Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights starts at the end of this week. Savory meats, fried foods, and sweet desserts are the major components of the holiday menu. Brisket is a main dish associated with many of the Jewish holidays, but particularly with Hanukkah. This brisket is richly flavored with a homemade cranberry and onion sauce and it is delicious!

This recipe is pretty simple and straight forward, but there are a few things to keep in mind when making it. It is best to start preparing this dish at least 14 – 30 hours ahead of when it is to be served. The brisket is slowly braised, left to rest for 8 – 48 hours, then sliced and reheated before serving. That all takes time.

The foil and parchment paper package that the brisket is cooked in may seem very particular and fussy, but the results make it worth the effort. Using the 18″ wide heavy duty foil eliminates the need to crimp two narrower foil sheets together for each layer. The parchment paper layers keep the tart cranberry sauce from coming into contact with the aluminum foil. Tightly wrapping the layers around the brisket allows the brisket to braise in its own juices and absorb the flavors of the cranberry sauce, while preserving the moistness of the meat during cooking. Tightly rewrapping the meat while it rests for an extended period of time keeps the meat from drying out. The resulting moist and flavorful brisket is the centerpiece of this Hanukkah meal!

Cranberry-Onion Hanukkah Brisket (adapted from a recipe by Justin Chapple via foodandwine.com) Total Time: 6 hours + resting time (up to 48 hours), Active Time: 40 minutes,  Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 pounds (about 8 cups) fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 (1/2-inch) lemon peel strip
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 (1-ounce) envelopes onion soup and dip mix
• 1 (5- to 7-pound) beef brisket, trimmed

Special equipment: 18″ wide heavy-duty aluminum foil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Combine the cranberries, sugar, lemon peel strip, lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring and crushing the cranberries with a wooden spoon, until they have broken down and the mixture has thickened, 10 to 14 minutes.

Remove the cranberry sauce from the heat, and stir in the onion soup mix.

Allow the mixture to cool slightly, about 15 minutes.

Using 18-inch wide heavy-duty aluminum foil, layer a sheet of foil in a large roasting pan, covering the bottom of the pan and letting the foil extend 8-inches past both ends. Layer an additional sheet of the foil crosswise. Top the layers of foil with a sheet of parchment paper.

Season the brisket with 2 tablespoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Spread about a quarter of the cranberry sauce in the center of the parchment.

Place the brisket, fat side up, on top of the cranberry sauce. Spread the remaining sauce over top of the brisket.

Top the sauced brisket with another sheet of parchment, and wrap the foil tightly around the beef. Crimp the foil to seal in the brisket. Place the roasting pan on a baking sheet, and braise the brisket in the preheated oven until it is fork-tender, about 3 to 3-1/2 hours.

Uncover the brisket and let it cool completely, about 1-1/2 hours, leaving it on the parchment and foil. Tightly recover the brisket and refrigerate it for at least 8 hours and up to 2 days.

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Uncover the brisket, and discard any fat that has solidified on the surface of the brisket and the pan drippings. Scrape the cranberry sauce off the brisket, placing the sauce in a bowl, then set the sauce aside. Transfer the brisket to a carving board, and slice it against the grain.

Arrange the brisket slices in an ovenproof serving dish, and spoon the reserved cranberry sauce over top of the meat.

Cover the dish and bake it in the preheated oven until it is heated through, 35 – 40 minutes. Serve.

The Festival of Light is epitomized in this festival of flavor!  ~Linda

Cranberry-Onion Hanukkah Brisket (adapted from a recipe by Justin Chapple via foodandwine.com) Total Time: 6 hours + resting time (up to 48 hours), Active Time: 40 minutes,  Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 pounds (about 8 cups) fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 (1/2-inch) lemon peel strip
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 (1-ounce) envelopes onion soup and dip mix
• 1 (5- to 7-pound) beef brisket, trimmed

Special equipment: 18″ wide heavy-duty aluminum foil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Combine the cranberries, sugar, lemon peel strip, lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring and crushing the cranberries with a wooden spoon, until they have broken down and the mixture has thickened, 10 to 14 minutes. Remove the cranberry sauce from the heat, and stir in the onion soup mix. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, about 15 minutes.

Using 18-inch wide heavy-duty aluminum foil, layer a sheet of foil in a large roasting pan, covering the bottom of the pan and letting the foil extend 8-inches past both ends. Layer an additional sheet of the foil crosswise. Top the layers of foil with a sheet of parchment paper.

Season the brisket with 2 tablespoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Spread about a quarter of the cranberry sauce on the center of the parchment paper and place the brisket, fat side up, on top of the cranberry sauce. Spread the remaining sauce over top of the brisket. Top the sauced brisket with another sheet of parchment, and wrap the foil tightly around the beef. Crimp the foil to seal it. Place the roasting pan on a baking sheet, and braise the brisket in the preheated oven until it is fork-tender, about 3 to 3-1/2 hours. Uncover the brisket and let it cool completely, about 1-1/2 hours, leaving it on the parchment and foil. Tightly recover the brisket and refrigerate it for at least 8 hours and up to 2 days.

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Uncover the brisket, and discard any fat that has solidified on the surface of the brisket and the pan drippings. Scrape the cranberry sauce off the brisket, placing the sauce in a bowl, then set the sauce aside. Transfer the brisket to a carving board, and slice it against the grain. Arrange the brisket slices in an ovenproof serving dish, and spoon the reserved cranberry sauce over top of the meat. Cover the dish and bake it in the preheated oven until it is heated through, 35 – 40 minutes. Serve.