To-die-for Beef Brisket that really makes the most out of this cut of beef! This Slow Cooker brisket is cooked in a simple homemade BBQ sauce until it’s deliciously tender and infused with incredible flavour. Serve with a side of Coleslaw or Macaroni Salad and steamed corn. Or pile high onto rolls and make sliders!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Beef Brisket recipe!
I really am not a girls’ girl when it comes to food. I don’t gaze in wonder at stunningly decorated multi-tier cakes. I don’t ooh and aah over pretty little chocolates. I have no interest in learning how to make candy.
But I do go gah-gah over sights like this – a giant hunk of flavour loaded brisket.
I’m all class. All class. 😂
Cooking brisket – in brief
What is brisket? A cut of beef that needs to be cooked slowly to break down the connective tissues. The unique thing about this cut of beef is that it can be slow cooked so it’s fork tender, yet is still sliceable. It also has a better beefy flavour compared to other slow cooking beef cuts like chuck.
Is there another name for brisket? There’s no other name for raw brisket, that is the name of the cut. But you will see it sold in stores already prepared in the form of corned beef, pastrami and silverside which is brisket that’s been brined.
What cut of meat is similar to brisket? There is no cut of beef with the same cooking qualities. For this recipe, the best substitute for beef brisket is rolled chuck, like you use for Pot Roast. Otherwise, try the Beef Ribs or Pork Ribs version of this recipe – both terrific!
How long does it take to cook? 8 to 10 hours in the slow cooker on low, 1 hr 15 minutes in a pressure cooker, or 5 hours in the oven at 320F/160C.
Is brisket supposed to be pink? No. Cooked plain brisket should not be pink, if it is, it is massively undercooked and will be tough. You cannot eat brisket rare. HOWEVER, pastrami and corned beef are pink even after cooking due to the special curing salt they use (like bacon).
How to make slow cooker Beef Brisket
It’s a straight forward beef brisket recipe though there is a fairly long list of spices because we’re making a homemade rub and homemade BBQ Sauce here. Totally worth it – there’s no bottled sauce that compares to this!
Spice Mix – We start off with a spice rub. No need to marinate because we’re slow cooking it – the long cook time essentially has the same effect as marinating. If we were roasting it, I’d recommend marinating it.
Slow Cook – place the ingredients for the homemade BBQ Sauce in the slow cooker (vinegar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and spices), add the beef and leave to slow cook for 8 to 10 hours.
Caramelise crust – After this, all that’s required is a few minutes in a hot oven (or even under the grill/broiler) to caramelise the crust;
Reduce sauce – Meanwhile, simmer the liquid in the slow cooker to reduce it down to a syrupy sauce consistency <– This right here is our homemade BBQ Sauce!
What is beef brisket?
Brisket is a cut of beef made for slow cooking, not fast cooking. It’s unique characteristic compared to other slow cooking cuts of beef is that it holds its shape even after hours and hours of slow cooking and can be sliced.
When you slow cook other cuts of slow cooking cuts of beef like chuck (like in Beef Stew), gravy beef (an Australian beef cut) and short ribs, they “fall apart easily because there is more connective tissues running throughout the meat which breakdown with slow cooking.
However, as you can see in the photos in this post, brisket holds together and can be sliced. But the slices are ultra tender and could be shredded easily, see? 🙂
Is brisket suitable for shredding?
Brisket does shred well, but I prefer using chuck beef or ribs for shredding for recipes like slow cooked Shredded Beef Ragu, Shredded Beef Chili and Shredded Mexican Beef.
Those cuts have more fat running through the meat and so the shredded pieces are nice and juicy. Though brisket has a layer of fat on the surface, there actually is not that much fat or connective tissues running through it, so if you shred it then it’s pretty lean.
What to serve with beef brisket
For this particular recipe, I’m keeping this Slow Cooker Beef Brisket whole and slicing it. Serve up a hearty Southern style supper with sides of Homemade Southern Style Baked Beans, Corn Bread (or try my favourite Corn Bread Muffins!), Creamy Corn Casserole, classic creamy Coleslaw or this No Mayo Coleslaw (it’s excellent!), Macaroni Salad, Potato Salad or mashed potato.
Or pile it onto sliders – this is the way I usually serve it because brisket is a perfect recipe for feeding a crowd! – Nagi xx
MORE GREAT THINGS TO PILE ONTO SLIDERS
• Slow Cooker Honey Buffalo Shredded Chicken
• Easy Homemade Pastrami
• Chili – and Slow Cooked Shredded Beef Chili
• Cubanos (Cuban Subs with Mojo Marinated Pork, from the “Chef” movie)
• Slow Cooker Pulled BBQ Pork Sliders
PS If you love beef, don’t miss this Beef Pot Roast and Prime Rib / Standing Rib Roast recipes!
Watch How To Make It
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Slow Cooker Beef Brisket with BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 1.5 – 2 kg / 3 – 4 lb beef brisket (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp olive oil (or a neutral oil like vegetable, canola)
Rub:
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp paprika powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 3/4 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
BBQ Sauce:
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/2 cup / 125 ml apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups / 375 ml ketchup
- 1/2 cup / 110g brown sugar , packed
- 2 tsp EACH black pepper, onion powder, mustard powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to taste re: spiciness)
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Mix Rub ingredients. Rub all over brisket. If time permits, leave for 30 minutes – 24 hours in the fridge, but I rarely do this.
- Combine BBQ Sauce ingredients in a slow cooker. Mix then add the brisket – squish it in if needed, like I did (see video).
- Slow cook in slow cooker for 8 hours (1.5 kg / 3 lb) to 10 hours (2 kg / 4 lb). (Note 2 for pressure cooker and click here for oven)
- Remove brisket onto a tray.
- Pour liquid in slow cooker into a saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium high heat and reduce until it thickens to a syrup consistency (it thickens more as it cools).
- Meanwhile, drizzle brisket with oil then roast in a 200C/390F oven for 15 minutes until brown spots appear. Remove then baste generously with Sauce, then return to oven for 5 minutes. Remove and baste again, then return to oven for 5 – 10 minutes until it caramelises and looks like the photos. (See note for BBQ option)
- TO SERVE: Slice brisket thinly across the grain and serve with remaining BBQ Sauce. This is terrific served as a meal with sides or piled high onto rolls with Coleslaw as sliders. See Note 3 for more ideas.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Brisket recipe originally published July 2017. Updated to improve writing, and created separate recipe card for oven baked brisket directions. No change to recipe – much loved by readers as is, I wouldn’t dare!
Life Of Dozer
So. Much. Sand.
Anyone for a puppy kiss? 😝
I cooked this with some homemade coleslaw and soft rolls from my local bakery. Absolutely delicious!
Thank you for sharing. This sounds delicious! The brisket is rubbed and sitting now. I can’t wait to try this.
Absolutely awesome. Bona petite.
Love you
You are my new hero! I didn’t know what a brisket was until my hubby brought one home he found in sale. I found your recipe and hoped for the best. Amazing doesn’t begin to describe it! There will be this brisket in heaven. My hubby thinks I’m amazing as well. Thank you.
Perfect recipe!! I served it in sliders with coleslaw and everyone loved it! Thank you Nagi 🙂
Made this on the weekend and we are all still talking about it 5 days later. Another winner, Nagi.
I have never had brisket before and tried this recipe. WOW it was so flavoursome and I will be making it again.
Thank you Nagi I’ve been wanting to try a slow cooked brisket for so long but it terrified me . But your recipe was easy to follow and turned out perfect may family loved it so much my husband licked his plate clean ♥
Not so sure about the cook times. I did 8 hours in a crock pot and it was pretty well done. Can’t imagine cooking it more. It’s delicious though. I rarely repeat recipes from one week to the next but this one is SUPER yummy. I put the brisket on pita bread with a skosh of garlic hummus. It’s like crack!
Holy COW! (pun intended) I found a brisket at my grocer for 50% off (which they are quite often, I have just never knew what to do with it?!?) and in the economical climate in Canada, I couldn’t resist. So I google a recipe and here I am. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you. My family and I were completely floored by how good this turned out. I did it in the slow cooker and we finished it on the Big Green Egg. The BBQ sauce is ridiculously good (I ran out of onion powder on the rub so used fresh onion) and I will be using it on my BBQ chicken this weekend, it’s THAT good. Honestly the best brisket I have ever had. We served it on fresh dinner rolls with homemade cole slaw. Chef’s Kiss! Bravo.
Had this for dinner tonight! The meat was so soft and the sauce was amazing! Thanks Nagy.
Super yum. I’d never made brisket before because I don’t own a smoker… and boy oh boy am I going to make this again! Thanks Nagi, for making my food dreams come true!
Oh, and I didn’t include the sugar in the rub, and replaced the sugar in the sauce with honey… worked great!
Super yum. I’d never made brisket before because I don’t own a smoker… and boy oh boy am I going to make this again! Thanks Nagi, for making my food dreams come true!
Oh, and I didn’t include the sugar in the rub, and replaced the sugar with honey… worked great!
Super yum. I’d never made brisket before because I don’t own a smoker… and boy oh boy am I going to make this again! Thanks Nagi, for making my food dreams come true!
I made this (again), and it was awesome (again). I served it with pasta, simply because my partner had made a batch of pasta this afternoon, and though it sounds weird the shredded meat and sauce was absolutely sublime mixed with fettuccine.
Best brisket.. melt in your mouth. I will turn it half way to stop parts drying out next time. Just delicious, thank you!!!
I made this last night which was ideal for a cold stormy night in Auckland. Don’t normally use this cut of meat, but it was delicious. Served it with roast vegetables.Absolutely love your website with the videos, clear instructions and notes. Best food website.
In my comment my rating showed 4 but it was meant to be 5!!
I made this tonight my husband flat loved it he used the barbecue sauce on his mashed potatoes and love that thank you so much.