Leslie’s mother Charlotte Coe places freshly cooked dinner on the counter.

What would Passover be without my Mom’s beef brisket? She would start it the night before, and the house would have a wonderful smell. By the time the Passover Seder was over, you couldn’t wait for dinner to be served because you knew there would be beef brisket. The best part was Mom always made extra so we had leftovers for a few days. Yummm, a brisket sandwich.

I’ll never forget my first attempt at making beef brisket for a large crowd. I had a new kitchen with a new oven. Beef brisket needs to cook for a long time to reach that perfect falling-apart stage. I had the pan loaded up with two large briskets, and after a couple of hours, not much had happened. Needless to say, my state-of-the-art oven was useless, and with one hour before the guests were to arrive I was in a state of panic. I turned the oven to convection, turned up the heat and let it go. The meat was cooked, but it never did reach the falling-apart stage. Oh well, live and learn. I have made it several times, but there is still no substitute for when my Mom makes it. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

- Leslie Coe, ad services assistant

Ingredients:

1 large beef brisket

Fresh garlic cloves, peeled

Salt, pepper and paprika

2 onions, peeled and quartered

Ketchup (traditional) or chili sauce (alternative)

Preheat oven to 300 F. Place beef brisket in a large baking dish. Make several slits in brisket and insert garlic cloves. Rub with salt, pepper and paprika. Place onions around brisket. Cover brisket with ketchup. Cover pan with foil. Cook for about an hour. Turn oven up to 350-400 F and cook until the meat falls apart, 2-3 hours.