This is the best red wine braised shredded beef brisket. I have made this easy beef brisket recipe too many times to count. It’s the perfect way to cook a brisket for so many uses. My husband is a huge fan of this recipe. This brisket is delicious on its own, but its exceptionally good on a sandwich or over garlic mashed potatoes. It’s seriously super tasty.
What to pair with The Best Red Wine Braised Shredded Beef Brisket?
This easy shredded beef brisket recipe is amazing on sandwiches. Save the drippings for some gravy and make a beef dip sandwich. This tender beef brisket is also fantastic served over a bed of mashed potatoes or rice. Yorkshire puddings are a fantastic additional to this delicious beef brisket recipe.
For more comfort food recipes, check out The Best Herb and Garlic Roasted Chicken and 30 Minute Easy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup.
Ingredients needed for this red wine braised shredded beef brisket?
This recipe doesn’t require a huge amount of ingredients. A few key things make this a super delicious meal. A large dutch oven cooks this brisket beautifully!
- Beef brisket – make sure most of the large chunks of fat are cut off. Make sure the chunk of brisket fits in your large pot. Mine was 3-4 pounds.
- Olive Oil – A drizzle of olive oil in the pot is needed to sear the beef.
- Red wine – Any red wine will work here. I used an inexpensive but tasty kind of wine. This helps tenderize the meat. If you don’t want to use alcohol, just use more beef stock.
- Garlic – 3 garlic cloves are needed to simmer with the beef.
- Herbs – Fresh rosemary is amazing, but any fresh or dried herbs work. Thyme would also be delicious.
- Onion – One small onion adds lovely flavour to the meat and the gravy.
- Bay Leaves – Two are added to the stock.
- Beef Stock – Used to simmer the beef in. If the beef stock is salted, go easy on salting the beef.
- Salt and pepper – Used to season the beef before browning. It adds lovely flavour!
How to make this easy red wine brisket recipe?
This simple beef brisket recipe will come together quickly, but needs to cook for 5-6 hours. Once it’s prepped, its hands off until it’s ready to be eaten.
Pull the brisket out of the fridge while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Sprinkle the salt and pepper on both sides of the beef brisket and set aside.
Slice the onion in half and throw away the outer peel. Peel the garlic, but don’t chop it. Leave it whole.
For the brisket!
Preheat the oven to 225° while you prepare the beef.
In a large pot, preferably cast iron if you have one, heat the olive oil over medium heat. once the oil is hot, add the salt and peppered brisket to the pot. You want to brown both large sides of the brisket. It adds a level of flavour that is delicious. After one side is seared, flip the brisket and brown the other side.
Once the brisket is all brown, pour in the wine and beef stock. Then add the garlic, onion, bay leaves and herbs. Bring to a low boil. Once the low boil is happening, cover the pot with the lid and transfer the best red wine braised shredded beef brisket to the oven. Let it cook for 5-6 hours. It should literally pull apart super easily when it’s done.
Once the beef is done, remove the beef and shred right away. If you would like some gravy. strain the juices and return them to the pot. In a small bowl, whisk together 2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch in cold water. Slowly add this while whisking, to the juices. Keep stirring and bring them to a boil. If you want the gravy thicker, repeat that last step. The boiling thickens the cornstarch, so wait for the juices to reach boiling point before you add even more cornstarch.
Substitutions for this recipe!
This recipe doesn’t have a huge ingredient list, but you can easily use what you have. Anything will give the stock and brisket flavour. If you don’t have fresh herbs, you can use dried. Thyme, oregano, rosemary, and sage all go really well with beef.
If you don’t consume alcohol or don’t like the taste of wine, just use more beef stock. You could also add in a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce for added flavour.
Use any kind of onion you have, it doesn’t have to be a yellow onion.
The Best Red Wine Braised Shredded Beef Brisket
Equipment
- Large Dutch Oven or big pot
Ingredients
- 1 3-4lb beef brisket, fat removed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 cup red wine
- 3 cups beef stock
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 3 whole garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 onion, halved and peeled
- 2 bay leaves
Gravy
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp cold water
- juices from the brisket
Instructions
- Remove the beef brisket from the fridge and sprinkle the salt and pepper over the whole thing. Prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 225°.
- On the stove, preheat a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add in the olive oil, and let the oil heat. Once hot, brown the brisket on both large sides. This will take 3-5 minutes per side.
- Once the brisket is browned, pour in the wine and beef stock. Now add in the onion, garlic, herbs, and bay leaves. Cover with the lid.
- Bring to a low boil, and then move to the oven for 5-6 hours. You can also leave this on the stove on low for that amount of time. Just check on it every hour and make sure nothing is sticking.
- Once the beef is cooked and tender ( it should pull apart easily ), remove the brisket from the dutch oven. If you're making gravy, strain the juices from the solids, and put them back in the pot. Take the cornstarch and mix with a little cold water until you have a runny paste. While whisking, slowly pour the cornstarch mixture into the juices. Bring the gravy to a boil and see how much it thickened. You can repeat that step if needed. Test for flavour and adjust as needed with salt, pepper, and even a dash of wine.
Just a quick question the picture of the done brisket shows it not caramelized as you show in shredded picture. Did you do anything further in cooking to the top. Would love to make just curious.
Hi Mary,
In the shredded photo I have drizzled it with a bit of gravy! That’s it! The dark pieces are from the browning prior to adding the liquids.