This Instant Pot Brisket recipe uses the same ingredients as my mom's tried and true brisket, it just takes less time! You can serve this brisket on Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah, Passover, or any time some old-fashioned comfort food hits the spot.
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Sandy's Sweet and Sour Brisket is my mom's variation on a classic Jewish brisket recipe you'll find in almost every community cookbook or grandma's recipe box. The braising liquid is beer, whole berry cranberry sauce, and ketchup. Lots of sliced onions round out the flavor.
Braising vs. Instant Pot Pressure Cooking
Since 2012, I have been the family brisket maker. In December 2017, my husband bought me an Instant Pot and yes, I was a bit skeptical.
One day, we cut a chuck roast in half, cooking half in a traditional braise in my Le Creuset pan (also a gift from my husband) and the other half in the Instant Pot. Both tasted outstanding - the Le Creuset version had a slight bit more depth of flavor but we agreed we would have been proud to serve either version.
Now I am sold on the value of cooking with pressure. It's fast and delivers marvelous flavor. I don't cook in the Instant Pot all the time - I use different techniques including braising, slow cooking, grilling, and pan-searing. But when I use it, the results are excellent.
Prefer to make this recipe with a traditional braising method or in the slow cooker - I've got you covered!
Everything Old is New Again
For this instant pot brisket recipe, I wanted to see how simple it could be to convert an existing recipe so I followed my mom's proportions exactly -- 12 ounces of dark beer, 1 cup of whole berry cranberry sauce, and ½ cup of ketchup.
When you make this instant pot brisket, you can experiment with other beers, whatever cranberry sauce you prefer (I made my own to control the added sugar but I've often used canned), and for fun I tried a barbecue sauce instead of regular ketchup. But standard ketchup works just fine.
Using the original amount of liquid resulted in a lot of gravy but seemed to work out nicely. You can probably cut back on the liquid but I'm not sure why you would want to!
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Check out my instant pot brisket web story for a visual guide to making this recipe.
Expert Tips and FAQs
Brisket is a tough and relatively inexpensive cut of beef - but cooked properly it delivers wonderful flavor and becomes quite tender.
Tips for buying brisket
- The easiest way to buy a piece of brisket is at a meat counter where they have it pre-trimmed or can trim it for you. You want the piece to have an almost even thickness and it should have a layer of fat on one side.
- There are two cuts - the first cut and second cut. The first cut will be very lean with little marbling in the meat. Most stores carry this cut. The second cut or deckle has much more fat and marbling in it.
- If you buy a whole brisket, it will have the deckle and the first cut - the deckle will be on top.
- If you buy whole brisket (which I have done at Costco), you will pay much less per pound but you will need to trim it. You'll have to cut off some pieces that are similar in thickness so it cooks evenly under pressure. Trimming it yourself is a very economical way to go. Just count on an extra 20 minutes or so to prepare the meat. Or prepare it another time, portioning out what you will use for the instant pot.
Notice the grain of the meat - it is absolutely crucial with brisket to slice it across the grain and not with the grain. If you slice it with the grain it will be tough and fall apart - even if you have cooked it properly. You can easily see the grain when you look at the side of the meat without the fat layer.
Yes - sear it right in the Instant Pot on high mode of the sauté setting. Take the time to do the sear, your brisket will have even more flavor by taking the time to include this step.
My mom taught me about pre-slicing the meat before it's completely done. It's genius. It's easier to cut than when it's fall-apart tender and if you are making it ahead and chill or freeze it, it is so easy to reheat and it's ready to serve. So I include instructions for taking it out just before it's done to do the slicing.
When you take the brisket out to slice it, you can add the vegetables in when you put the sliced meat back in. They only need a couple minutes to cook. If you put them in at the beginning, they will become soft and just melt into the sauce.
I always make my brisket ahead of time by a day or two. Whatever fat is in the gravy will firm up, rise to the top, and you can discard it. You're left with just wonderfully rich gravy. And since the meat is already sliced, it is so easy to reheat.
You can also freeze the brisket. It is a perfect dish to prepare farther ahead and just defrost and reheat.
What to serve with Instant Pot brisket
- Homemade Matzo Ball Soup
- Traditional Challah
- No-Rise Orange and Anise Challah
- Roasted Delicata Squash
- Potato Kugel (leave the potatoes out of the slow cooker)
- Noodle Kugel
- Got leftovers? Make a brisket sandwich!
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Instant Pot Brisket
Beth LeeIngredients
- 12 ounces dark beer but any will do
- 1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce canned or homemade
- ½ cup ketchup
- 4-5 lb brisket cut in smaller pieces to fit IP if needed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion thinly sliced
- 12 ounces baby carrots or sliced carrots optional
- 12 small red, white, or fingerling potatoes optional
Instructions
- Combine beer, ketchup, and cranberry sauce in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Set the instant pot on sauté mode “high” and add the olive oil. Salt and pepper the brisket and brown it on both sides - about three minutes per side. Remove brisket.
- Turn sauté down to “normal” and add sliced onions to pan. Brown the onions, stirring frequently for about 3-5 minutes.
- Place brisket on onions – layering it as needed, then pour beer mixture over brisket. Close the lid and turn it on to “pressure cook” for 60 minutes.
- When 60 minutes is up, let it natural pressure release (NPR) for 10 minutes, then let it quick release for about four minutes or until the silver knob goes down.
- At this point, the meat should be almost tender. Remove and slice it across the grain (crucial to cut against the grain or it will be tough to chew even if it is cooked properly)
- If you are adding carrots and potatoes, add them into the pot, then put the meat back on top of the vegetables. If any of the meat is thinner and seems done, just slice it and don’t put it back in. Put the instant pot on for two minutes of “pressure cook”. When it’s done, let it NPR again for 10 minutes, then quick release and it should be ready to go.
- You can now either serve the brisket immediately or let it cool uncovered for about half an hour and refrigerate it to eat up to two days later. You can also freeze the brisket for later use. If I’m not eating it right away, I like to put it in a pan that I can use to heat it back up. I line up the slices of meat, add in the veggies and put some of the juice back in. If there is a lot of extra gravy, store it separately – it’s perfect to put out on the table when you serve the meat.
Video
Notes
Tips for buying brisket
- The easiest way to buy a piece of brisket is at a meat counter where they have it pre-trimmed or can trim it for you. Try to buy a piece of fairly even thickness.
- There are two cuts - the first cut and second cut. The first cut will be very lean. Most stores carry this cut. The second cut or deckle has much more fat and marbling in it.
- If you buy a whole brisket, it will have the deckle and the first cut - the deckle will be on top.
- If you buy whole brisket, you will pay less per pound but you will need to trim it. You'll have to cut off some pieces that are similar in thickness so it cooks evenly under pressure. Just count on an extra 20 minutes or so to prepare the meat.
Nutrition
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Nellie Tracy says
Yum! I love brisket and I love the idea of being able to make it in an Instapot!
Beth Lee says
Yup - it's easy to cook but it's a time commitment and this makes it less of a time suck with the same great results!
Tara says
Brisket is one cut I haven't tried in my Instant Pot yet. This looks amazing!
Beth Lee says
It is a perfect cut for pressure cooking! I hope you give it a try!
Noreen Murray says
Spectacular!! This was such a great recipe, even my kids loved it!
Beth Lee says
Yay! This made my day. While the instant pot is obviously a modern twist, the flavors of this brisket go way back. So glad it brought happy smiles to your dinner table. It's a favorite for sure in our family.
Susan Beckmen says
I can't wait to try this! I received my IP for Christmas and I use it at least twice a week.
I just bought a brisket from Costco so this will be my weekend project. Thank you!
Beth Lee says
Yay! Keep me posted on how it turns out!
Sarah Averett says
A delicious brisket in under two hours?! This is amazing!!
Beth Lee says
Right? And my mom loved it! And I found the texture to be excellent on the meat and the veggies
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
I LOVE brisket but have never made it in Instant pot! Can't wait to try it!
Beth Lee says
Yay - I think you'll love it. It's a method and you can play with the flavors as it appeals to you!
April says
I love a good brisket....takes me back to my childhood. I'm really looking forward to trying one in my IP!
Beth Lee says
It's a real flavor memory isn't it? Love that I can retain the flavor but the IP cuts the time to cook. Tradition meets "pressure". 🙂
Rebecca Hubbell says
Brisket is one of my favorite comfort foods and I love this instant pot version!
Beth Lee says
Thanks Rebecca! It is a wonderful comfort food and boy do I love the leftovers!
Christina says
What a great recipe! I love using my Instant Pot!
Beth Lee says
What's your favorite Instant Pot dinner? And thanks for stopping by Christina.
Renee Goerger says
I give this recipe 5 stars for taste and ease. Nice recipe. My family loves is!!
Beth Lee says
Thank you Renee!
Dana @ Foodie Goes Healthy says
This brisket sounds amazing. This is a fabulous guide for converting a beloved family brisket recipes for the IP. Brisket takes so long to cook in the oven, so using the IP sounds like the way to go.
Beth Lee says
I was so happy with the flavor and the texture of the veggies. We used about 4.5 pounds of brisket but I think I could have snuck another pound in there. We have a 6 quart. It's nice to have options when time is at a premium.
Laura says
This is pretty awesome! We always smoke our brisket and that takes 12-hours to cook on the grill. I can't wait to try your version.
Beth Lee says
Smoked brisket is fantastic! But when you don’t have the luxury of 12 hours - this is great!
Hope says
My mouth was watering The Who, time I read this.
I don’t have an Instant Pot. Can this be made in a Slow cooker?
Shana Tovah!
Xo
Beth Lee says
Shana Tovah to you too! I think it would work in the slow cooker as well. And of course a traditional braise. In the slow cooker, I would still sear it first amd saute onions stove top for the added flavor. Depending on size of brisket - maybe high for 6 hours, then slice before it’s falling apart and put it back in to finish and soak the flavor into each piece. You can’t really overcook brisket but it’s easiest to cut right before it’s done so it doesn’t fall apart.
Sandi says
I love how quick this is...I bet that your mom would love this new version of her recipe 🙂
Beth Lee says
We shall find out tonight!!!
Jenni says
I am loving the sound of the braising liquid--beer, cranberry sauce and ketchup. I can imagine how they all blend together and lend flavor to the meat. Wonderful!
Beth Lee says
Yes it's a simple combination and also flexible. Some people don't drink beer on Passover cuz of the wheat - so you can switch it up to some beef or chicken broth, for example.
Doug says
I can vouch for this recipe. It is very yummy and indistinguishable from the oven roasted version.
Beth Lee says
And that is a very high compliment coming from someone who bows to the braising pot!