Tender brisket in half the time with the pressure cooker! Perfect for Passover dinner or Sunday suppers. Easy blender gravy.

Photography Credit: Coco Morante

My family has always cooked our Passover brisket in the oven, low and slow. It’s delicious, but takes over three hours to make! This year, I wanted to see if I could speed up the process using a pressure cooker.

And you know what? You can.

Using a pressure cooker, like the Instant Pot, you can make tender, deeply flavorful brisket with a thick, rich gravy in about half the time! (New to the Instant Pot? Check out our post How To Use an Instant Pot: A First-Timer’s Guide.)

Video! How to Make Instant Pot Beef Brisket

Keeping it Kosher

If you’re making this brisket recipe for Passover, be sure to buy a kosher brisket, along with “kosher for Passover” brands of red wine and ketchup.

If you are celebrating according to very strict kosher laws, you may also want to make sure your spices are designated “kosher for Passover.” Online stores like Rockland Kosher Supermarket are great resources for ingredients if you’re unable to track them down in your area.

How to Get the Best Flavor from Your Brisket

The gravy gets lots of flavor from the seared meat, so whatever you do, don’t skip on that step! Give the brisket a good six minutes on each side so that it becomes deeply and thoroughly browned.

After the brisket is seared, quickly sauté the onions and garlic until they give up their liquid and the onions begin to brown. While they cook, scrape up any browned bits leftover from searing the brisket – these make the broth extra flavorful!

Easy Gravy with Your Brisket

Oh, and one more great bonus of pressure cooking: You can make the gravy right in the pot! Use an immersion blender to whiz the onions and garlic into the cooking liquid, making a thick, rich gravy.

This also means zero stuck-on mess to clean up at the end of cooking. How much better does it get?

More Recipes for a Great Passover Dinner