This easy Slow Cooker Brisket recipe creates a tender, smoky-sweet, and flavorful brisket. Your trusty crockpot, a bold spice rub, and a bottle of barbecue sauce are all you need to create an easy weekend dinner or sandwiches for a crowd.
Brisket is Better in the slow cooker!
The slow cooker is really the ideal tool to cook the perfect brisket, since this specific cut of beef with lots of connective tissues benefits so much from the low and slow cooking that a crockpot does so well.
This already flavorful piece of beef is made even better with my simple yet delicious spice rub. We’ll cook the brisket for 8 to 10 hours on low in the crockpot, so you can start this one in the morning before you go to work.
If you catch it at the perfect time, you’ll be able to slice the brisket with a knife into tender slices. Or, let it cook a little bit longer to make shredded beef for sandwiches or wraps.
Enjoy!
Ingredient Notes
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Beef Brisket Flat: If you’re at the butcher, ask specifically for the “flat” half of the brisket. A whole brisket cut is made of the flat and the point. The point is usually fattier and triangle-shaped, while the flat is leaner and rectangular. A whole brisket won’t likely fit into your slow cooker, so if that’s the only way you can find it, cut away the point and save it for making smoked brisket another day.
- Spice Rub: The ingredients listed in the recipe card below will give you the perfect amount of spice mix to make the best brisket recipe, but I like to double or triple the recipe and save some for later. This combination of brown sugar, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder is delicious on just about anything.
- BBQ Sauce: Choose your favorite brand and flavor! We’ll cook the meat in a mixture of barbecue sauce and broth and then finish the brisket with even more BBQ sauce once it’s done. I like to choose something sweet and tangy, like Sweet Baby Ray’s, KC Masterpiece, or Stubbs. If you have a homemade barbecue sauce that you love, go ahead and use that here.
- Beef Broth: Slow cooking the brisket in a wet environment is ideal. Mix your BBQ sauce with beef bone broth or beef stock for the best flavor, or use water if you don’t have broth on hand.
Slow Cooker Brisket Tips
- When making brisket in the slow cooker, use the “low” setting only. It’s important to follow the long cook time and low heat setting in the recipe. Cooking this cut of meat on “high” will cause it to cook too quickly, and it won’t be tender. Low and slow is always best for brisket!
- Check for doneness at 7 hours, especially if your brisket is smaller than 3 pounds. Stop cooking when the temperature of the meat is around 94 to 96°C (201 to 205°F).
- To be very specific about temps, brisket will be easier to slice at temperatures between 195°F and 200°F (90 to 93°C). At temps between 200°F and 208°F (93 to 98°C), the meat will be more tender and better for shredding. I like it both ways!
- I create a delicious caramelized crust by brushing the cooked brisket with barbecue sauce and broiling it for 5-10 minutes. This step could technically be optional, but I don’t recommend skipping it.
- Slice against the grain. If you are going to slice the brisket, cutting across all of those muscle fibers will give you tender, easy-to-eat pieces.
- Adjust the Flavor: The type of barbecue sauce that you choose will have the most effect on the flavor of the meat, and the cayenne pepper in the rub will determine how spicy it is. Reduce the amount of cayenne to make things milder, or try a spicy barbecue sauce to give the brisket more kick.
- Meal Prep: Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, and will taste even better the next day! Reheat gently with extra BBQ sauce.
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Slow Cooker Brisket
Equipment
- 6 to 8-quart slow cooker
- Foil-lined sheet pan
- Small bowl
Ingredients
Brisket:
- 1 (1.4 kg) beef brisket flat about 3 pounds, trimmed
- 1 ½ cups (360 ml) barbecue sauce divided
- ½ cup (120 ml) beef broth
Rub:
- 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons (25 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper use ¼ teaspoon for mild, ½ teaspoon for medium
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
- Stir the rub ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Pat the brisket dry and season all over with the rub, pressing to adhere.
- In the bottom of a 6 to 8 quart slow cooker, whisk barbecue sauce with the beef broth.
- Place the brisket on top. Cover and cook on Low for 8-10 hours, until the brisket is fork tender and an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part reads about 94 to 96°C (201 to 205°F).
- Transfer the brisket to a foil-lined sheet pan. Brush with some of the barbecue sauce. Broil for 5 to 10 minutes until slightly caramelized, watching closely.
- Warm the remaining sauce if needed. Allow the brisket to rest for 20-30 minutes, then slice thinly against the grain and serve with sauce on the side.
Notes:
- Start checking for tenderness at 7½ to 8 hours if your brisket is slightly smaller than 3 pounds.
- Adjust cayenne to taste: ½ teaspoon for mild, 1 teaspoon for medium, 1½ teaspoons for hot.
- Storage: Leftovers keep for up to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat gently in sauce, or shred and toss with sauce for sandwiches.
- Temps: For neat slices: 195 to 200°F (90 to 93°C). For shreddable or very soft slices 200 to 208°F (93 to 98°C).
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
What To Serve With Beef Brisket
Seasoned with BBQ sauce, brisket is a southern favorite. Serve this meat sliced thinly, or shred it for sandwiches on homemade burger buns, served with extra barbecue sauce on the side.
For side dishes, you can’t go wrong with any of these:
- Stick of Butter Rice
- Butter Swim Biscuits
- Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
- Corn on the Cob (make it in the air fryer, it’s super easy!)
- Cornbread
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