Rum and Coffee Brisket – Recipe for rum and coffee brisket cooked with onions, garlic and red bell peppers. Savory and perfect for the holidays. Kosher, Jewish.
Rum… and coffee… brisket?? Sounds crazy, I know. And yet, you were curious enough to click through, which means you’ve got an open mind. Trust me, this is one cooking experiment you must try!
I’ve been around the brisket block a time or two. I’ve done the traditional, the herb braised, the onion soup, the beer brisket. I’ve even dabbled in the exotic with Middle Eastern-inspired flavors, like pomegranate molasses brisket. Me and brisket are old friends. So this year, with the High Holidays approaching, I challenged myself to come up with something new and different. A few years ago, a friend mentioned to me that she uses coffee as part of the cooking liquid for her brisket. I loved that idea… something about the flavor of coffee and brisket seemed to just go together. I’d also seen a bourbon coffee brisket recipe in a cooking magazine a few years back (Bon Appetit, I think?) which sounded interesting. I don’t love bourbon, but when alcohol cooks down in a recipe like this it often tastes nothing like the original drink. I experimented with combining bourbon and coffee, then beer and coffee. I replaced regular coffee with a darker espresso blend, which gave the sauce a deeper flavor. Then my friend Gary, a chef, suggested rum.
Bingo! The result was off-the-charts delicious. With onions, garlic, and red peppers added for a very subtle sweetness, this brisket turned out incredibly flavorful. It’s still that homey, comforting brisket we know and love… the tender, savory goodness you’ve come to expect at the holidays. And yet, there’s something different… something special. I had a few friends taste test it, and they couldn’t put their finger on what it was, but they all agreed it was amazing. When I told them it was rum and coffee, they were floored. Then they asked for seconds.
Some of you might be put off by the idea of the rum, thinking the flavor will be too strong. Let me assure you that there is very little “rum” flavor to the brisket. When the alcohol of the rum cooks off, it leaves behind a trace of rum essence; it’s very subtle, the opposite of overpowering. What I taste here more is the coffee. It makes a dark, rich, savory sauce that infuses the brisket with tons of flavor. Make it ahead if you can, and let the brisket marinate in the sauce overnight (or even two nights). Prepare to swoon. You’ll love it!
What is your favorite way to make brisket?
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Rum and Coffee Brisket
Ingredients
- 5-7 pounds brisket, first cut
- 4 cups onion (peeled and diced)
- 4 cups red bell pepper (diced)
- 4 clove garlic (peeled)
- 2 cups strong brewed coffee or espresso blend
- 3/4 cup dark rum (recommended Bacardi Select)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
- Beef broth
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch (you can substitute potato starch for Passover if you prefer)
NOTES
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. Rinse the brisket and pat dry, rub with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large roasting pan over medium high heat. Place the brisket into the pan. Brown the brisket on both sides (about 5 minutes per side). If you don't have a roasting pan that will heat up on your stovetop, you can do these initial browning and sautéing steps in a large skillet, then transfer everything over to a large roasting dish before putting in the oven.
- Remove brisket from the pan. Drizzle remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in the pan and add the diced onions, diced red peppers and garlic. Sauté the vegetables for a few minutes, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan with your spatula.
- When onion is translucent, add coffee and rum and bring to a simmer. Scrape up any remaining brown bits on the bottom of the pan as the liquid heats up.
- Place brisket back into the pan, cover with peppers, onions and liquid. Pour beef broth into the pan until it goes halfway up the sides of your brisket.
- Cover roasting pan tightly with foil, tenting slightly so there is no contact between the foil and the ingredients inside, and place in the oven.Let the brisket roast undisturbed for 5 to 7 hours. It will take about 1 hour per pound of meat (leaner cuts of meat may take longer—test for doneness). Brisket is ready when it flakes and is fork tender. You can let it cook even longer for a soft, shredded texture if that’s what you prefer. When fully cooked, the brisket will have shrunk in size.I recommend making this brisket ahead; allowing it to sit in the refrigerator for 1-2 nights will improve the flavor. If you would like to do this, skip ahead to where it says “Make Ahead Directions.” If you are not making ahead, continue reading.
- Remove brisket from the pan and let it rest on the cutting board fat-side up for 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, pour the sauce and vegetables from the roasting pan into a smaller saucepan. Skim fat from the surface of the cooking sauce, then reheat the sauce until hot. Mix together 4 tsp cornstarch and 2 tbsp cold water till smooth, then stir into the sauce. bring sauce to a boil till it thickens (add more cornstarch and water mixture to thicken further, if desired-- don't add cornstarch directly to the hot sauce without first mixing a little cold water in). Cut fat cap off the brisket, then cut the brisket in thin slices against the grain. Serve brisket topped with warm sauce and softened veggies.
Make Ahead Directions (Recommended)
- Open the foil to vent and let the brisket slowly return to room temperature. Discard foil. Transfer brisket, vegetables and cooking juices over to a glass or ceramic baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Let the brisket chill overnight, or up to two days. You can also freeze the brisket up to a week ahead if you prefer.1-2 hours before serving, remove the brisket from the refrigerator and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. The fat in the sauce will have risen to the top and solidified. Use a spoon to scoop the fat bits out of the sauce and discard. Take the brisket out of the dish and brush any excess sauce and vegetables back into the dish. Place brisket on a cutting board, fat-side up. Slice the meat cold—first cut the fat cap off the brisket, then cut the brisket in thin slices against the grain.
- Take the brisket out of the dish and brush any excess sauce and vegetables back into the dish. Place brisket on a cutting board, fat-side up. Slice the meat cold—first cut the fatty flat cap off the brisket, then cut the brisket in thin slices against the grain.
- If my brisket is very large and wide, I often cut the slices in half lengthwise to make the size of the brisket pieces more manageable.
- Mix 4 tsp of cornstarch into 2 tbsp of cold water. Stir the mixture into your cooking liquid. Alternatively, rather than adding the cornstarch mixture, you can blend the sauce to make a gravy. Once you've skimmed the fat from the sauce, pour the chilled cooking liquid and vegetables into a blender and blend. This will make a thick and flavorful gravy, but you will lose the pretty pepper chunks. Either way works!
- Return the sliced brisket to the dish and spoon sauce and vegetables or blended gravy over it, making sure to spoon a little sauce between each slice.
- Cover the dish with foil and place it in the oven. Let the brisket roast for 45-60 minutes till heated through. You can cook it even longer to let it become more tender, if you wish. To thicken the sauce further, stir in more of the cornstarch/water mixture, a teaspoon at a time, into the hot sauce till it has thickened to your liking. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Serve brisket with pan sauce and softened veggies.
John E says
Hi Tori….Just made this for the RH holiday (RH 5783). A couple of observations and a question. First, the finished product is ‘to die for’. Let me put it this way, I made a 10-lb brisket and it did not make it past day 2 of RH. 🙂 I made this ahead (Friday), and refrigerated it for the weekend. Second, I actually thought the temp would be too high (for slow cooking brisket), but the 300 temp was fine.
Question: I found the liquid really evaporated down. After roasting, and you go to blend the roasted red pepper and onion, is it Ok to add beef broth to thin out what is in the blender? OR….should you check liquid level while roasting, and add beef broth during the cooking? I guess I am asking what consistency should the sauce actually be. Mine was pretty thick, but DW and son did not mind. I thinned it out a little with beef broth.
Question: And the red pepper partially carmelized on top of the brisket while roasting. Is that normal? It added a layer of taste, I thought.
Question: For larger briskets (10lb+), does the roasting 1 hour per pound still hold, or do you reduce cook time. I don’t need exact, just an idea of how many minutes per pound I can shave off with extended cooking times at 300 for larger briskets.
Question: Do you have alternatives to Barcardi dark select? Any dark rum? (note: I used Barcardi black rum)
It was a great recipe. And easy to do. Thank you!
Tori Avey says
Sauce should be thick, and may vary a bit based on how much fat is on your brisket (more fat = more sauce). You can thin it out with beef broth if you want it more liquid, but I recommend using a low sodium broth to keep your sauce from becoming overly salty. Red pepper should caramelize, yes! Re: cook times – I rarely cook briskets bigger than 6 pounds. I’ve never done a 10 pound brisket before, so I can’t say for sure re: cook time. Any dark rum should work, as long as it has a hint of sweetness to it. So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Nan Stein says
Tori,
I ❤️ your recipes however…
A bit disappointing…VERY mild flavor.
Needs something to pick it up a few notches.
Your thoughts?
Tori Avey says
Sorry to hear that Nan! I find this recipe very flavorful. When you say more flavor, do you mean spice? Sweetness? You can always melt a bit of brown sugar into the sauce to sweeten it more, and take it in a more barbecue sauce-flavored direction. A pinch of cayenne will add a slight kick to the sauce. I also think a pinch of cinnamon and a pinch of cloves might be nice here, though I haven’t tried it myself. And of course, salt and pepper. I do hope you can find a solution that works for you!
Edna says
I’m planning to make this recipe but have an issue: beef broth. I don’t have time to make it myself and where I live it’s hard to find Kosher bones/etc to make the broth. So, I would have to buy the kosher type as I keep a Kosher kitchen. I’m not a fan of the boxed broths, is it ok to just use water or is the broth essential? I would even prefer to use veggie stock. Thanks!
Tori Avey says
Any broth will work fine here… or water, but stock will give it more flavor. Vegetable stock would be perfectly fine. 🙂