Passover Brisket on the Traeger

In partnership with Safeway

Before I became a backyard BBQ-er, I only had knowledge of two kinds of brisket: the kind you could buy at a Texas BBQ restaurant and the kind that my family had for Jewish holidays. And while they’re both variations on the same cut of meat, the differences between the two are significant and riddled with personal opinions. What better way to meld my heritage with my passion than to take my Bubbe’s (Jewish grandma) recipe for passover brisket and cook it on the Traeger? With the help of online shopping at my local Safeway store, my Bubbe’s brisket on the Traeger is a new take on an old standby. 

BRISKET FOR PASSOVER

Passover is the spring festival/holiday of the Jewish religous calendar. Happening each year in late March or early April, it occurs usually sometime near when Easter does and is a nice opportunity for families to come together to celebrate our heritage and religion and enjoy a meal together. In my family, it’s always over a Passover brisket (this year on a Traeger!).

WHAT IS PASSOVER?

Passover celebrates the Jewish people’s liberation from slavery and there is a lot of symbolism that occurs throughout the holiday. There main event of Passover occurs on the first night, when we have dinner together, called a seder. One of the most significant things is the use of matzo during the holiday– unleavened bread/crackers. They’re representative of the haste with which our ancestors left egypt upon liberation (allowing no time for the bread to rise). So one of the things that is always served during Passover is matzo– crackers, matzo balls in soup, etc. No leavened bread during Passover!

TRADITIONAL FAMILY FOODS BRING BACK MEMORIES

In my family, seder (for Passover along with most of the other holidays of significance) have always had the same thing on the menu. In addition to whatever symbolic dishes are traditional, we’ve always had my Bubbe’s brisket, potatoes and matzo ball soup. 

With a quick trip on my phone to the Safeway for U App, I added all the ingredients I’d need for our Passover seder to my cart and selected the DriveUp & Go option for pickup. Doing the shopping from the comfort of my couch meant I could spend more time with my little kids while still being able to cook an amazing meal for my extended family. 

A NEW TWIST ON TRADITION

For the past couple years, when Jewish family holidays have rolled around, I’ve been the designated cook for the meal. My aunt usually hosts, but I’ve been the one slow cooking a brisket until perfect and bringing it over for the family to enjoy. To be honest, for the first few meals, there was a lot of skepticism about my contribution– some of the elder traditionalists in the family wondered where Bubbe’s brisket had gone.

TWO BRISKET CAMPS

So there have been two camps about brisket in the extended McKenzie household for a number of years… 

MY BUBBE’S PASSOVER BRISKET 

My Bubbe’s brisket recipe is something that my mom and aunt swear by, and my family has always had. Brisket flat cooked low and slow in the oven in a braising mixture of beef broth, veggies (carrots and onions) and chili sauce. My mom and Bubbe cook their briskets until they are fall apart tender, and my mom swears that brisket cooked a few days in advance is the best (then reheated). It’s 

MY SMOKED TEXAS-STYLE BRISKET

I am partial to smoked brisket– Texas style is my preference– which has a heavy smoke ring, is moist and tender and slices perfectly. Traditional Texas-style brisket is seasoned in a well-balanced mixture of salt and ground black pepper, cooked slowly in a smoke bath and then wrapped in paper until it reaches about 203* internally. It’s one of my favorite dishes, and you can find a recipe for brisket on the Traeger here. It’s definitely not my Bubbe’s brisket, but it’s so delicious. 

NEW MEMORIES BY MIXING THE TWO

So this year, in an effort to bridge the gap between the brisket camps, I decided to do some recipe testing and see if I could make my Bubbe’s brisket on the Traeger and find the best of both worlds. 

STARTED WITH SAFEWAY

The first step in this Passover brisket on the Traeger process was to get all the ingredients together because a more traditional Jewish-style brisket requires more ingredients than a Texas-style brisket. I do my grocery shopping at Safeway because it’s so insanely convenient to shop on my phone and either have free two-hour delivery or free curbside pickup using my Safeway FreshPass subscription. 

For just $99 per year, I have the convenience of shopping from my couch and getting my groceries in no time through delivery or pickup. Joining Safeway FreshPass is super easy and convenient and has made cooking meals at home– for everyday weeknight dinners or big elaborate holiday meals– so smooth. 

Especially this time of year– when the school year has dragged on, everyone is tired and ready to play after work/school and spending time with my kids is a priority, grocery shopping at Safeway has made my life easier and helped me prioritize the important things. The last place my 18-month old toddlers want to go in the evening is the grocery store, so being able to pick up groceries on our way home makes everyone happy! 

Safeway for U gives me customized coupons, great deals on things I buy frequently and rewards that make grocery shopping more affordable and fun. 

PICKING UP GROCERIES

With the Passover brisket on the Traeger grocery list complete– brisket, seasoning, beef bouillon, carrots and onions, chili sauce and matzo ball fixings– I paid online and selected a pickup window that fit our schedule. We stopped by our local Safeway store on the way home from swim lessons and never had to pull the twins out of their car seats!

BUBBE’S SLOW SMOKED BRISKET

Finding a middle ground between the two distinct brisket techniques, we decided to cook up Bubbe’s brisket on the Traeger, creating a smoky and tender sliceable brisket roast that still had the opportunity to braise in the flavorful chili sauce and veggies that my family knows and loves. Give this Passover brisket on the Traeger a try this year!

SMOKED ON THE TRAEGER FIRST

I started by unwrapping the trimmed brisket flat we bought at Safeway, and patting it dry with a paper towel. It had been expertly trimmed by the butcher at our local store, so there was no knife work needed. I seasoned the brisket all over with my favorite steak rub from Safeway– the O Organics Steak Grilling Seasoning. Heavy with salt, pepper garlic, paprika and herbs, this seasoning is the perfect compliment to the brisket and the wood-fired flavor it’ll be infused with on the Traeger. 

I put the seasoned brisket on the smoker at 225* for about 90 minutes until the bark had been formed and the internal temperature of the meat had reached about 165*. This gave the brisket the opportunity to take a lot of the wood-fired flavor from the smoker and to ensure that the finished result would have a great and distinct smoke ring.

INTO THE BRAISE

Once the Passover brisket had reached about 165* internally, I transferred it into a big roasting dish that I had prepared for braising the brisket. In the dish was a combination of beef bullion (dissolved in water), a jar of chili sauce, chopped yellow onions and lots of baby carrots. The braising liquid didn’t fully cover the meat– intentionally– but went about halfway up the sides of the brisket flat. 

I nestled the meat into the pan and covered the whole thing tightly with aluminum foil. Then the dish went back in the Traeger at 275* for another 5 more hours until the meat reached 203* internally and was probe tender. 

PROBE TENDER VS FALL APART TENDER

I prefer that my brisket has some bite to it, and slices nicely. Some people prefer brisket that is cooked to the point that it falls apart– and if you want to do it that way I recommend you cook the brisket to about 210*. For sliceable brisket, cook it to 203* and let it rest about 30 minutes before slicing against the grain. 

As I mentioned, my mom and Bubbe have always cooked their briskets until they fall apart and they prefer to cook it ahead of time and reheat it. In my opinion, brisket is best served hot right from the initial cook, so a 30 minute rest after reaching the desired temp is ideal in my book.

SERVED WITH MATZO BALLS

In my family, while the Passover brisket is resting, we whip together big batch of fluffy matzo balls and serve those alongside the brisket. To me it evokes strong memories of my childhood and our twins are really big fans of matzo balls too, so it’s been fun to feed them things that remind me of my Bubbe. 

USE A MIX FOR MATZO BALLS

In my Safeway for U pickup, I added a box of matzo ball mix, some vegetable oil and some eggs to the order. As the brisket was resting, it was time to put together the matzo balls to be served alongside the Passover brisket. In a bowl, combine the eggs and oil and beat with a whisk until really well blended. Then you stir in the mix, pop it in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes and bring a pot of water to boil. 

We like our matzo balls on the larger side, so they were rolled into 1-inch spheres and dropped in boiling water for about 10 minutes until cooked and fluffy. Using the ingredients like we got at Safeway made this process super fast!

SLICE AND SERVE PASSOVER BRISKET ON THE TRAEGER

It was finally time to eat! The brisket had rested, the matzo balls were cooked and the kids were hungry. I sliced the brisket against the grain tino ¼ inch thick slices and served the meat alongside the matzo balls with some of the braising liquid and the carrots and onions. It turned out so delicious– somewhere between my Bubbe’s brisket and my favorite Texas-style brisket. This is definitely on the menu for Passover with my family in a few weeks!

PRIMARY INGREDIENTS

• Trimmed brisket flat
• O Organics Steak Grilling Seasoning
• Signature Select Beef Bouillon Cubes
• Signature Farms Baby Carrots
• Signature Farms Yellow Onions
• Signature Select Chili Sauce
• Matzoh Ball Mix
• Open Nature Brown Eggs
• Signature Select Vegetable Oil
• Water

WHY COOKING BUBBE’S BRISKET ON THE TRAEGER WORKS 

My Bubbe never had a Traeger, but I do think that both of my grandparents would have really liked a Traeger had it been around in their lifetimes. My grandpa ate steak most meals– so it would have been a treat to share a perfectly reverse-seared steak with him, hot off the Traeger. 

And my Bubbe, who did most of the cooking in their house, made brisket often. But it was always in the oven and always using her variation of the recipe shared here. Since Traegers are so well built to be convection ovens in your backyard, it is no surprise that this passover brisket recipe works so well in the Traeger. The even, consistent heat results in tender, juicy meat. And the first 90 minutes of the cook with the super smoke feature gave this passover brisket another dimension of flavor from the wood-fired smoke.

It’s truly the best of both worlds, and I think my Bubbe would have loved it!

STEP-BY-STEP

• Order your groceries on the Safeway for U app.
• Schedule your pickup time. 
• DriveUp to Safeway, park in a pickup spot and click the app to let them know you’re there. 
• Open the trunk and your groceries will be loaded for you!
• (now you have to bring the groceries in the house yourself!)
• Preheat your Traeger grill to 225* with the Super Smoke feature enabled. 
• Unwrap the brisket and pat it dry with a paper towel. 
• Season the brisket liberally with O Organics Steak Grilling Seasoning.
• Place the seasoned brisket in the center of the preheated grill and close the lid.
• Allow the brisket to smoke for about 90 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165*.
• While the brisket is smoking, prepare the braising pan. 
• Dissolve bouillon cubes in warm water, producing about 3 cups of beef broth. 
• In a big roasting pan, combine the beef broth and chili sauce. 
• Cut the onions into eighths and stir in the cut onions and baby carrots to the broth mixture.
• Remove the brisket from the grill and nestle it in the prepared braising dish. 
• Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and return the pan to the Traeger.
• Bump up the temperature to 275* and allow the brisket to cook for about 5 more hours. 
• When the internal temperature of the brisket reaches about 203*, pull the pan from the grill and vent it briefly to allow the steam to escape. 
• Let the pan rest on the counter for 30 minutes.
• While the brisket rests, make the matzo balls.
• In a bowl, combine the eggs and oil and beat until light and fluffy. 
• Stir in the matzo ball mix and combine until moistened throughout. 
• Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
• While the mix refrigerates, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.
• Wet your hands with water and roll the matzo ball mix into 1-inch spheres.
• Drop the balls into the boiling water and allow to cook for 15-20 minutes until fluffy and cooked through. 
• Remove the brisket from the pan and use a long slicing knife to cut against the grain.
• Arrange sliced brisket on a tray or cutting board with cooked vegetables and matzo balls.
• Serve your passover brisket cooked on the Traeger and enjoy– happy Passover!

ALTERNATE RECIPES/PRODUCT LINKS

Here are some recipes that remind me of my Jewish heritage that you might like making this time of year too: 

• Jewish Apple Cake
• Cheesy Potato Knishes
• Sweet Noodle Kugel
• Quick Pastrami

Products used in this cook:

Safeway FreshPass– online ordering, in-store shopper and unlimited free delivery over $30. We used the DriveUp & Go feature this time, which prevented us from having to take the kids out of the car!

Traeger Ironwood XL

Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to know how it turned out!
Leave a review below or snap a photo,
share it on Instagram and tag me at @ThisJewCanQue

Passover Brisket on the Traeger

thisjewcanque

Somewhere between my Bubbe’s traditional oven-braised brisket and my preferred Texas-style smoked brisket comes this Passover brisket on the Traeger. Smoked first then braised in a flavorful sauce with veggies, it’s sliced thinly and served with matzoh balls for a delicious holiday meal.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 7 hours hrs

Total Time 7 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Holiday Meal, main, meat

Cuisine American, fusion, Jewish, tradtional

Equipment

• Traeger grill
• Deep roasting pan
• Aluminum foil
• Instant read thermometer
• bowl and spoon
• Pot of boiling water
• Cutting board and slicing knife

Ingredients

  

• 6-8 pound trimmed brisket flat
• 6 tbsp O Organics Steak Grilling Seasoning
• 5 Signature Select Beef Bouillon Cubes
• 3 cups Signature Farms Baby Carrots
• 3 Signature Farms Yellow Onions
• 1 jar Signature Select Chili Sauce
• 1 box Matzoh Ball Mix
• 3 Open Nature Brown Eggs
• 1/2 cup Signature Select Vegetable Oil
• Water

Instructions

 

• Preheat your Traeger grill to 225* with the Super Smoke feature enabled.
• Unwrap the brisket and pat it dry with a paper towel.
• Season the brisket liberally with O Organics Steak Grilling Seasoning.
• Place the seasoned brisket in the center of the preheated grill and close the lid.
• Allow the brisket to smoke for about 90 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165*.
• While the brisket is smoking, prepare the braising pan.
• Dissolve bouillon cubes in warm water, producing about 3 cups of beef broth.
• In a big roasting pan, combine the beef broth and chili sauce.
• Cut the onions into eighths and stir in the cut onions and baby carrots to the broth mixture.
• Remove the brisket from the grill and nestle it in the prepared braising dish.
• Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and return the pan to the Traeger.
• Bump up the temperature to 275* and allow the brisket to cook for about 5 more hours.
• When the internal temperature of the brisket reaches about 203*, pull the pan from the grill and vent it briefly to allow the steam to escape.
• Let the pan rest on the counter for 30 minutes.
• While the brisket rests, make the matzo balls.
• In a bowl, combine the eggs and oil and beat until light and fluffy.
• Stir in the matzo ball mix and combine until moistened throughout.
• Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
• While the mix refrigerates, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.
• Wet your hands with water and roll the matzo ball mix into 1-inch spheres.
• Drop the balls into the boiling water and allow to cook for 15-20 minutes until fluffy and cooked through.
• Remove the brisket from the pan and use a long slicing knife to cut against the grain.
• Arrange sliced brisket on a tray or cutting board with cooked vegetables and matzo balls.
• Serve and enjoy your Passover brisket cooked on the Traeger– happy Passover!

Keyword beef brisket, braised brisket, Passover brisket, Traeger brisket