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.
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John Lewis says
Really good base for a bachelor who has never made a brisket in his entire life. I love eating them but this is a first. I opted to not do the home made bbq sauce because I would probably have messed that up. I used the rub on a 2.75lb thin cut brisket with baby ray’s bbq sauce. I have never made food that I reheated in a microwave and still enjoyed it for 5 days until I finished it off. This was also a first. Great recipe to point you in the right direction.
Nagi says
That’s great to hear John! N x
jo says
Love the sauce! i made it in my IP for 1hr 15min and left it to natural release. tasteeee sooooo goood! i highly recommend this!
Karen Conduff says
I’ve been looking for a brisket recipe to rival my dad’s (who is now gone). I finally found it!! Not too sweet, and oh so tender. Thank you for bringing back precious memories!!
Nacole dowding says
Love this Recipe. It’s our go to for a large group. We make street taco with it. Adding our home made Cole slaw and pick de gallo. Thank you for A great and awesome recipe.
RABIAH Lynnise HARPER says
brisket was the best. I let my brisket marinate in rub for 4 hours. No left overs. I will make this again
Nagi says
That’s great to hear Rabiah! N x
Sara says
I made this twice now, and everyone loved it…I couldn’t get brisket big enough so I used Bolar Blade and it just fell apart! The sauce is to do for, everyone kept wanting more!
Thank you 😊
Nagi says
That’s awesome Sara! N x
Marie Cheyenne says
Nagi,
I am a bit confused. hoping you can help me out.. I made the brisket for the 1st time and the flavor was great but it burned to a crisp in the pressure cooker. Should additional water have been added to the mixture? You talk about heating a sauce up but I had very little sauce. I added the sauce to the meat (that had the rub and was regrigerated overnight). Then I put it in the pressure cooker. That’s when it burned to a crisp. Did I miss something in the directions? Thanks
linda stoutenburgh says
I don’t know yet what I’ll hink of the finished product, but had a problem with the PRESSURE COOKER version. Your notes say not change to recipe except specifying the pressure cook time. I was a little worried that the barbeque sauce would not be liquidy enough to pressure cook and sure enoug, I got a burn warning and had to start over! DANG! I’m using an Instant Pot, and for the second go-round put a cup of water in the bottom, brisket on a rack, sauce poured over the top. I except to bneed a lot more reducing of the sauce with all that extra water, but oh well! At least the pot has sucessfully gotten up to pressure…
Nagi says
Thanks for the tip Linda! With non Instant Pot pressure cookers that don’t have the burn notice, you don’t need the extra water. I popped in a note about IP! N x
May says
I’m excited to try this. Not sure if I’ll use the slow cooker or oven method, but I have 2 questions:
1) If cooking by oven method, do I need a roasting pan with rack or remove the rack when baking?
2) My brisket is flat cut 4.5 lbs so may not fit in my slow cooker. Is it okay to cut in half and stack in the slow cooker? Will I need to flip halfway?
Thank you!
Vicki says
Made this a day ahead…(did not read your note about that until after I’d finished it in the oven as in recipe). The next day I simply heated up the sauce and added the thinly sliced meat (easy to do when cold – bonus), dumped it all in the slow cooker on warm – all ready for the gang to serve themselves sliders. Best I’ve ever done. Now I’m going to try it for pulled pork
Nagi says
Perfect Vicki, that’s great to hear!! N x
Rebecca Walkoski says
Omg. First time cooking brisket and first time on your site. I can’t wait to try some more of your recipes because this was AMAZING!
My husband and I really loved the bbq sauce, how would you suggest making it just by itself? I’m thinking about making a large batch and canning it :).
Thanks!
Felix says
Should I let it rest?
Elham says
Hi Nagi. I’m referring everyone to your site – it’s by far the best food blog I’ve found! Am making your brisket and wondered if I can use cider instead of vinegar – hubby has a violent reaction to anything with vinegar in it. Thanks!
Lin says
Made it, loved it. I cooked it in the oven. Would try using slow cooker next time. What slow cooker do you use?
Nagi says
Hi Elham, thanks so much!!! I would use lemon in place of the vinegar for the acidic kick 🙂 N x
Tammy C Michaelis says
Hi Nagi. Love your recipes. I always try your site first because I know they’re always really yum and they’ll always turn out really well. We made your chicken caesar last night and I’m planning on doing slow cooked brisket tomorrow and then fajitas later in the week (I’ve done both types before a few times) and I’ve also made your pulled lamb shoulder a couple of times. Always great.
I did just want to let let you know that when I was looking up the brisket recipe today I’ve had a TROJAN virus warning each time I’ve gone to that page so you may need to do a virus check yourself.
Oh I’ve also done the thai chicken meatballs which a friend always made and are sooo good I finally asked for the recipe, found your site and have never looked back. Love your work. Keep it up. Cheers. Tammy
Dan says
Hi, I am planning to cook this for a lunch party of 20 kids and adults. Just wondering what adjustments should I consider for a 4kg Brisket in a slow cooker and finished on the BBQ?
Nagi says
Hi Dan – I’d cut it in half and cook on low for 10 hours – or until it’s super tender! N x
Halie says
Is it best to cook it in the oven or on the grill after cooking it in a slow cooker? I’m making this tonight!
Nagi says
Hi Halie, both ways will work fine – I hope you love it! N x
Chris Bayless says
Just tried this bbq beef brisket, served it with mashed potatoes, absolutely delicious. Everyone thought the same….Great🥳
Ryan says
Awesome ! Great amount of spice, this is by far the best thing Ive ever cooked ! Very happy I came across recipetineats.com
Laura says
Delish! Made a few tweaks to suit what I had on hand and it still turned out perfect. Thanks Nagi!
KimLree says
I tried this recipe and it turn out really well! Husband and the family gobbled it up! Only changes to the recipe I made were that I used mustard from a squeeze bottle rather than powdered and I left out the cayenne powder.