I always preferred my grandmother’s pot roast to brisket. I never told her that because I was always scared she would revoke my Shayna Punim card (for the goyim readers that’s Hebrew for “pretty face”, which is what she always called me, probably because I never told her I didn’t like brisket. I mean what kind of Jew doesn’t like brisket??? Unheard of!) However, I found one at my local supermarket on sale and felt an urge to challenge myself by finding a recipe for brisket that I actually liked. So I scoured all my old cookbooks and came upon a recipe called Atlanta Brisket. It seemed like a mix between BBQ Brisket and Jewish Pot Roast. So I did my conversion magic and I have to say…..I am now a lover of Brisket!

Instant Pot Atlanta Brisket 

Recipe by Lana Horruitiner Perez

• 3+ lb Brisket, flat cut, trimmed of excess fat cap
• 2 1/2 tsp Salt
• Ground Pepper
• 3-4 Tbl Vegetable Oil
• 12 oz can or 1 1/2 cups of Cola (Coke, Pepsi, etc.)
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1 1/4 cups Ketchup
• 2 tsp Dark Brown Sugar
• 1 packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix
• 1 Yellow Onoin, sliced

Trim the fat cap off the top of the Brisket. Cut it in half.

Sprinkle both sides of both halves with 1/2 tsp Salt and Pepper on each side and set aside.

Cut the Onion in half and then slice. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl or measuring jug add 1 can (1 1/2 cups) of Cola. Add 1/2 cup Water so you have 2 cups of liquid in total. Mix in 1 1/4 cups of Ketchup. Whisk well until the Ketchup is dissolved as much as possible. Stir in the packet of Lipton Onion Soup mix and 2 Tsp Brown Sugar. Set aside.

Add 2 Tbl Vegetable Oil to the liner of your Instant Pot. Press “SAUTE” button and press “ADJUST” to High (If your Instant Pot doesn’t have an ADJUST button, you can just press SAUTE button to cycle through the modes until you reach High.) When the Instant Pot displays “HOT”, pat the Brisket with a paper towel and then add to the Instant Pot. Sear about 2 mins each side until browned, then remove. Add more oil if necessary and sear both sides of the second piece and remove. Set both aside.

** A great tip to control splatter when sautéing, use a splatter guard for frying, over the Instant Pot. Click here to purchase the one I use.

Adjust the Instant Pot to saute on “LOW” by turning it off and then pressing the “SAUTE” button again and “ADJUST” button until it is now on “LOW”. Add 2 Tbl of Vegetable Oil, Sliced Onions, remaining 1/2 tsp Salt. Add 1/8 cup Water and using a wooden spatula, scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot to remove the brown bits stuck on the bottom when you sautéed the meat. (This part is very important or else you will get the “BURN” notice. It also adds flavor to the Onions.)

Saute the Onions for 2 – 3 minutes. Turn off the Instant Pot.

Add the Cola/Ketchup/Lipton mixture and stir well. Add the Brisket and push down to submerge the meat as best as you can.

Lock the Instant Pot Lid into place and make sure the valve is set to the “SEALED” position. Pressure Cook for 60 (if you like your Brisket sliceable) – 75 mins (if you want it falling apart tender) on High. Once it’s done, allow to Natural Release completely. This will take about 15 to 20 mins.

Remove the Brisket and place in a bowl and cover with foil.

To thicken the sauce, press “SAUTE” button and adjust to High and simmer the remaining liquid until it is thicker. Spoon over Brisket and serve.

Buen Provecho!