Beef Brisket Au Jus Recipe

Trim and season

Pat the brisket dry with paper towels. Trim excess fat leaving about 1/4-inch cap. Combine kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder and rub evenly over all sides of the brisket. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes (or refrigerate covered up to overnight).

Sear

Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy ovenproof pot over medium-high heat and add vegetable oil. When shimmering, place brisket fat-side down and sear until deeply browned, 6–8 minutes. Turn and brown remaining sides, about 4–5 minutes per side. Transfer brisket to a plate.

Build flavor in pot

Reduce heat to medium. Add onions, carrots, celery and a pinch of salt to the hot pot. Sauté until softened and beginning to brown, 6–8 minutes. Add crushed garlic and tomato paste; cook while stirring 1–2 minutes until tomato paste darkens slightly.

Deglaze

Pour in the dry red wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let the wine reduce by about half, 3–4 minutes.

Add stock and aromatics

Stir in beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, brown sugar and crushed peppercorns. Bring to a gentle simmer.

Braise brisket

Return the seared brisket to the pot, fat-side up, submerging the meat about halfway in the liquid (add up to 1 extra cup beef stock or water if needed). Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and transfer to the preheated oven. Braise until fork-tender, about 3 to 3 1/2 hours for a 4-lb brisket (internal temperature around 195–205°F for slicing). Check once at halfway and spoon some braising liquid over the brisket.

Rest brisket

Carefully transfer brisket to a cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and rest 20–30 minutes before slicing against the grain into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch slices.

Strain and reduce

While the brisket rests, strain the braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan, pressing gently on solids to extract juices. Discard solids and return liquid to medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and reduce until slightly concentrated and flavorful, about 8–12 minutes (you should have roughly 1 1/2 to 2 cups).

Adjust seasoning and finish

Taste the reduced jus and season with salt (start with 1 tsp) and additional Worcestershire if desired. Whisk in the cold cubed butter one piece at a time off the heat to give the jus a glossy finish. Stir in chopped parsley if using.

Serve

Arrange sliced brisket on a serving platter and spoon warm au jus over the meat or serve au jus in a gravy boat for dipping.