muscle of the cow and gets lots of exercise. When you can get a first or flat-cut brisket because it is more even in thickness and has less fat. Beef brisket has a deep, beefy flavor and, when it is cooked low and slow is very tender.
Onion Soup Mix: Use one dry packet of Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix.
Cranberry Sauce: One can of cranberry sauce or cranberry jelly will give the Brisket sauce a tangy flavor.
Salt And Black Pepper: Salt and pepper are flavor enhancers that work to tenderize the brisket.
Instructions For Making Holiday Beef Brisket
This recipe is so easy to make. Make Holiday Beef Brisket a day or two before you want to serve it for dinner.
- Sprinkle the brisket with salt and pepper and put it in a large slow cooker.
- Evenly sprinkle one packet of Lipton Onion Soup over the brisket.
- Add a 14oz can of cranberry sauce or cranberry jelly to the slow cooker and cut it apart, spreading it over the brisket.
- Cook on low for 8 hours.
- The brisket should be fork tender or falling apart. Remove to a plate. When the brisket is cool, wrap it tightly in foil and put it in the refrigerator.
- Put the liquid in a container in the fridge.
- When you are ready to serve the beef brisket, slice it cold and arrange it into an oven-proof dish.
- Take the solidified excess fat off of the juice and pour it over the beef.
- Heat it in a 350° oven until hot and bubbly.
Other Ingredients To Add To Beef Brisket
Holiday beef brisket tastes fabulous when it is made according to the recipe, but you can tweak the recipe to personalize it by adding more layers of flavor. Here are a few options for making Holiday Beef Brisket…
More Onions: Slice one or two medium yellow onions and add them to the slow cooker along with the other ingredients.
Garlic: Add two crushed garlic cloves to the slow cooker.
Red Wine: Red wine will help tenderize the meat and add a distinct savoriness.
Herbs: Herbs like thyme, parsley, rosemary, and bay leaves will add more flavor and freshness to the brisket. Add a teaspoon or so to the brisket in the slow cooker.
Spices: Paprika and other spices can be used to give this main dish a different flavor profile.
Carrots: Adding a carrot or two will help to add sweetness and body to the sauce.
Whole Cranberries: One cup of cranberries adds to the tangy flavor of the sauce.
Tomato Paste: Add 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste to the ingredients in the slow cooker for richness and body.
Worcestershire Sauce: Add some to your brisket along with all the other ingredients.
What To Know About Holiday Beef Brisket To Make This Dish A Success
Make this recipe one or two days ahead of when you want to use it.
The prep is very minimal. Yay!
Brisket is beef that needs to be cooked or roasted at a low temperature for a long time to be tender. It is the perfect meat to use in a slow cooker.
For this recipe, you can use a 3-7 lb beef brisket. However, use the same amount of onion soup mix and cranberry sauce or jelly.
No need to stir the brisket. Just let it cook.
You will want to separate the brisket from the liquid. Before removing the liquid, scrape any brown bits that have formed on the side of the slow cooker into the liquid.
Slice the brisket while it is cold. It should be cut across the grain of the meat or shredded.
Put the cut brisket in a large baking dish. Pour the sauce, without the fat, over the beef. Cover, and bake until heated through.
How To Store Holiday Beef Brisket
Beef brisket can safely be kept in your refrigerator for 3-4 days without the sauce and 2 days in the sauce.
And can be frozen for 4-12 months without the sauce and up to 3 months in the sauce. Just remember to keep it in a container with a tight-fitting lid or a freezer bag.
5 from 5 votes
Holiday Beef Brisket
A delicious, flavorful beef brisket done in the slow cooker that is fork-tender and served with the juices as a sauce
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Ingredients
- 1 4-5lb flat-cut beef brisket
- 1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix
- 1 14 oz. can of cranberry sauce or jelly
Instructions
Sprinkle the brisket with salt and pepper and put it in a large slow cooker.
Evenly sprinkle one packet of Lipton Onion Soup over the brisket.
Cut the cranberry sauce into chunks and add to the ingredients in the slow cooker.
Cook on low for 8 hours. The brisket should be fork tender or falling apart.
Remove to a plate. When it is cool, wrap it tightly in foil and put it in the frig.
Put the liquid in a tight-fitting container in the fridge.
When you are ready to serve the beef brisket, slice it cold against the grain and arrange it in an oven-proof dish. Take the solidified excess fat off the juice and pour the liquid over the beef. Cover with foil.
Heat it in a 350° oven until hot and bubbly. Serve.
Servings: 8
I hope you will give Holiday Beef Brisket a try!
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