Passed down to share from my Bubbe, Ema Ljuba, this famous Beef Brisket recipe gets it’s the extra flavor from Onion Soup Mix and is sure to please any crowd!

In this Post: Everything you need for Beef Brisket with Onion Soup Mix
Growing up in a blended Jewish and Christian family, I have had the pleasure of celebrating a wide variety of holidays from Christmas to Passover and everything in between.
Today I am thrilled to share my Grandmother (Ema) Ljuba’s famous Beef Brisket recipe.

What is Brisket?
It’s really ‘Beef Brisket’. It’s a large cut of meat from the lower chest (breast) of the cow. When cooked properly it can have the perfect amount of flavor and tenderness.

When is Brisket Served?
Normally it’s served over the Jewish High Holidays such as Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah or Passover.
What Can you Add to Brisket?
There are quite a few varations out there. The amazing part that whatever you use will be sure to add the wonderful aromas to your home. The most popular out there are:
- Vegetables like carrots, potatoes or canned tomatoes
- Vinegar to add some sour to the dish. This could be a vinegar based BBQ sauce, red or white wine vinegar.
- Wines. Red wine in this recipe is optional but you could easily replace that with Coke, beef broth or a dry white wine.
- Seasonings like thyme, onion mixes or oregano
Frequently asked questions:
Does chili add heat to this dish?
No. It actually does the opposite– it makes the dish sweet.

Beef Brisket with Onion Soup Mix
Ingredients
- 7-8 lb beef brisket
- 2 bottles chili sauce
- 2 envelopes onion soup mix
- 2 cans beer
- 12 carrots (peeled and cut chunks)
- 12 medium Yukon potatoes (cut chunks)
- 2 sliced onions
- 32 oz whole peeled tomatoes (optional)
- 1 cup red wine (optional)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350. Use a large roasting pan, ideally with a lid.
- Stir together chili sauce, onion soup mix and beer in the bottom of the roasting pan.
- Place brisket on top of the mixture along with the carrots.
- Cover with lid and roast 2 – 2 1/4 hours.
- Cool meat in pan (covered) until you can put the entire pan in the refrigerator overnight.
- The next morning remove the thick layer of congealed fat that has solidified on the surface of the meat. (The fat gives the gravy and meat wonderful flavor in the roasting process but then most of it is no longer needed!)
- Slice the cold brisket – against the grain – and place back in the gravy.
- At this point it can be put back into the fridge until you are ready to finish the roasting with the potatoes.
- When ready to roast add chunks of potatoes and the onions to the pot.
- If using tomatoes, add now as well as cup of red wine.
- Cover the pan and roast for another hour to an hour and a half.
Nutrition
Take a look at my Pinterest board for more great recipes!
Made this for Rosh Hashanah. Taste good, but my brisket came out dry after adding the potatoes. Needs more liquid. Made recipe for 8.
Hi Irene! I make this all the time and so has my family for years. Did you make any changes to the recipe? It should be quite moist.
no changes, it just dried up when the potatoes were added. It absorbed it all. I will add more liquid the next time. The taste is great!!
Hello, this recipe sounds amazing.
Planning to make this dish for my Jewish husband. What would you recommend in place of the chili sauce? Prefer brisket to not be sweet.
Thank you 😊
I made this recipe for Christmas Supper. My partner is Jewish and I was hoping to make something he remembered from his childhood.
The brisket was so tender it cut with a fork.
And the best thing was being told by my sweetheart is that it tasted exactly like his mother made.
I am a happy and blessed woman. Thank you so much for this recipe.
I’m so glad you were able to tie-in traditions for both holidays and that he enjoyed it!
This recipe looks delicious. I’m planning to make it for Passover. Can you make this in the crockpot? And how would you adjust it to make in the crockpot?
I wouldnt suggest making in the crock pot – apologies!
Please explain the “12 in” amount for the carrots and potatoes. Is it 12 of each. Or is the “in” inches?
Apologies for that – type-o. 12 carrots cut in chunks. :)
Does this recipe mildly hot or moderately hot because of the chili sauce?
It’s not hot at all -the chili sauce is sweet. :)
Hi, this sounds and looks amazing! Can you tell me which chili sauce you use? And how many oz or ml is it in case I can’t get that brand? Thanks!
We use Heinz Chili sauce in the 12 ounce size! Let me know what you think!
Ljuba is a queen among women!
I couldn’t agree more!!
Ljuba Is a queen among women!
This looks delicious and I am starting it tonight. I noticed that in the list of ingredients you have onions listed, but in the instructions you don’t tell us when to add them. do they go in with the carrots for the first roasting or in with the potatoes for the second roasting?
My apologies – you add them when you add the potatoes. Forgive me for the delay, I was out of town when you commented. How did the brisket turn out??