Sweet and Savory Coca Cola Brisket

By
Giora Shimoni
Giora Shimoni
A kosher food enthusiast and home cook with hundreds of published recipes, Giora Shimoni has worked in online publishing for over 20 years.
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Updated on 03/8/22
Sliced Brisket on a plate

Michael Shay/Getty Images
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 4 hrs
Marinating time: 8 hrs
Total: 12 hrs 15 mins
Servings: 10 to 12 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
887 Calories
58g Fat
9g Carbs
76g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10 to 12
Amount per serving
Calories 887
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 58g 75%
Saturated Fat 20g 100%
Cholesterol 280mg 93%
Sodium 173mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 9g 3%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 76g
Vitamin C 1mg 3%
Calcium 46mg 4%
Iron 7mg 36%
Potassium 655mg 14%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

If you like your brisket both sweet and savory, soda may seem like an unconventional addition. But Coca Cola is the secret to this festive, fragrant, and flavorful crowd-pleaser.

We love the simplicity of this recipe, and that it can be prepared in advance to produce moist, sweet meat which can be enjoyed throughout the holiday. It's a perfect recipe for Rosh Hashanah, Passover, Hanukkah, or other High Holidays.

Ingredients

  • 1 (5- to 7-pounds) brisket, washed and patted dry

  • 1 small onion, peeled, trimmed, and chopped

  • 1/2 cup oil

  • 1/2 cup dry red wine

  • 1/4 cup honey

  • 1/4 cup Coca-Cola

  • 1/4 cup ketchup

  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Steps to Make It

  1. Place the brisket in a roasting pan. Put the onion, oil, wine, honey, Coca-Cola, ketchup, mustard, and paprika into the work bowl of a food processor and pulse until chopped. Pour over the brisket. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

  2. Preheat oven to 325 F/165 C. Bake the brisket, covered, in the preheated oven for approximately 4 hours, or until a digital instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the brisket reads 190 F, for well done.

  3. When cool, thinly slice the brisket against the grain. It is very important to slice the brisket correctly. If the meat is not sliced against the grain, it will be tough.

Tips

  • It is best to prepare the brisket a day before you plan to serve it, as the taste is enhanced after it sits in the fridge.
  • For Ashkenazic Jews who refrain from eating kitniyot during Passover, mustard is on the list of foods that's considered verboten. It's fine to leave it out of the recipe, or to substitute another savory spice like garlic if you're making it for Pesach and prefer to skip the mustard. 

Serving suggestion: Make gravy with drippings from the meat. Melt 4 tablespoons of parve margarine in a heavy saucepan. Slowly stir in 4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour (use potato starch instead of flour during Passover). Cook and stir for approximately 3 minutes, or until margarine just starts to darken. Slowly stir in 2 cups of drippings. Continue cooking and stirring until the gravy thickens to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Pour some of the gravy over the sliced brisket, and serve the remainder alongside.