This Friday, my parents will meet my +1's mom and sister for the first time. Six people. One small condo. Not a good time to have the oven cranked. I'm looking for advice on oven cooking a brisket overnight. I've read a couple of recipes from Nigella for overnight cooking of lamb shoulder and pork. Both recommend an initial sear, then the recipes diverge. Lamb says add water, cover and cook in 250 degree oven overnight. Pork says hike up the temp as high as it can go, put roast in for 30 minutes, then lower temp to 250, leave overnight, then crank up again to crisp up the skin.

I'm planning to put a rub on the brisket that includes brown sugar, so the scorch-ola pork method seems ill-advised. DR.com, I need help!

This recipe says to start at 450, and then reduce to 200 degrees.

This one says the same thing.

With your sugar rub, I would go with the one that cooks it at the higher temperature for a short time.

Perhaps brisket has special significance for your family. Otherwise, I'd do something that could feed a crowd that doesn't involve turning on the oven for a long time. If it's got to be red meat and you don't have the option of grilling outdoors, flank steak or London Broil on bed of spicy, raw greens and a simple potato salad.

Sadly, this menu item is not optional. Thanks for the alternative suggestions, though!

What is the flavor profile that looking to achieve? Will it be something akin to an unsmoked texas brisket?

Yes, that's exactly where I'm going with this. I'm looking for a solution that will allow maximum flavor an minimum actual time in the kitchen. I only see my dad once a year, and this is the first time he's been to visit me in about 8 years. I want to spend time with him, not my stove.

Is a crockpot not available, and that's why the oven is needed for the long cook? The overnight brisket in the crockpot is a pretty standard kosher meal.

The issue with using the water directly with the brisket is that your rub would not stay with the meat. I would suggest finding some smoked paprika to give it a little bit of a smoke flavor. Also the searing with the rub will be problematic, I suggest rubbing the meat, placing it uncovered in a 250 degree oven and cooking it until the surface dries and gently browns on its own. For the rest of the cooking introduce some moisture, either by placing a pan with water under the pork and covering the meat with perforated foil, or even better would be to elevate the meat above the bottom of a pan (I would use a small cooling rack if you have one) and add some liquid so that it is not touching the meat and then wrap with foil, this will help create a moist cooking environment without washing away the rub.

You don't need to brown the brisket, is my opinion, but if you do, brown it on the stove top.

Keep the oven temp at 250 all the way. No reason at all to raise to 450. In fact, we set at 225.

Conventional wisdom is to not serve guests anything you have never cooked before. I violate this rule all the time, myself.

I rarely bake brisket in the oven (I normally smoke), but I do not recommend using brown sugar. My default rub is salt, sugar, black pepper, coriander and garlic. Combine with little neutral-flavored oil and rub the brisket the night before. Btw, the source of brisket I've found is the Pennsylvania Dutch Market in Hunt Valley - it's grass/silage-fed beef and is usually $3.69/lb. Anyway, forming a crispy "skin" is really not possible, but I do recommend either an initial oven temp of 450, for perhaps 20 minutes, or searing in a hot pan to induce browning. Then tent with foil and bake or braise(with water, broth, beer, or other flavored liquid if you wish) at 300 until the internal temp reaches 190. When it reaches 190, bake for another hour, then wrap in foil, then in a towel, then let it rest preferably in a cooler. Should take about 4 hours total cooking, much preferable to leaving your oven on overnight, in terms of both temp and energy. Also, don't trim the brisket and cook it fat side up.

I don't think leaving it cooking in an oven overnight is a good idea, because then you risk cooking it too long and making the brisket too tender. I happen to prefer a brisket that is tender, but with enough structural integrity to slice easily without shredding apart.

Why tent with foil? Why not use a Dutch/French "oven" with a heavy lid? Keeps all the moisture in.

Unless you don't have an oven-safe pot big enough?

I guess I assumed most folks don't own a dutch oven large enough to accommodate an entire brisket, but if so of course use it. My thought was that it's far more likely to have a roasting pan available, which when tented with foil, provides sufficient cover and easy access for temp checking. Btw OP, how did the dinner go?

I just made a 5 pound brisket yesterday. Seasoned it only with salt and pepper, then seared it outside on the grill. Placed in a roasting pan on a rack. Slathered with house made barbecue sauce (blackened tomatoes, cider vinegar reduction, mustard seeds, cloves, toasted cumin, bay leaves, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, ketchup) and covered pan with foil tightly. 8 hours at 250 and it was perfectly done. Tender, but not fall apart tender--it still had enough resistance to lend itself nicely to being carved.

I've made this plenty of times in the past and have never had anything but rave reviews from friends and family.

Thanks to all for the suggestions! Dinner turned out very well and the brisket got many compliments. The method I ended up with was as follows:
In AM coat brisket with dry rub (ground chipotle, paprika, cayenne, cumin & white & brown sugar) wrap in butcher's paper, sit in fridge 'til PM.
At 9:30 PM, heat oven to 225, unwrap brisket and set on rack in roasting pan, fat side up, then in oven.
Go to sleep and dream of roasting meat, because that 's all you'll smell.
Wake up, insert probe thermometer in brisket and leave until internal temp equals 170-175.
Once internal temp is achieved, turn off oven. Wrap brisket in double foil, place back in roasting pan put two layers of "don't care if they get drippin's on" bath towels over all. Place pan back in oven, and go on about your day.
At dinner time, pull out brisket (still slightly warm) carve into thin slices and place on serving platter.
Listen to chewing at the table, because all mouths are occupied eating, not talking.