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Pot-roast beef brisket with ale and onions

Name: Pot-roast beef brisket with ale and onions
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 3 h 30 min
Total time: 3 h 60 min
Yield: Serves 8-10
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1.75kg grass-fed British beef brisket, ideally regeneratively farmed; 6 small onions, quartered; 2 tbsp plain flour; 500ml dark ale; 750ml beef stock; 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 8 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole; 1 bay leaf

By: Emily Gussin
Food producer and sustainability lead, delicious.

Published: 22 Feb 24
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Pot-roast beef brisket with ale and onions

This simple slow-cooked beef brisket is meltingly tender and rich with onion, ale and bay. The whole lot will feed up to 10, but if there’s only a couple of you, freeze the leftovers to make one or more of our exciting variations later in the month, including rigatoni ragù, miso udon noodles and chipotle beef and beans.

Easy
February 2024

Test kitchen approved

Serves 8-10
Hands-on time 30 min. Oven time 3 hours 20-30 min

Nutrition: Per serving (for 10)

Calories: 481kcals
Fat: 32g (12g saturated)
Protein: 35g
Carbohydrates: 11g (5.4g sugars)
Fibre: 1.1g
Salt: 0.6g

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Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1.75kg grass-fed British beef brisket, ideally regeneratively farmed
6 small onions, quartered
2 tbsp plain flour
500ml dark ale
750ml beef stock
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
8 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
1 bay leaf

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Method

Heat the oven to 150°C fan/gas 3½. Heat the oil in a large hobsafe casserole (one with a lid) over a high heat. Sear the brisket for a few minutes on each side until golden all over. Use tongs to lift it onto a plate.
Turn the heat down to medium, add the onions to the pot and cook for 15 minutes until softened and golden. Stir in the flour, cooking for a minute, then pour in the ale, stir and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and bay, then lower the brisket into the liquid. Bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid and put in the oven. Cook for 3 hours, turning the meat over halfway through.
Remove the lid and return to the oven for 20-30 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce. Serve the pot roast with mashed potato, greens and hot sauce, or remove the brisket and bubble the sauce to reduce it further, then pile slices of the brisket and the sauce-coated onions into buns. Freeze any leftovers and use in our other great recipes (see intro).