This simple brisket recipe uses a large 6-quart slow cooker, which allows the brisket to stay very moist while it becomes tender during the slow cooking process. This easy recipe can be put together in just a few minutes in the morning for a delicious evening meal. Since this recipe isn't actually smoked, I use liquid smoke to impart the smokey flavor. For a very simple side dish, a few halved potatoes can be added to the slow cooker for the last few hours of cooking.
Don't have brisket on-hand? That's fine! This recipe works well with beef roasts such as chuck or round roast, too.
Slow Cooker "Smoked" Brisket
Serves 9-11
Beef:
3-4 pound beef brisket (or beef roast such as chuck roast or round roast)
1 large yellow or white onion, sliced
2 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tb plus 1 tsp Celtic sea salt
3/4 tsp pepper
Sauce:
2 Tb blackstrap molasses
1 Tb soy sauce (such as gluten-free San-J Tamari)
2 Tb apple cider vinegar
1 tsp hot sauce
2 tsp liquid smoke
1/4 tsp allspice
Strew the onion over the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the bay leaves.
Place the brisket on top of the onions, with the fatty side facing up. (If using a chuck or round roast, it doesn't matter which side is facing up. If your beef is particularly lean, you could dot the beef with a couple tablespoons of butter.)
Sprinkle the minced garlic, salt, and pepper over the beef.
In a small bowl, combine all of the sauce ingredients and stir to combine. Drizzle the sauce over the beef.
Set the slow cooker on low and allow to cook for 10-12 hours (or cook on high for 6-7 hours), until the meat is tender and easily falls apart. (I use grassfed beef brisket, which tends to require longer cooking times to achieve full tenderness. Your cooking time may need to be shorter if you are using conventionally-raised beef.)
Once the beef brisket is tender, remove it to a cutting board. Shred the meat and discard any large pieces of fat. Place the shredded beef back in the slow cooker, stir it into the sauce, and set on Warm (or Low) for about 30 minutes. This critical step allows the beef to become moist and juicy.
Serve and enjoy! This brisket is delicious on its own, and leftovers can be combined with your favorite BBQ sauce to make fantastic BBQ beef. Coleslaw, Butter Smash Potatoes, Pinto Beans, and/or Cornbread make great side dishes for "smoked" brisket.
Easy Potato Side Dish
If desired, a very simple side dish of potatoes can be made by adding a few halved potatoes to the slow cooker for the last few hours of cooking time. With my slow cooker on high, if I add potatoes about 3 hours before dinner, they are fully cooked by dinnertime. Just make sure to remove the potatoes from the pot before you add the shredded beef back in step 6 above.
We serve these simple potatoes with a pat of butter on top. They have a wonderful flavor from cooking along with the beef.
This post is part of Watcha Crockin' Week 69 and Weekend Potluck! !
Links to Amazon are affiliate links. If you use these links, your price remains the same, but I may earn a commission. Thanks for supporting this site!