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This is the most delicious, fall apart brisket recipe made easy in the slow cooker! You will love how easy it is!
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We know that not everyone has a smoker to make our smoked brisket recipe, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have delectable brisket! Enter the trusty slow cooker to save the day!
The brisket is so juicy and flavorful and has never been easier to make! All you need is a dry rub, a BBQ sauce and 9 to 11 hours to cook it.
What is Brisket?
Brisket is a cut of beef from the breast or lower chest of a cow. It is one of the toughest cuts of beef because of the connective tissues, but when it is cooked low and slow, it renders into juicy, tender and flavorful beef bliss. All you need is time and a slow cooker.
A brisket has a lean side and a fatty side to brisket, and you need both to make a perfect brisket. The lean side of the brisket has a tighter grain and is harder to make tender.
Ingredients Needed for Slow Cooker Brisket
This recipe is super easy, but the list of spice is quite long because we are making the dry rub and BBQ sauce from scratch. If you want to really make this recipe easy, you could buy a BBQ dry rub and sauce at the store.
- Beef Brisket
- BBQ Rub
- Kosher Salt
- Brown Sugar
- Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Chili Powder
- Smoked Paprika
- Thyme
- Cumin
- Nutmeg
- BBQ Sauce
- Ketchup
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Honey
- Brown Sugar
- Smoked Paprika
- Garlic Powder
- Honey Mustard
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Molasses
- Pepper
- Oil
Head down to the recipe card for all the measurements.
How to Make our Slow Cooker Brisket Recipe
I just love the ease of a slow cooker! It is my favorite thing when I know I’m going to have a busy day or things are going to be hectic around dinner time. This brisket recipe is a great one to start in the morning because you can set it and forget for the whole day. Here are the basic steps:
- Prep the brisket (see section below).
- Make dry rub.
- Coat the entire brisket in the dry rub.
- Let the brisket sit uncovered in the fridge overnight (this step is optional but we highly recommend it).
- Make the BBQ sauce.
- Put brisket in slow cooker on low for 9-11 hours.
- Add the the BBQ sauce for the last 2 hours of the cook time.
- Roast brisket in the oven on a cookie sheet to get a nice crust on top.
- Simmer the juice left in the slow cooker on the stove in a saucepan to make a sauce for basting.
- Remove the meat from the oven and let it rest before serving. Don’t skip this step!
How to Pick a Good Brisket
Check grade of the beef. It will either be prime choice, or select. Prime is the best quality and also the most expensive. If it’s in the budget, go with prime, but choice will also be a great option.
You also want the brisket to have good flexibility. If the slab is flexible, it is less likely to tough hidden fat in the middle. It is also ideal if it is untrimmed so that you can trim it yourself.
Prepping Your Brisket for Cooking
Place your brisket on a large cutting board fat side down and trim off any silver skin or excess fat that is on the flat end of the muscle. Square the edges so that the meat will cook more evenly, and then flip the brisket over and trim the fat cap down to about 1/4 inch.
Why Does a Brisket Need to Rest?
All meat needs time to rest after being cooked. It allows for the juices to be redistributed and makes for a more tender and juicy finished product. You don’t want to skip this step! Your brisket should be falling apart and practically melting in your mouth!
How to Slice Smoked Brisket
There are two different muscles layered in a Brisket so slicing can be tricky. The best way is to slice against the grain and then before coming to the point, completely cut that end off and turn it to slice against that opposite grain. Some pieces will not look as nice but it will be more tender.
Slicing against the grain breaks down the muscle fibers to give you a tender slice of beef. If you don’t slice against the grain you’ll have a less tender result.
What to Serve with this Brisket Recipe
Now you have your perfectly juicy slow cooker brisket ready to devour, but what should you eat with it? We love to eat it with all the classic comfort food sides, such as:
- Roasted potatoes
- Cornbread
- Mashed potatoes
- Baked beans
- Potato salad
If you’re feeling really ambitious, make your own hoagie rolls and make brisket sandwiches! Hubba hubba! That’s my favorite way to eat brisket.
FAQ
Can I Cook a Brisket in the Oven?
If you need to cook this brisket in the oven, go for the same amount of time at 225 degrees.
How Do You Reheat Brisket?
Remove from refrigerator and let rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Place brisket on baking sheet and pour 1 cup of brisket juices or 1 cup of beef stock over the brisket. Cover tightly with foil and heat until hot clear through.
The brisket will be great on it’s own, or you can chop it up and put it on brisket nachos! Yum!
How Long Will Cooked Brisket Keep?
Cooked Brisket will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
How Do You Know How Much Brisket To Buy?
A good rule to follow is 1/3 to 1/2 pound of brisket per person. Note, big eaters can eat up to 1 pound of brisket.
Can You Freeze Cooked Brisket?
Cooked brisket should be wrapped well and frozen for up to 3 months.
You’ll never meet an easier beef brisket recipe than this! The slow cooker does all the work in this recipe, and it will feed a crowd or make great leftovers. It is juicy and full of the bold beefy flavor you love!
Watch How to Make Beef Brisket Video
More Slow Cooker Main Dish Recipes:
- Crock Pot Chicken and Rice
- Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili
- Crock Pot Cafe Rio Chicken
- Slow Cooker Smothered BBQ Beef
- Tender Crock Pot Whole Chicken
- Slow Cooker Pineapple Mexican Chicken
- Slow Cooker Potato Broccoli Corn Chowder with Bacon
- Sweet and Sour Meatballs in the Slow Cooker
- Asian Sticky Slow Cooker Ribs
- Chili Sauce and Grape Jelly Slow Cooker Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Korean BBQ Beef
- Slow Cooker Garlic Chicken
- All our CROCKPOT and SLOW COOKER recipes here!
Slow Cooker Beef Brisket
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Servings: 6
Prep Time: 1 day d
Cook Time: 30 minutes mins
resting time: 20 hours hrs
Total Time: 50 minutes mins
Ingredients
- BBQ Rub
- BBQ Sauce
- 3-4 Pound Beef Brisket
- 1 Tablespoon Oil
Instructions
In a small dish, mix together all of the rub ingredients. Rub the entire brisket with the rub, but don’t over do it. It’s ok to have some left for another day.
BBQ Rub
Place the entire brisket, uncovered in the fridge overnight. If you’re in a hurry it’s ok to skip this step.
Meanwhile, prepare the bbq sauce per the directions in the link above.
BBQ Sauce
Place the brisket in the slow cooker and heat on low for 9-11 hours (8-9 hours if your beef is smaller). Add the bbq sauce the last 2 hours and continue to cook. If you need to use an oven, do 225 for the same amount of time and then proceed with the recipe below.
3-4 Pound Beef Brisket
Heat an oven to 400 degrees.
Remove the brisket and pour off all liquid into a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over high heat and reduce until it thickens then set aside to cool and thicken more.
Place the brisket on a cookie sheet and drizzle with the oil.
1 Tablespoon Oil
Roast the meat until the crust begins to appear, about 15 minutes. Baste with sauce and place in for 5-10 minutes and then remove, baste a final time and cook for 5 more minutes.
Remove the meat from the oven and allow to rest, tented with foil for 15-20 minutes before serving.
Notes
To reheat: Set your oven to 325 degrees. Remove brisket from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Place brisket on a baking sheet and pour any left over juices or a cup of beef stock over the top.
Cover the brisket tightly with foil and bake until hot clear through.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 372kcalProtein: 47gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 141mgSodium: 179mgPotassium: 748mgCalcium: 11mgIron: 4mg
Author: Sweet Basil
Course: 100 + BEST Easy Beef Recipes for Dinner
Cuisine: American
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