If you ever doubted the passion with which diners regard brisket, look no further than the online discussion boards of sites like Chow, Eater and Serious Eats — or any Jewish Community Center gathering. That’s where you’ll find devotees discussing, kibitzing and arguing about Lipton onion soup, the thickness of the slice and the perfection of their mothers’ recipes.

“Every culture has a version,” says Stephanie Pierson, author of what may be the world’s first brisket-centric cookbook, and every family says theirs is the best. It’s a pride thing. It’s also a love thing, which is why Pierson’s book, “The Brisket Book” (Andrews McMeel, 208 pages, $29.99), carries the subtitle “A Love Story With Recipes.”

There’s probably no other cut of meat that evokes such feelings of home, happiness and cultural continuity.

“We have lost our mother tongues,” she says, “changed our last names and moved all over the world, (but) we have somehow managed not to lose our recipes for brisket.”

Instead, those scraps of paper — tattered index cards filled with spidery jottings about oven temperatures and flavorful additions — are passed from bubbe to granddaughter, shared with college roommates and then emailed to boyfriends, cousins and friends-of-friends. It’s a culinary sharing that transcends borders, cultures and divides.

That was the message Pierson heard over and over again as she spent a year “brisketeering” with rabbis, butchers, bubbes and chefs, including Chris Kimball of Cooks Illustrated and America’s Test Kitchen fame and Nach Waxman, the owner of Kitchen Arts & Letters.

“For a tough cut of meat that’s not a big superstar, it has this amazing provenance of being part of communities and families all over the world,” Pierson says.

Brisket may lack the sexiness of a sirloin, Pierson says, or the va-va-voom of a filet, but no matter what you add to that inexpensive, tough cut of meat — and that’s a list that ranges from miso to Dr Pepper — brisket is transformed by one thing.

It’s love, says Jeff Banker, executive chef at San Francisco’s Baker & Banker, “For it to be good, you have to put a lot of love into it.”

Banker’s mother rubbed her brisket with spices and let it marinate overnight, before giving it a quick searing to lock in the juices. Then she’d top it with ketchup, onion and that quintessential, mid-20th century ingredient — Lipton onion soup mix — and cook it for hours.

The Lipton onion soup-sprinkled variation is a classic of our times, Pierson says. It’s a riff of sorts on the classic Ashkenazic preparation, which is rich with savory onions. Pierson’s former best friend’s ex-mother-in-law’s recipe combines the onion soup mix with ketchup, chili sauce and Malbec to produce a sweet, tomatoey sauce. Others add beer to the mix. And still others toss in pomegranate juice, gingerbread and/or coffee.

Pierson is an expert on the topic now, but despite having a Jewish father and growing up in a “Jewish-WASPy household,” the self-described “brisket orphan” didn’t have her first taste of the glorious entree until she was in her 20s.

“It was love at first bite,” she says.

Now, after sampling briskets from coast to coast, Pierson is hard put to name a favorite. She loves the recipe offered by Bill Niman, of Niman Ranch fame, who bridges the braised-barbecue barrier with an oven-braised roast and a sauce created by Bo McSwine, owner of Lafayette’s Bo’s Barbecue. And Kimball’s test kitchen version, she says, is perfection.

At New York City’s Temple Emanu-El, assistant Roberta Greenberg’s brisket is so beloved, the rabbi keeps the recipe on the synagogue’s website. It ’s the jellied cranberry sauce — yes, from a can — that’s the trick.

“It caramelizes into this intense lovely sweetness, braced with onions,” Pierson says.Anyone’s bubbe would approve.

CLASSIC BRAISED BEEF BRISKET—Yield: 6 servings

2 tablespoons salt1 tablespoon each smoked paprika and mustard seed1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1 (3-pound) beef brisket2 tablespoons vegetable oil2 sprigs rosemary2 sprigs thyme3 cloves garlic, crushed1 quart veal or beef stock1 cup dry red wine1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Procedure:1. In small bowl, mix salt, paprika, mustard and pepper. Rub meat all over with spice mix.2. In large, heavy skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add brisket and brown evenly on both sides, 5-7 minutes per side. Transfer brisket to ovenproof baking dish just large enough to hold it snugly. Add rosemary and thyme sprigs, garlic, stock, wine and vinegar. Cover dish with heavy-duty aluminum foil and bake until brisket is fork-tender, 3-4 hours.3. Transfer brisket to cutting board and cover with foil to keep warm. Strain liquid into pan and reduce over medium heat to about 2 1/2 cups, with a glaze consistency. Check seasonings.4. Slice brisket across the grain and serve drizzled with sauce.

“The Brisket Book — A Love Story With Recipes” by Stephanie Pierson

NIMAN RANCH BRANDING BRISKET WITH BO’S BARBECUE SAUCE—Yield: 10-12 servings

BRISKET1 (6-pound) beef brisketKosher salt, black pepper2 tablespoons olive oil, divided2 yellow onions, thinly sliced10 sprigs thyme1 cup dry red wine2 cups beef stock

BO’S SAUCE1 tablespoon olive oil1/2 yellow onion, minced1 clove garlic, minced1 cup ketchup3 tablespoons lemon juice2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce2 tablespoons brown sugar1 teaspoon dry mustard1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepperKosher salt

Procedure:1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pat brisket dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in Dutch oven or large, high-sided, ovenproof sauté pan with lid over high heat. Add brisket and sear, turning once 2-3 minutes per side, until lightly browned. Transfer to plate.3. Add remaining tablespoon olive oil to pan and reduce heat to medium-high. Add onions and thyme and cook, stirring often, about 3 minutes, or until onions begin to brown. Add wine and cook 1 minute. Add stock and bring to boiling. Return brisket to pan, cover and bake until fork-tender, 3-4 hours.4. Remove brisket from the oven, transfer to plate and let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours, or until chilled enough to slice easily. Discard pan juices.5. To prepare sauce, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, 2-3 minutes, until soft. Stir in ketchup, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, mustard, pepper and crushed red pepper. Bring to boiling and cook 2-3 minutes, until sugar melts. Season to taste with salt. Serve with sliced brisket.

“The Brisket Book — A Love Story With Recipes,” by Stephanie Pierson

TEMPLE EMANU-EL BRISKET—Yield: 8-10 servings

1 (4- to 5-pound) beef brisket2 teaspoons garlic powder1 teaspoon paprikaKosher salt, freshly ground pepper4 large onions, peeled and cut into eighths2 (14-ounce) cans jellied cranberry sauce, sliced

Procedure:1. Sprinkle both sides of brisket with garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Tightly cover brisket with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 days.2. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 500 degrees.3. Place brisket in roasting pan; roast 20 minutes on each side. Remove pan from oven and reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Place onions under and around brisket, then cover meat with cranberry sauce slices. Tightly cover pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil and cook until fork-tender, about 3 hours.4. Remove pan from oven and allow brisket to cool. Transfer brisket to cutting board, trim fat, then slice meat against the grain to desired thickness. Return slices to pot, overlapping them at an angle so you can see a bit of the top edge of each slice, cover pan with foil and refrigerate overnight.5. The next day, remove any congealed fat from top of sauce. Reheat brisket, covered, at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, then uncover and cook another 20-30 minutes, until hot through and sauce has reduced a bit. Serve with sauce.

 “The Brisket Book — A Love Story With Recipes,” by Stephanie Pierson

Low, slow cooking and love can transform a tough cut of meat into a succulent brisket to die for. Photo by MCCLATCHY

Cookbook author Stephanie Pierson Photo by MCCLATCHY

“The Brisket Book” Photo by MCCLATCHY