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? 😝
Yummy! I didn’t marinade, just dumped everything in the crockpot and cooked for 8 hours. Basted and baked per the recipe. Was great! Sauce reduced well, I probably cooked it about 10 minutes
If I have a 4lb flat cut of beef brisket, do I need to adjust the slow cooker time?
This recipe is very tasty. I found the BBQ sauce a little too spicy so next time I’ll decrease the cayenne and maybe use less vinegar too. Otherwise, the meat was very tasty.
Absolutely delicious recipe. Costco also sell whole briskets at a really good price per kg. Be mindful that it will probably be 8+kilos so you can feed a crowd or I cut mine into three very generous pieces, trimmed them up and froze two for later.
Delicious!
My daughter 10y said it was better then Fancy Burger she had at the restaurant …much more juicier , tastier!
Took very long time to cook…had to rush so finished in pressure cooker for 15min
This is so good. I bought a 6 lb brisket, cut in thirds and froze the 2/3s. and made it 3 times. Cooked for 6 hours then oven. Feeding 4 and always have leftovers (though not a lot). Perfect recipe.
How do I thicken the sauce up? It’s pretty runny thinking about adding Cornstarch or flour… otherwise the recipe came out perfecto 👌🏾
I am putting two ~800g rolled briskets in my (7.5L) slow cooker. i doubled the rub ingredients, and ended up with a little left over.
Should I double the sauce ingredients or keep them the same?
If I make this to take camping, can I slow cook and bake and then just cook on bbq before serving?
Brilliant recipe. I started with what I knew was an excellent piece of brisket, cooked it for eight hours in my instant pot and shared a serving with 95 year old neighbour. Husband said he wants it for next two nights and not to give any more away!
I want to cook the Beef Brisket with BBQ sauce this weekend and have come up with a question regarding cooking in an oven.
I am confused with the amount of time in the oven. The instructions say 4 hours then uncovered for 30 mins, a total of 4 1/2 hours, yet at the top of the printed recipe it clearly says cook time is 10 hours. I realise the slow cook recipe is a different time, as is the pressure cooker recipe, but this printed recipe I have is just for the oven and it says 10 hours.
Can anyone clarify this?
Thanks in advance.
Silverside is actually another cut entirely from just behind the rump, we just got used to calling all corned beef silverside here, so it can include a bunch of other cuts as well long as it’s corned.
This was a huge hit! Made it for thr first time yesterday, and it’s definitely become a family favourite. Had it with mashed potato, potato salad, roasted broccoli and Nagi’s cornbread. The cornbread was equally amazing! Thank you Nagi!!
Another banger of a recipe, I just loved this Brisket recipe, the flavours were amazing. We had ours with Asian slaw and corn cob grilled on the hibachi. Another one to add to the rotation
Making this today for a small NYE gathering. I’m also wondering about the ingredient measurements for the sauce. Not sure if I should go by the amounts listed here, or the amounts that are doubled in the cookbook? My brisket is only 2.5 lbs, so maybe the smaller amounts?
Made this yesterday. 1.8kg brisket slow cooked for 9 hours. Followed the recipe 100%. & it was bloody beautiful. So tender with loads of flavour. Had it on Brioche buns with coleslaw & drizzling of the incredible sauce. Will definitely make again. Thanks Nagi 🍻
Very hands off kind of recipe..!very easy and tasty!
This looks interesting :0) What are the muffin things on the plate at the end please?
(I’m not from the US)
Hi! They are corn muffins. It’s this bread like muffin that is slightly sweet so it pairs well with bbq and slightly sweet meats. Here’s a few recipe links for “cornbread” whether you choose to make it in muffin form or a big rectangular cake-like shape.
https://www.blessthismessplease.com/the-best-cornbread-recipe/#tasty-recipes-25444-jump-target
https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/best-moist-cornbread-muffins/
First of all thank you for all of your recipes especially your Dinner cookbook!!
Just wondering why the sauce on here is half the amount of the book recipe? Does it matter?
One of the best briskets I’ve ever made!! (I’ve made a lot of them.)
I used my own rub of mostly the same ingredients with a few added, but unmeasured amounts, and Swerve brown sugar substitute. I followed recipe for sauce, again using Swerve brown sugar substitute, but made about 6 1/2 lb brisket with the original amount of sauce.
I cooked in slow cooker for about 12 1/2 hours on low. I let it cool after basting/browning in the oven, and it sliced like butter! Beautiful, juicy slices that held their shape. Everyone loved it!! Thank you!
What do you think about using smoked paprika instead of regular paprika in the rub?
Hi Amy. I used smoked paprika as I didn’t have any paprika on hand. It smells amazing! Currently cooking away in slow cooker so will let you know how it tastes!
Lisa,
I LOVE smoked paprika. I substitute for regular paprika often. This was a good call!