Melt-In-Your-Mouth Brisket Sandwich Recipe

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If there is one meat that could be considered the king of the barbecue, it might just be brisket. Popular not only in Texas but in many BBQ restaurants across the country, the lean meat is typically smoked for hours to develop a crispy black exterior and meltingly tender inside. When done well, the brisket slices into buttery pieces that can be enjoyed with a variety of Southern sides. If you don't have a smoker at home, don't worry: Brisket wasn't always a Texan staple and instead originated as a Passover dish, braised to produce pot roast–like stewed pieces of meat instead of smokey and crisp slices. This means that anyone can make delicious brisket at home with an oven and some patience.

This recipe written with developer Michelle McGlinn combines the smoky barbecue flavor of Southern brisket with the slow-cooked, oven-baked method of Jewish tradition to create a meltingly tender, juicy, and flavorful brisket roast. The brisket is then piled onto brioche buns and topped with tangy red onions and fiery chimichurri for a sandwich that breaks the molds of tradition. Bold, spicy, tender, and smoky, this sandwich is the perfect excuse to splurge on good brisket — no smoker needed.

First, you'll need to buy a good beef brisket. Grocery stores with a wide selection of meats will likely have brisket in stock for a reasonable price, most often around four to five pounds and flat cut. Five pounds might sound like a lot of meat, but because of the way brisket cooks, you need to account for shrinkage. A five-pound brisket will leave you with enough brisket for about six large sandwiches (or more, if your sandwiches are less meaty). You can also find brisket at the butcher. Butcher-sourced brisket may cost more than the average grocery store but will also be fresher and higher quality.

From there, you'll need seasonings to coat the brisket with: Paprika, oregano, garlic, onion, chili powder, parsley, salt, and pepper. You'll also want to grab your favorite barbecue sauce to coat the brisket with — any standard sauce will work here. The ingredients needed for the chimichurri and onions include red onion, water, vinegar, sugar, peppercorns, mustard seed, fresh parsley, olive oil, champagne vinegar, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Finally, the very last things you need are brioche burger buns, which can be swapped for your favorite sandwich bread, if desired.

Preheat the oven to 300 F.

Make the brisket: Place the beef brisket in a rimmed baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the paprika, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, chili powder, salt, and pepper.

Rub the spice mixture over the brisket, then place the brisket fat-side up in the dish.

Spread the barbecue sauce across the brisket to coat.

Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and place it into the oven. Bake without touching for 3 hours.

After 3 hours, take the brisket from the oven, flip it over, replace the foil over the baking dish, and roast for another 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until the beef is tender and sliceable.

In the meantime, make the red onions and chimichurri. To make the onions, place the sliced onions in a jar.

Bring the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt to a simmer in a saucepan and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Immediately pour this over the onions and add the peppercorns and mustard seeds. Allow to cool and pickle while the beef cooks, about 4 hours.

Place the parsley, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, oregano, paprika, and red pepper flakes into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped into a sauce.

To build the sandwiches, first slice the brisket into thick slices.

Add the brisket to the buns, top with red onion, then drizzle with chimichurri.

Top with a bun cap to serve.

Brisket can be a challenging meat to cook with because it can easily dry out, leading to a tough and chewy interior. This is true for many similar cuts of meat, including chuck roast, short ribs, and eye of round, which need low heat and time to break down the proteins and become melt-in-your-mouth tender. The brisket is challenging because of its size and, for a lean flat cut, the lower fat content. To ensure the brisket is set up for success, roast with the fat-side up, which will allow the fat to penetrate through the meat and tenderize it as it cooks.

Even though the brisket is put into the oven without any liquid, you'll notice that liquid fills the baking dish as it roasts. These drippings prevent it from drying out. But, if your brisket still tastes dry and stringy, you can fix it using the drippings in the pan. To do this, carefully strain 1 cup of the liquid in the pan into a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and slowly whisk flour into the pot, breaking up any clumps that form. The liquid will thicken into a gravy, which can be used to coat the brisket and fix any dry pieces.

Brisket has to be cooked on low heat in order to fully tenderize the meat, otherwise it will be tough and chewy. This process can't be shortened with higher heat, so don't try cranking up the oven for faster results. If you're pressed for time and only have an hour or two to prepare, you may want to consider swapping the meat to something faster, such as pulled chicken or even ground beef. If you'd like to use brisket and simply don't have time to watch the oven all day, consider using a slow cooker instead.

To make brisket in a slow cooker, you can prepare the beef the exact same way by rubbing it with spices and covering it with barbecue sauce, this time using the bowl of the slow cooker instead of a baking dish. Cover and seal the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 6 to 7. The beef will cook the same way, producing liquid from the drippings that can later be used for gravy. Halfway through cooking, flip the meat to submerge the other side.