Easy Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Brisket recipe! This simple recipe makes tender brisket in a sweet and tangy sauce with almost no prep!
This recipe makes a tender brisket with a homemade sweet and tangy sauce right in the Instant Pot. This brisket is inspired by the sweet and sour briskets served at Passover or Rosh Hashanah.
Brisket is a great choice for all-day cooking because the meat needs a long braise to help it break down and really soften up. The pressure of the Instant Pot helps to speed up that process, so you get super flavorful brisket in a fraction of the time!
How to make Instant Pot sweet and sour brisket
Stir together water, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, and sugar in an Instant Pot inner pot. Season brisket with salt and pepper.
Place brisket in sauce fat side up. Top with onions if using.
Close and lock the lid. Turn the pressure release valve to SEALING.
Press MANUAL high pressure and adjust the time to 70 minutes. When the cooking time ends, let the pressure release naturally for 25 minutes.
Remove the brisket to a cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm. Skim the fat from the surface of the cooking liquid.
Slice the brisket against the grain and serve drizzled with the cooking liquid.
Tips
- Brisket: Be sure to get a regular beef brisket, not a corned beef brisket for this recipe.
- Ketchup: I just use regular ketchup in this recipe.
- Vinegar: White vinegar gives the tang to the sauce. If you don't have white vinegar, cider vinegar will be the best substitute.
- Brown sugar: I don't tightly pack the brown sugar for this dish.
Serving suggestions
The brisket is delicious served alongside a green vegetable like cabbage or green beans. I also like to serve it with something like mashed potatoes to help soak up all of the delicious sauce.
Storage
This brisket will keep for up to 4 days, covered, in the fridge.
Make-ahead
The brisket tastes as good or better the second day. To make the brisket ahead of time, cook as directed through step 8.
Refrigerate the brisket and the cooking liquid. The fat will solidify once it has been chilled, and it will be easy to discard before reheating and serving.
Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Brisket
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup water
- 1 ½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 4 pounds beef brisket
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 sliced white or yellow onion optional
Instructions
- Stir together water, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, and sugar in an Instant Pot inner pot.
- Season brisket with salt and pepper.
- Place brisket in sauce fat side up.
- Top with onions, if using.
- Close and lock the lid.
- Turn the pressure release valve to SEALING.
- Press MANUAL high pressure and adjust the time to 70 minutes.
- When the cooking time ends, let the pressure release naturally for 25 minutes.
- Remove the brisket to a cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm.
- Skim the fat from the surface of the cooking liquid.
- Slice the brisket against the grain and serve drizzled with the cooking liquid.
Notes
- Brisket: Be sure to get a regular beef brisket, not a corned beef brisket for this recipe.
- Ketchup: I just use regular ketchup in this recipe.
- Vinegar: White vinegar gives the tang to the sauce. If you don't have white vinegar, cider vinegar will be the best substitute.
- Brown sugar: I don't tightly pack the brown sugar for this dish.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Lily
Don't tell my bubbe, but this is the best brisket I've eaten!
Kate
Thank you!
Lori
This recipe is excellent! Thank you for sharing.
Kate
Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it!