Start your perfect brisket feast with a mix of dried thyme, sweet paprika, and dried sage whisked together in a bowl with freshly ground black pepper and fine sea salt. Apply this spice blend evenly over a 10-pound whole beef brisket and let it soak up the flavors at room temperature for about an hour.

Ahead of cooking, preheat your oven to 300°F. Once heated, pour a quarter cup of grapeseed oil into a large flameproof roasting pan covering two burners. Allow the brisket to sear in the pan over moderately high heat until it browns, taking roughly 8 minutes. Afterward, rest the meal on a large baking sheet.

Next, add eight medium sliced onions and a sprinkle of salt into the roasting pan. Let them soften and brown for around 20 minutes over moderate heat. Now add 2 cups of beef stock or low-sodium broth, 1 cup of Banyuls vinegar or aged red wine vinegar, 1 cup of tomato puree, 10 peeled garlic cloves, black peppercorns, and one bay leaf, allowing everything to simmer.

Placing the fennel wedges in the simmering broth, nestle the brisket back into the pan. The next step is to tent your beef with foil and bake it for around 6 hours and 30 minutes until it turns tender. Rest the meat for another 20 minutes on a carving board under a foil tent.

Skim off the fat from the broth and toss out the bay leaf. Carve the brisket and serve it with the pan juices and vegetables.

The genius behind this recipe, Andrew Zimmern, ensures the festive brisket is remarkably tender and juicy, served with sweet, caramelized fennel cooked in the same savory broth. Despite the simple recipe, persisting with the 6 hour cook time at a low temperature pays off – resulting in a mouth-watering centerpiece for your holiday table.

Primarily tough, briskets undergo a transformation when roasted low and slow. The meat is rendered tender and moist due to the process of braising in a rich liquid blend and keeping it encased in foil for protection against dryness. The importance of resting your brisket cannot be overstated as the redistributing juices offer enhanced flavor while slicing.

An aromatic dry rub of thyme, sweet paprika, sage, and salt, applied an hour before cooking, suffuses the brisket with a rich taste. However, assure that the marination is not too long to prevent drying out caused by drawing moisture.

The slicing requires a well-balanced, sharp knife and should be done against the grain for the softest result.

For those who prefer to get a head start, the cooked brisket and vegetables can be refrigerated in the braising liquid and gently reheated before serving. The recipe also holds well when frozen with the vegetables and liquid. Make sure to leave enough time for a 6.5-hour braise, plus resting time for the brisket and preparation of the broth and vegetables.