Recipe: Perfect braised brisket

Brisket can mean different things to different people – barbecue enthusiasts, for example, wouldn't dream of eating the fatty piece of meat any other way than tenderized by a smoker, partnered with a dry rub and tangy sauce.

For our family, classic brisket is a braised cut of beef that is simmered with carrots and onions and served as a centrepiece at important gatherings – especially Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year starting on September 20.

The smell of a brisket braising in the oven is the scent of home and tradition for many Jewish families.

But making one requires a fair amount of time and elbow grease. We wondered if we could simplify the process and decided to try it a number of different ways: in a slow cooker, pressure cooker and traditional Dutch oven.

Those who have been following the Waverman dynamic may recall that Emma considers the slow cooker an inferior cooking tool but is willing to use it because it takes the stress out of dinner.

Over the past year, she has become slightly evangelical about her Instant Pot, a techy pressure cooker that heats food to a higher temperature than the slow cooker. Because it has a stainless steel interior, food can be sautéed in it, creating more browning and caramelization.

The challenge this week was to compare three briskets each made with a different method. We weren't surprised that traditional braising won out on taste, but the Instant Pot was truly a close second.

Unfortunately for slow-cooker enthusiasts, that brisket paled in comparison to the other two – the flavours were not as balanced and intense, and the texture was a bit soggy. The meat was quickly re-purposed for soup.

Don't wait for a special occasion to make a brisket. It's a one-pot dish that tastes better as leftovers and can be a family tradition any day of the year.

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Lessons learned from cooking brisket three ways

The slow cooker may be the easiest way to go but the results were our least favourite. It's a practically hands-off task, but the braising liquid is thin and almost flavourless, the vegetables are left tasteless and the meat was soggy.

The Instant Pot is the fast method, taking just an hour and a half. One great feature of this appliance is its sauté setting, allowing you to brown the brisket as you would in a pot on the stove. Once the meat is tender, use the sauté setting again to reduce the sauce until thickened and concentrated. The meat had some browning and was the second most tender. The sauce had lots of flavour once reduced and the vegetables were tender and had some flavour.

The classic method of browning on the stove and braising in the oven delivers the most delicious results. The sauce was thickened and concentrated, and the meat was well browned and extremely tender. This brisket was hands down our favourite.