The aroma alone was enough to tell me something spectacular was cooking. At our recent fall dinner club gathering, I had the pleasure of tasting the most incredible Braised Cola Brisket with Bourbon Gravy. It wasn’t just good; it was a revelation! The beef was so incredibly tender it practically melted in my mouth, requiring no more than a gentle touch to fall apart. What was truly astonishing, however, was witnessing my usually picky husband not only enjoy but actually ask for more parsnips – a vegetable he typically avoids! This dish possesses a magical quality, thanks to its rich, umami-filled braising liquid that infuses every fiber of the meat and vegetables with an unforgettable depth of flavor. This isn’t just a meal; it’s an experience.
Our gracious hostess, a seasoned culinary enthusiast, generously shared her secret: this fantastic Brisket Recipe, adapted from Southern Living. She also provided invaluable tips on sourcing the elusive Coca-Cola made with real cane sugar, a detail that makes all the difference. As soon as the crisp autumn air signaled the arrival of cooler weather, I knew it was time to recreate this tender brisket in my own kitchen, eager to bring that same cozy, comforting magic to my family’s table.
Why This Braised Cola Brisket is a Must-Make
Our autumn dinner club was a truly cozy affair, featuring an abundance of comforting dishes. Among them were fluffy angel biscuits, perfectly panko-coated green beans, and, of course, this absolutely marvelous braised cola brisket, accompanied by sweet carrots, tender parsnips, and a luxurious bourbon gravy. As expected, every dish was incredibly delicious, but it was the oven-baked brisket, along with the root vegetables simmered in that exquisite gravy, that compelled me to go back for seconds. And believe me, when a dish inspires such a return, it’s truly special.
There are countless reasons to add this Cola Brisket recipe to your culinary repertoire:
- The Ultimate Cold-Weather Comfort Food: As the temperatures drop and the days grow shorter, there’s nothing quite like a warm, hearty meal that fills your home with inviting aromas. This braised brisket is the epitome of comfort food, offering warmth and satisfaction with every forkful. It’s perfect for Sunday dinners, holiday gatherings, or simply a cozy night in.
- Expand Your Brisket Horizons: If your experience with brisket has been limited to corned beef, prepare to have your culinary world transformed! This recipe showcases brisket in a completely new light – rich, savory, and incredibly tender, far beyond the familiar deli staple. It introduces you to the versatility and delicious potential of this often-overlooked cut of beef when prepared with the right technique.
- Unforgettable Depth of Flavor: The combination of cola, bourbon, and a medley of aromatic herbs creates a braising liquid that is profoundly flavorful and complex. The subtle sweetness of the cola, the smoky notes of bourbon, and the savory undertones work in harmony to produce a brisket that is deeply satisfying and truly memorable. Each bite is a symphony of flavors that will leave a lasting impression.
- Impressive Yet Approachable: While the results are undoubtedly gourmet, the cooking process for this braised brisket is surprisingly straightforward. Once the initial browning and ingredient mixing are done, your oven does most of the heavy lifting. This makes it an ideal dish for entertaining, allowing you to spend more time with your guests and less time fussing in the kitchen, while still serving an impressive centerpiece meal.
Key Ingredients for the Perfect Braised Cola Brisket
Crafting this exceptional Braised Cola Brisket begins with selecting high-quality ingredients. Each component plays a vital role in building the layers of flavor that make this dish so extraordinary.
- Kitchen Staples: You’ll need everyday essentials like Kosher Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper for seasoning, and good quality Olive Oil for browning. For the braising liquid, Ketchup adds a foundational sweetness and tang, while Balsamic Vinegar contributes a crucial acidic depth. Dried Rosemary, Sage, Marjoram, and Thyme infuse the dish with classic, aromatic herb notes.
- Beef Brisket: Opt for a 5-pound first cut (flat) beef brisket. This cut is leaner and presents beautifully when sliced. It’s crucial to allow the brisket to sit at room temperature for about 1 hour before cooking. This helps ensure it cooks more evenly and achieves a better sear, locking in juices and flavor.
- Cola: This is where the magic happens! Cane Sweetened Coca-Cola is highly preferred over varieties made with high-fructose corn syrup. The pure sugar cane imparts a cleaner, more natural sweetness that beautifully caramelizes and tenderizes the meat without being cloying. You can often find this “Mexican Coke” or similar cane-sweetened versions at international markets or specialty grocery stores.
- Chicken Broth: I recommend the Pacific brand for its balanced flavor profile and lower sodium content. A good quality chicken broth forms the savory base of your braising liquid, complementing the other flavors without overpowering them.
- Dry Onion Soup Mix: A classic pantry shortcut, Lipton’s dry onion soup mix is excellent for adding a convenient boost of savory, umami-rich onion flavor to the braising liquid. It’s a secret weapon for depth without extra effort.
- Carrots & Parsnips: Peeled and cut into substantial 4-inch pieces, carrots add natural sweetness and vibrant color. For an even more complex flavor and to entice even the pickiest eaters (like my husband!), consider adding parsnips alongside the carrots. They become incredibly tender and flavorful as they simmer in the rich gravy.
- Yellow Onion: A large, finely chopped yellow onion is essential. It provides a foundational aromatic sweetness and savory depth, slowly caramelizing into the braising liquid to create a robust base for the gravy.
- Bourbon: Don’t skip the bourbon! While the alcohol will evaporate during the long cooking process, it leaves behind a remarkable depth of flavor, adding smoky, caramel, and slightly sweet notes that elevate the gravy from delicious to extraordinary. It acts as a superb flavor enhancer, creating a more sophisticated profile.
- Fresh Thyme Leaves: A sprinkle of fresh thyme at the end adds a burst of bright, herbaceous freshness and a beautiful aromatic finish that complements the rich brisket and gravy perfectly.
Expert Tips for Braising Brisket to Perfection
Growing up, brisket wasn’t a common sight on my family’s dinner table. It wasn’t until a friend’s exquisite Coffee Braised Brisket recipe was featured in Martha Stewart’s Everyday Foods magazine that I truly understood its potential. Brisket, often considered a tough cut, can be transformed into an incredibly succulent and delicious meal, provided you follow the right recipe and employ the correct techniques. Here are some essential tips to ensure your Braised Cola Brisket is nothing short of perfect.
- Understand Brisket Cuts: Before you even head to the market, it’s wise to understand the two main cuts of brisket. This recipe specifically calls for the first cut, also known as the flat beef brisket. The flat cut is leaner and typically more expensive, making it ideal for slicing. The alternative is the point half or front cut, which has a higher fat content, is generally more affordable, and many argue it offers even more flavor due to the fat marbling. Both cuts will work beautifully in this recipe, but if you opt for the fattier point cut, be prepared to skim off more rendered fat from the braising liquid after cooking.
- The Art of Braising: Brisket is inherently a tough cut of meat, which is why it absolutely thrives with slow cooking in liquid – a technique known as braising. This method is crucial for tenderizing the beef. The long, gentle heat breaks down the collagen in the meat, transforming it into gelatin, which results in that coveted fall-apart tenderness. Braising can be expertly done in a conventional oven or a slow cooker, both yielding exceptional results.
- Flavor-Packed Braising Liquid is Key: A truly flavorful, umami-filled braising liquid is what elevates this dish from good to irresistible. Umami, often described as a savory “fifth taste,” is abundant in this recipe. Beef itself is a prime source of umami, and when combined with other ingredients like carrots and onions, which also contribute to this savory depth, the result is a profoundly rich and complex flavor profile. Don’t hesitate to add parsnips along with your carrots; they add another layer of deliciousness and umami to the braising liquid as they cook down.
- Searing for Flavor: Don’t skip the initial browning of the brisket. Searing the meat on all sides before braising creates a rich, caramelized crust through the Maillard reaction. This not only adds incredible depth of flavor to the meat itself but also creates fond (browned bits) at the bottom of the Dutch oven, which will dissolve into your braising liquid, further intensifying the gravy’s taste.
- Rest Your Brisket: Once the brisket is cooked to tender perfection, it’s vital to let it rest, covered with foil, for at least 15-20 minutes before slicing. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, ensuring every slice is moist and succulent. Skipping this step can result in drier, less flavorful brisket.
- Making Ahead for Enhanced Flavor: This brisket recipe, like many braised dishes, tastes even better the next day! Preparing it one to two days in advance allows the flavors to meld and deepen. After cooking, cool the brisket and braising liquid completely, then refrigerate. Any rendered fat will solidify on the surface, making it easy to remove before reheating and serving.
Frequently Asked Questions About Braised Cola Brisket
The addition of cola to the braising liquid serves a dual purpose in this recipe, making it incredibly beneficial for a tough cut like brisket. First, the subtle sweetness of the cola contributes a unique depth of flavor, balancing the savory notes of the beef and other ingredients without making the dish overly sweet. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the phosphoric acid naturally present in soda acts as a tenderizing agent. Over the long cooking period, this acidity helps to break down the tough fibers and connective tissues in the brisket, resulting in exceptionally tender, fall-apart meat.
Brisket is a large cut of beef that comes from the lower chest or breast of the cow, typically under the first five ribs. It’s generally divided into two main sections: the flat cut and the point cut. The flat cut, also known as the “first cut,” is leaner, has a uniform, rectangular shape, and less fat marbling, making it ideal for slicing into neat portions. It’s usually more expensive. The point cut, or “second cut,” is thicker, fattier, and has more connective tissue, often with a more irregular shape. While it requires longer, slower cooking to become tender, many connoisseurs believe the higher fat content contributes to a more flavorful and succulent result. For braising, both cuts work, but the point cut often yields a more moist and tender final product.
While bourbon adds a distinct layer of smoky, caramel flavor to the gravy that is highly recommended, you can omit it if you prefer not to use alcohol. The alcohol will cook off during the simmering process, leaving only the flavor, but if you’d rather leave it out, you can substitute it with an additional tablespoon or two of chicken broth, a splash of apple cider vinegar, or even a very small amount of black coffee for a similar depth of flavor. However, for the authentic and most complex taste profile of this recipe, the bourbon is a wonderful addition.
Explore More Delicious Beef Recipes
If you’ve enjoyed the rich flavors and tender perfection of this Braised Cola Brisket, you’ll surely love these other comforting beef dishes:
- Oven Braised Texas Brisket
- Slow Cooked Beef Stew with Red Wine, Carrots, and Tomatoes
- Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa
- Discover more of my Best Beef Recipes for every occasion.
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Braised Cola Brisket with Bourbon Gravy
20 minutes
3 hours 30 minutes
3 hours 50 minutes
8 servings
A tender, slow cooked brisket with cola, herbs and a fabulous bourbon gravy
Ingredients
- 5-pound beef brisket, first cut (flat), left out at room temperature for 1 hour to get the chill off
- 1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon. kosher salt, divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons plus ¼ tsp. black pepper, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 14 ounces ketchup, I used Heinz
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 12 ounces cola, cane sweetened Coca Cola preferred
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 (1-oz.) envelope dry onion soup mix (I used Lipton)
- 1 teaspoon each dried rosemary, sage, marjoram and thyme
- 6 carrots, cut in half, then into 4-inch pieces (may add in some parsnips, too, if desired)
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°. Sprinkle both sides of the brisket with 1 tablespoon of the salt and 1 ½ teaspoons of the pepper.
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add brisket and cook until well browned, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the brisket to a plate.
- Whisk together ketchup, balsamic vinegar, cola, chicken broth, onion soup mix, and herbs in a large bowl. Pour slowly into the Dutch oven, and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits.
- Return brisket and any juices to the Dutch oven. Bring to a boil and cover with foil, then lid. Transfer to the oven and cook for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, turn the brisket over. Add in carrots, then add the chopped onion around the brisket. Replace foil and lid, and continue baking until brisket is very tender, about 1 hour.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer brisket and carrots to a serving platter. Cover with foil to keep warm. Puree cooking liquid in the Dutch oven with an immersion blender to make gravy. Simmer gravy until hot. Stir in bourbon, and season with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Slice brisket then top with gravy and sprinkle with the fresh thyme. Serve with remaining gravy.
Notes
This recipe tastes even better when made one to two days ahead.
After step three, cool uncovered, then cover and refrigerate. Discard any fat that collects on the surface before reheating on the stove and proceeding with the recipe.
Adapted from Southern Living
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 974Total Fat: 56gSaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 27gCholesterol: 301mgSodium: 995mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 2gSugar: 23gProtein: 83g
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