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? 😝
This recipe is awesome! Thank you for the foodgasm. This was my first time cooking brisket and definitely won’t be my last.
Best darn BBQ sauce ever. I’ve made brisket heaps of times and struggled to get the right flavouring.
Thanks Nagi, you’re a legend! I cooked mine (oven) on a lower heat and for longer (8hrs). Reduced all the juicy stuff and then rolled the brisket in this stuff and grilled for 15 minutes.
Made this today for a rainy Memorial Day. I made sandwiches with slices of gouda and onion rings (and more sauce). Before everyone went into food comas, they raved. Seriously, this was so good. I was nervous making something new for a bunch of people, but thanks to your easy-to-follow instructions, it turned out great. The sauce has a nice kick. Picky eaters who often complain about too-sweet-sauce loved it. Thank you!
Hi Nagi, will this freeze okay?
Yes 100% Meryl!! N x
Delicious! We had it with slaw in rolls and a side of sweet potato fries. Yum
In slow cooker now! – cannot wait for tonight!
Simply delicious! All of your recipes I’ve made have been amazing – Thankyou for sharing them with us xx
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, incredible! Thank you for this recipe Nagi.
What if my brisket is 9.5 lbs and doesn’t fit quite as well as that one?
Hi Navi, this looks fantastic and I’m keen to try it this week. I don’t have a slow cooker, but I’m wondering if I can cook this in a warming drawer which heats to 80 degrees? If so, can you suggest how I would calculate the time? Thank you!
Sorry for mispelling your name, Nagi!
Nagi — you’re an inspiration! I’ve been absent from the kitchen far too long so now I’m going to revisit my favourite foods based on your recipes. Arigato
Just loved it! Great cold-weather meal. Easy to prepare and the taste was out of this world.
How long in the oven for an 8 lb brisket?
Wow, wow, wow. This brisket recipe is amazing. My husband can’t stop talking about it and he’s been sending the link to his buddies. The time in the oven creates some incredible burnt ends. Totally freaking awesome. Thank you so much for sharing!
This was my first attempt at brisket. I followed this recipe exactly and it was amazing! But what was even better than the brisket was THE BBQ SUAUCE!! Omg, I love spicy, and this is one the most incredible BBQ sauces I’ve ever had!! We even kept the leftover sauce and used it to glaze some chicken the next night. Yum!!!
This looks amazing. I am going to make it for my birthday. If I want to make extra bbq sauce for serving sandwich style. Do I need to change anything? Or just simmer in a pot as per instructions? Thanks.
Hi Kat, there I a stack of sauce here but if you want extra, just scale up the sauce ingredients, you may need to simmer a little longer on the stove. N x
Tried twice now and lovely both times! Only thing I left out was the cayenne pepper as I’m not a fan of really spicy, it still tasted great though.
Any tips for doing low and slow on the BBQ smoker? Eg smoker with the rubbed brisket sauce cooked seperately?
Hi Nic – I don’t have a smoker just yet so can’t give accurate advice here sorry! N x
Delicious! Easy! Finally, I can make a brisket that is fork tender. Thank you!!!!
WOOT! Sounds like you nailed it Renee!! N x
I made the recipe exactly as given. Way TOO salty. Why?
Soooo good! And soooo easy! Another great recipe and the baked beans on the side were also amazing. Thanks Nagi
Hi Connie, it definitely shouldn’t be too salty, there’s only 1 tsp of salt in there! Can you confirm you used cooking (not table) salt and onion powder and not onion salt?! N x
Is “cooking salt” the same as Kosher salt?
The recipe was so easy to follow and sounds delicious, i cannot wait to try it.