Here's how to make a mouthwatering braised brisket every time

I'll never forget the first time I enjoyed this marvelous and mouthwatering dish. I was pregnant with my first. It was a holiday, and my aunt Gloria made brisket for our family party. The brisket was a hit - particularly with my cousin Amy who was more than nine months pregnant, and with me, who was four months along.

The following morning, I woke up c-r-a-v-i-n-g the brisket for breakfast. Fortunately, my aunt had made so much of it that I knew there were plenty of leftovers in the refrigerator. My mouth was watering, and my baby was kicking in anticipation of enjoying another round of the ambrosial brisket.

This little momma was none too happy to find out that my husband and my cousin Joey had scarfed down the entire two pounds during a 4 a.m. "snack" during a marathon video gaming session! So, yeah - that was 17 years ago, and I've almost forgiven them.

Are you surprised that her secret ingredient is a can of Coca-Cola? The sugar in the soda will tenderize the meat and add a wonderful sweetness; before you ask, do not use Diet Coke for those reasons. In any case, I adopted this amazing recipe, making a few minor changes throughout the years that made it a bit easier to fit into my busy lifestyle.

While the brisket may take a couple of hours to cook, you will only spend 5 minutes getting it in the oven or slow cooker, and then you can step away and enjoy the tantalizing aromas coming from your kitchen. Brace yourself for a life-changing brisket. It's the best of the best.

Consider yourself warned: Hide the leftovers!

• Karen Nochimowski, the mom behind MommaChef.com, has loved cooking for as long as she can remember. After friends and family begged to be let in on her culinary secrets, she decided to create a blog featuring the easy, quick recipes that everyone loved. All Momma Chef recipes are made with 6 ingredients or less and take less than 6 minutes of prep time. Karen also started and runs Momma Chef's Soup Kitchen and Momma Chef's Little Free Pantry, which provides food at no cost to those in the Chicago community. Karen's first cookbook, "Six-Minute Dinners (& More!)," which is coming November 2022, is a cookbook of 100 simple and delicious recipes with six ingredients or less, including nut-free and allergy-friendly options, to help busy families get dinner on the table with ease.

Old-Fashioned Braised Brisket

1 (3- to 4-pound beef brisket

1 (1-ounce) envelope onion soup mix (my favorite is Lipton Onion Soup Mix)

1 (12-ounce) bottle Heinz Chili Sauce

2 cups ketchup

1 (8-ounce) package sliced mushrooms, optional

1 (8-ounce) can Coca-Cola

Preheat the oven at 300 degrees.

Place the brisket in a disposable pan or slower cooker.

Sprinkle the onion soup mix over the brisket, and top with the chili sauce and ketchup. Add the mushrooms, if using, pour the Coca-Cola over everything, and add ½ cup of water.

Bake the brisket covered in the oven for 4 hours at 300 degrees or in the slow cooker on low for 6 hours, until the meat is very tender.

Remove the brisket from the oven or slow cooker, and let the brisket come to room temperature before slicing. This takes about 30 minutes.

Cut the brisket against the grain before serving.

Serves 6 to 8

Note: This recipe is dairy-free, grain-free, nut-free and sesame-free.

Karen Nochimowski