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? 😝
Hi Nagi, I’m really excited to try this as hubby is a massive fan of brisket. Wondering if I can use regular tomato sauce (in Aus) as I don’t usually buy ketchup. Thanks!
I’ve cooked many times just using Oz Tom sauce. I think ketchup is just the American name. The Americans know tomato sauce as something else, purée or Passata I think. Fabulous recipe.
American here! In our recipes, tomato sauce for pasta would be pasta sauce or spaghetti sauce. Tomato sauce is basically just puréed tomatoes. Ketchup is a tomato-based sauce with vinegar and sugar. It’s quite sweet.
In American BBQ (at least KC style) you always use ketchup as the base for the sauce for the sugar content. I’m sure you could use plain tomato sauce as a substitute, but it won’t taste the way the recipe intended.
Hope that helps!
Thanks Deb! I used regular tomato sauce and it was amazing!!!
It is really good. Followed the recipe as well as the coleslaw. Amazing flavour, the barbecue sauce has a bit of heat, not too sweet. The recipe is a keeper. Thanks
Beautiful will definitely make again
Hi Nagi, really looking forward to making this! I could only find two separate pieces of beef brisket, both 1kg . Is it best to sit them next to each other or to stack them? I am only cooking for two people, so could also just do 1kg/1 of the pieces. Thank you – love all your recipes 🙂
I would cook them next to each other, not stacked
I’ve tried a variety of brisket recipes, and this one tops my list. A tad sweet, but that can be adjusted to taste. The flavor was out of this world, and the brisket was very tender. This is a keeper!
Hi Nagi, with the oven option, is the cook time a total of 4.5 hrs or 10hrs? Thank you
First time cooking brisket…and wow, this recipe was fantastic! I cooked it in a cast iron casserole in the oven for 5 hours…it was so tender, and the sauce was amazing.
I am sorry if I missed it, but for the amount of time this cooks for, should it be on low heat?
Hi Debbie – it’s noted there in step 3 🙂 N x
This is the best slow cooker brisket recipe I’ve found. I’ve made small and large briskets, even stacked two small ones once. It comes out delicious every time! If you like a thicker sauce, which I do, I recommend adding some corn starch. Once again, the best!
Awesome great recipe 🙂
Thanks so much Owen!!! N x
Hi Nagi,
I reheated left overs in the oven using your instructions above. But its taken 50 minutes to get up to temperature. I’ve placed it in a tray on a wire rack with foil over it. Oven at 180C. Am I doing something wrong? Thanks!
Hi Joanne, was it stone cold from the fridge? N x
May I successfully cook the brisket in my oven rather than in a slow cooker?
Sure can Ruthielil – the directions are in the recipe notes. N x
Oops. I’m sorry. I completely overlooked your link to oven cooking instructions. I appreciate your courtesy in getting back to me, in spite of my oversight! Thank you.
I made this dish yesterday & took leftovers to my son who is a student. He sent me a text which says it all “Holy crap … this brisket is to die for!” Well said!
I’m wondering if I could put this beef brisket in a pie. Has anyone tried?
Why not Deb – great idea! N x
Hubby was skeptical that a slow cooker brisket could taste so good – I loved proving him wrong, he went back for seconds 🤣
Thanks so much Nagi for the amazing recipe, going to try the short ribs next!
Hi Nagi, I want to save the leftover bbq sauce after we finish the brisket because it is so yummy. I was curious how long you think the sauce can store for after being made with the brisket? Thank you and awesome recipe!
Hi Susan, pop it in the freezer and it will last p to 3 months! N x
This is an absolute winner – and my family think I’m a culinary genius! Very short prep time, popped in the slow cooker, leisurely day out in town by the River (Thames), returning to finish off in the oven whilst making creamy mash and spinach sides. Outrageously good. Thanks Nagi! (Sauce reminded me a little of the ribs at Tony Roma’s when I lived in Tokyo).
This was amazing! I have never cooked brisket before, it was so easy and the sauce was just delicious! What a tasty dish, thanks Nagi!! I am loving your site, so many gorgeous recipes!
Excellent brisket recipe. I had rave reviews from my dinner guests. I recommend using a slow cooker on low setting, as it was perfect for a 3 pound brisket for 8 hours. I decreased the cayenne to 1/2 tsp. Looking forward to making this one again!
I cooked it in a pressure cooker. 1 1/2 hour is too long. The meat was goodbut too cooked and dry. The sauce burned in the bottom. Next time I will cook it 1 hour and add 2 cups of water instead of just one. Also too spicy for my taste buds. Half a tsp of cayenne would be enough for me. I will modify the recipe and leave another comment when done.