Braised Brisket With Plums, Star Anise and Port Recipe (2024)

I let brisket cool on the counter, sliced it, put it in a baking dish (a shallow casserole), then spooned some gravy over it & refrigerated it, covered. Rest of sauce was refrigerated in a saucepan. The next day I removed meat from the fridge an hour before reheating. Brought the sauce to a simmer, poured over meat & reheated at 350 for 25 min. With meat already sliced there was much more surface area to absorb the sauce. Also, it was ready to put right on the table with no last minute slicing.

Why is it that so many of the complainants don't understand that after you marinate the brisket you rub it clean? I know the recipe only mentions "Wipe off garlic and thyme," but if you do that you also rub off any remaining salt and pepper.

After an hour of cooking, I tasted the sauce which was awful! Way too much thyme taste and too salty and peppery. I threw out all the liquid, rinsed the partially cooked brisket and made it the way I usually do, and it turned out perfectly. Was there an error in the recipe amounts- really, a whole bunch of thyme? And 1.5 tablespoons of pepper, plus 2 tablespoons of kosher salt? Maybe folks just have different tastes than mine, but, Ms. Clark, this one is a swing and a miss.

This is my go-to recipe for dinner parties. Sometimes I serve it exactly as described, but usually I use a handheld blender to puree the plum sauce into a thick gravy before serving - kids like this (they don't even know there are onions in there!). Everyone (and I mean everyone) who has had this has asked me for the recipe later, so I direct them to Melissa Clark straight away.

This looks yum and I will do what I have always done with brisket. After cooking separate the meat from the juice and refrigerate both. When cold slice the brisket. Remove the fat from the juice and put the whole thing in a large serving dish. Then reheat on a low oven till ready to serve. The brisket is so tender and being cold easier to cut then right out of the oven. That way it does not fall apart.

The very best brisket recipe I've ever found. Very hard to get the butcher to give you the "2d" cut or deckle but if you can find one (butcher) old enough to understand, you'll see the difference immediately. I've used Manischewitz when I didn't have Port and in a pinch, it's a pretty good substitute.

Whenever i use woody spices like star anise, cardamom, cinnamon sticks, etc, i wrap them in cheesecloth and tie it up so can lift out the bag of spices after cooking. Works like a charm.

In step 4--after refrigerating the brisket remove from fridge and now, when it is cold-- is the perfect time to slice it. Remove all the plums and other saucy elements clinging to the brisket and reserve them.
Slice this across the grain (to avoid stringy meat).
NOW--go on to the warming, simmering, etc.

I made it in a crock pot over night and it was delicious.

I'm making it with prunes, after soaking them overnight in water, draining of course. I'm reducing the recipe by a bit too, making it for buffet at brunch

Succeeded in reproducing this recipe using a 5.5 lb. 1st cut brisket, substituting Kedem Heavy Concord Grape wine for port (spiking it with hard liquor to approximate the alcohol content of fortified wine). Measured out the salt and pepper. Wiped the brisket with paper towels after 5 hrs. in the refrigerator and removed the sliced garlic, thyme, and any excess salt or pepper. Had no problem, none at all, with saltiness. The star anise, plum, and brisket flavored were insanely good. Recommend!

I think you're remembering Peking style roast beef. Some versions don't have the gin, but this one does: http://impexco.org/?p=5918

I made this last year and it cam out perfectly. I am in the middle of making it again, and it is far too oversalted & over-peppered. Not sure why it worked once but now does not. My advice: skip (or reduce) the pepper & salt in the pre-cook phase.

I didn’t have port and couldn’t find plums, so I used persimmons with red wine, lemon and sugar. They baked to a gross looking mush, so I removed the anise and bag leaves and blended with a little added beef broth into a smooth, fruity gravy for serving, topped with pomegranate seeds. It was wonderful, especially the next day. We cut it with the grain because we like the tenderness and the way it falls apart on your plate.

I love this recipe and wanted to make it in December when fresh plums are not to be found so I substituted 4 ripe pears for the plums and it was wonderful. Now we can enjoy this year round!

Fantastic meal. Whole family loved it. Followed the directions exactly as specified, just reduced baking time for a 3 pound brisket. Spectacular!

Added 8 oz of prunes. Made a lovely sauce, but did have to add extra liquid. Next time add a bit less salt than recipe says.

With all the brisket at the butcher now for high holidays; I decided to try this recipe. It is good, but it is very sweet. I imagine the people that do not like a dry brisket normal Jewish holiday meal (that I grew up on) would like this. It is like-able by all, except for maybe the smoked purist Texan.It’s a very tender brisket in a sweet plum jam. It will make great sandwiches tomorrow. Like a post thanksgiving sandwich of turkey with cranberry -> Brisket and plum jam sandwich!

Half star anise and take out halfway through cooking. Ok to sub dried apricots and regular red wine

Made as directed, ( except for half the thyme sprigs with the dry brine, as there is no point. the meat cannot absorb it - just added it to the braise) and was enjoyed by everyone. mine was fork tender after 4 hours. a bit sweet for my taste, but still excellent. As with any brisket gravy, one can always puree the solids to get a thicker sauce.

I want to make this for Christmas dinner but have had trouble finding plums at this time of year. Would fresh or dried apricots work as a substitute?

If the brisket is cut in half, should both pieces be cooked in the same Dutch oven?

All of this just fit into my largest Dutch oven... I had 2 layers of brisket with the plums and onions...could barely get the cover to seal. Is there a reason why this couldn't be cooked in a roasting pan? (such as you would use for a turkey) I would think it would be more manageable...mine is in the oven now and I know that removing the pot and "turning the meat" about 8 times today will be awkward.

This is becoming our favorite for Passover seders. I have made it several times and the directions are terrific. A few suggestions: you can use port or brandy, both work well; more garlic -- 5 or 6 cloves; cook on one day, refrigerate overnight, and reheat for serving the next day -- the flavor soaks in and is unbelievably delicious.

I used a 16 oz jar of sour Morello cherries instead of plums. Indeed any stone fruit would be a winner. I wish the NYT could figure out a way to attach cooking smells to the notes. Five hours of heaven.

Made this last week using single brisket. The whole family raved. Used less salt and pepper -just generously sprinkled both sides of meat before adding garlic and thyme sprigs. Also quartered plums so they were easier to fit in my Dutch oven. Chilled meat and sauce separately overnight making it easy to slice meat evenly and to remove fat from sauce. Covered sliced meat with sauce in roasting pan and reheated, covered with foil, in 350 oven. Perfect. My new favorite brisket recipe.

For New Yorkers seeking the brisket deckle cut: Pino's Meat Market, 49 Sullivan Street. Cash only. Got a perfect 3.5 pound one to make this weekend.

I let brisket cool on the counter, sliced it, put it in a baking dish (a shallow casserole), then spooned some gravy over it & refrigerated it, covered. Rest of sauce was refrigerated in a saucepan. The next day I removed meat from the fridge an hour before reheating. Brought the sauce to a simmer, poured over meat & reheated at 350 for 25 min. With meat already sliced there was much more surface area to absorb the sauce. Also, it was ready to put right on the table with no last minute slicing.