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Juicy Beef Brisket cooked low and slow until tender, basted in a mouthwatering barbecue sauce with a kick of garlic and optional heat! SLOW COOKER, OVEN, INSTANT POT OR PRESSURE COOKER METHODS INCLUDED!
Filled with amazing flavour, this beef brisket recipe is deliciously easy to prepare. Rubbed with the best dry rub and smothered in a mouthwatering barbecue sauce, this is the stuff food dreams are made of.
BEEF BRISKET
The best Brisket is full flavoured with spices to make the beef shine. A fool-proof recipe with a delicious homemade rub and barbecue sauce that will totally knock your socks off.
Brisket is a beef cut from the breast section of the animal and normally sold boneless. Because brisket is a tough cut of meat, it yields the best results when slow cooked or braised in a slow cooker.
A rare cut, Brisket is unlike other beef cuts like chuck or short ribs where the beef falls apart and shreds. For instance, when slow cooking for hours, it holds its shape and slices easily instead of shredding.
Place on a beautiful hoagie bun for a delicious French Dip Sandwich, or enjoy as a main next to a side of Green Bean Casserole and Cheesy Bacon Smashed Potatoes.
HOW TO COOK BEEF BRISKET
Firstly, you’re going to start with an incredible spice mix to rub all over your beef brisket. Don’t let the semi-long list of spices deter you! This is where all of the flavour comes in without any need of marinating.
All you need is:
- Garlic and onion powders
- Paprika (mild or smoky)
- Salt and black cracked pepper
- Cumin
- Ground Chili or Cayenne powder (optional for a kick of heat).
In addition, you’re going to drizzle your brisket all over with olive oil to let that rub spread nice and evenly.
(FOR FULL RECIPE, SEE RECIPE BOX BELOW).
HOW DO YOU MAKE BEEF BRISKET TENDER?
The best place to get your brisket tender and juicy without drying it out is the slow cooker. It is absolutely fool-proof and perfect for first-timers OR for lovers of slow cooked beef.
Whip up your barbecue sauce and pour half of it all over your beef — you’re going to use the remaining half for later when basting! Let it cook low and slow for 8 to 10 hours.
Lastly, for crispy, charred edges, you’re going to broil or grill it in the oven to caramelize the edges and create a beautiful crust on the meat. I love mixing the pan juices leftover in the slow cooker bowl into the remaining barbecue sauce to baste the brisket in for the ultimate flavour!
WHAT SIZE BRISKET SHOULD I BUY?
For this recipe, use a 4 pound cut (or 2 kilo). If you have a larger or smaller cut, you won’t need to alter the measurements of spices or sauce because there is plenty to go around. The more the merrier!
Usually uncooked weight equal to 1/2 pound (or 1 kilo) per person is the suggested way to go. You can always ask for two pounds extra to allow for delicious leftovers.
WHAT CAN I USE INSTEAD OF BRISKET?
You can substitute other beef cuts for this recipe, like a boneless chuck roast, blade roast or even short ribs.
MORE BEEF RECIPES
Beef Bourguignon (Julia Child Recipe)
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Beef And Guinness
Slow Cooker Beef Ragu
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Beef Brisket
Ingredients
BEEF BRISKET SEASONING:
- 4 pounds beef brisket
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili optional, or Cayenne powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
SAUCE:
- 2 cups barbecue sauce
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 - 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper optional for heat
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
SLOW COOKER:
- Spray inside of a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place brisket in slow cooker bowl.
- Combine seasoning ingredients together and pour over the brisket. Drizzle with oil and rub the seasoning all over the brisket.
- Mix sauce ingredients together and completely cover brisket with half of the sauce. Refrigerate remaining sauce to use later.
- Cover brisket with lid and cook on low setting for 8-10 hours, or high setting for 4-5 hours.
- When brisket is tender, transfer onto an oven tray (or baking sheet), lined with parchment paper or foil.
- Pour 1/4 cup of juices from the slow cooker bowl into the remaining sauce. Baste brisket with sauce and broil (grill) in preheated oven at 400°F (220°C) for about 10 minutes or until beginning to char and crisp on the edges. Baste again and broil (grill) until sticky and charred on the edges.
- Rest for 10 minutes to allow the juices to recirculate back into the meat before serving.
- To serve, slice brisket thinly across the grain and serve with remaining barbecue sauce.
PRESSURE COOKER:
- Spray inside of a pressure cooker bowl with cooking spray. Place brisket, fat side up, into the pot and season brisket as above.
- Mix sauce ingredients together and completely cover brisket with half of the sauce. Refrigerate remaining sauce to use later. Cover and seal according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- Set to Manual at High Pressure and cook for 1:30 hours.
- Quick release to remove steam and pressure, then unlock and carefully remove the lid. Set brisket onto oven tray and continue the recipe as above (FROM STEP 6).
OVEN METHOD:
- Season brisket as above and place into a roasting tray.
- Add 1 cup beef broth and 1 cup water to the base of the pan. Cover tightly with foil and cook at 350°F (175°C) for the first hour.
- Reduce temp down to 300°F (150°C) and continue cooking for a further 3-4 hours, or until fork-tender.
- Pour 1/4 cup of juices from the roasting tray into the remaining bbq sauce. Baste with sauce and broil (grill) in preheated oven at 400°F (220°C) for about 10 minutes or until beginning to char and crisp on the edges. Baste again and broil (grill) until sticky and charred on the edges.
- Rest for 10 minutes to allow the juices to recirculate back into the meat before serving. To serve, slice brisket thinly across the grain and serve with remaining barbecue sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this in the Slow Cooker. It was AMAZING! My family loved it! It is a Winning Recipe for certain!
Have made this brisket multiple times and it’s always a winner!
OMG, OMG, OMG!!!!! I’ve been making brisket for 50+ years and this recipe is definitely the winner!
I will say that it is hard to ruin a brisket and that almost any seasoning will work if you roast it low and slow. However, this recipe is BY FAR the best. I had Euchre Club at my home last weekend and decided to give this recipe a try. There were 8 of us in total and every single person, including me, could not stop raving about the taste and texture of the brisket. They went back for seconds and thirds until there was nothing left. I highly, highly recommend you try this recipe!! Take it from a “seasoned” brisket maker, this one is amazing!
Hi Linda, that’s absolutely wonderful to hear! It sounds like your Euchre Club gathering was a big success, and the brisket was a hit with everyone. Thank you for sharing your experience and the glowing recommendation!
This recipe was absolutely amazing, and we used leftovers to make Fajitas, will definitely be making again.
Absolutely amazing! coming from a Southern girl who is PICKY about her brisket, this was one of the best I’ve ever had. I used a 6.5 lb brisket in the crockpot and it cooked PERFECTLY! Thank you for the amazing recipe!
ZOMG! Made this on a whim with some brisket we had in the freezer and family is gaga in love! So so good! Thanks so much! We especially love the kick from the cayenne in the sauce.
This was a huge hit. Every recipe I have tried of yours is fantastic. Highly recommend!
All I can say is OMG this beef brisket recipe is incredible! Hot , cold and any temperature in between the brisket was finger licking good! I started with my favourite Barbecue Sauce, “Cattle Boys, Chipolte Maple Bacon.” I grow my own hot peppers, so I used 2 tsp. of ground Jalapeno pepper instead of cayenne and the heat was just PERFECT. I don’t generally write reviews unless a recipe or product surpassed my wildest hopes and in this case this Beef Brisket recipe did so much more than that. You just have to try it. You won’t be sorry!
Just made this today with the oven instructions. I left the dry rub on overnight (minus the olive oil) and it tasted great. I could only find a 2 lb brisket and adjusted the cooking time following the general rule of 1 hr and 15 min for each pound of brisket so I cooked it for 2.5 hrs and it probably was 15-20 min too long so a tiny bit overcooked, but very tender. For others using a small piece of meat, I recommend cooking it at 300° for about 65 min for each pound and check the internal temperature is around 200°.
I should have not used the top rack for the broil because things got a little smoky, so I’ll use the middle rack next time and add some more broth and water mixture to prevent burning of the sauce in my roasting pan while keeping the meat juicy.
Thanks for sharing 3 different cooking options – I really hummed and hawed which option but very happy with the oven!
This was delicious and beyond easy! Do yourself a favor and make extra! This makes great sandwiches the next day! Yummmy!!!