Jewish-Style Braised Brisket With Onions and Carrots

  

Braised brisket might take hours to prepare, however with this pressure cooker variation, you can cut the cooking time in half. 

 

5 pounds of beef brisket  

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons  vegetable oil

3 pounds yellow onions sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 1/4 pounds carrots cut into 3/4-inch dice

3/4 pound celery cut into 3/4-inch dice

6 medium cloves garlic

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 cup dry red wine

4 sprigs thyme

2 bay leaves

 

Should your brisket be too big to fit flat on the bottom of your pressure cooker, chop it into smaller pieces. Sprinkle the brisket with salt and pepper throughout. Add oil and heat until shimmering in an electric multi-cooker (such as an Instant Pot) set to searing mode or a stovetop pressure cooker set over medium-high heat. Utilizing in batches, brown the brisket on both sides, for about six minutes on each side. Place aside the brisket on a plate. If the pot is getting dry, add a teaspoon or two more oil. Sprinkle with salt onion, carrot, celery, & garlic. Cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, for between 25 and 35 minutes, till the onions are very tender and any released juices have thickened into a glaze, reduce heat at any point if vegetables threaten to burn. At this point, the veggies should have shrunk substantially in size. Cook, stirring constantly, till the ketchup and tomato paste are thickened, about three minutes in total. Simmer till the raw alcohol smell has gone away, around three minutes. Mix in the thyme and bay leaves. Reduce the heat to medium-low or disable the searing mode on the electric multi-cooker. Mix the vegetables well, scraping the bottom all over if the veggies are too dry, mix in half a cup of water to moisten them. Add the brisket pieces, tucking them firmly in the veggies, and any liquids that have gathered. Seal the pressure cooker and bring it to high pressure over medium heat, or use an electric multi-cookers pressure-cooking mode. Cook for at least an hour and up to 1 hour 30 minutes on high pressure.   1 hour if your brisket pieces are approximately 1 inch thick, or 1 hour 30 minutes if they're larger but you want a bit more chew to the meat; 1 hour 30 minutes if your brisket is closer to 2 inches thick and you want it more tender. Release the pressure cooker quickly or let it naturally release before opening. Move the brisket to a work surface and let it aside till cool enough for handling. If required, season the braising liquid with salt. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves, then skim off any extra fat   If the braising liquid is excessively runny, decrease it now by boiling it uncovered until it thickens somewhat. Thinly slice the brisket against the grain. Place the meat on a dish and ladle the sauce and veggies over it, ensuring it is covered with juices. Allow to stand for 30 minutes in a warm area, covered.