Slow Cooker Beef Brisket

Name: Slow Cooker Beef Brisket
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 540 min
Total time: 555 min
Ingredients: 4 pound brisket; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 teaspoon granulated garlic; 1 teaspoon granulated onion; 1 teaspoon chili powder; ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper; 1 cup ketchup; ¼ cup light brown sugar; ¼ cup apple cider vinegar; 1 tablespoon mustard; 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon chili powder; ½ teaspoon black pepper; ½ teaspoon sea salt

By Serene

Mar 14, 2024

5 from 1 vote

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Easy Slow Cooker Brisket with a homemade BBQ sauce that comes out tender enough to melt in your mouth. This hands off recipe is perfect for entertaining or holiday celebrations.

Slow-cooked to perfection for several hours, this beef brisket emerges irresistibly tender. A quick trip to the broiler afterwards leaves us with a delightful, caramelized crust on the outside layer. All smothered in a homemade BBQ sauce.

Skip the outside smoker and make a beef brisket to rival the famous Texas Smoked Brisket all in your slow cooker. And if this is your kind of recipe make sure you check out our Oven Baked Beef Ribs and our Slow Cooker Pulled Pork.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Ingredients needed to make beef brisket in the slow cooker.

Brisket: Unlike our Smoked Brisket recipe which uses a whole packer cut brisket, this slow cooker version uses a portion of the brisket. You can make it with either the flat or the point. The point cut is the fattier portion with the flat being more lean.
Dry Rub: Our simple Brisket dry rub is made of a combination of salt, coarse ground black pepper, granulated garlic, granulated onion, and chili powder.
Homemade BBQ Sauce: The sauce used on the beef brisket is a homemade BBQ sauce using ketchup, light brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, mustard, and worcestershire sauce.

Find the complete recipe card below with measurements and full instructions.

How to Cook Brisket in a Slow Cooker

First, prepare the dry rub by adding the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder and coarse ground pepper to a small bowl, stir to combine.

Next, trim the brisket to remove any excess fat. If the brisket has a fat cap on it, remove some to where there’s no more than 1/4 inch of fat remaining. Pat the brisket dry then sprinkle pat the brisket with the dry rub all over. Place the brisket in the slow cooker.

Prepare the BBQ sauce by adding the ketchup, light brown sugar, dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, black pepper and sea salt in a bowl. Stir to combine.

Pour 1/2 cup of the sauce over the top of the brisket in the slow cooker and reserve the rest. Cover and store the sauce in the refrigerator.

Cook the brisket on low for 8-10 hours until meat reaches 203 degrees F and is easily pierced with a fork.

Finally, preheat the broiler in the oven on High. Carefully remove the brisket from the slow cooker and place it on a small baking sheet. Brush 1/2 cup BBQ sauce over the top of the brisket and broil on high heat in the oven for 5 minutes.

Slow Cooked beef brisket with bbq sauce.

Remove from the oven and let the meat rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Slice the meat against the grain, paying attention as brisket can change direction depending on the type of cut you are using.

Storage

Leftovers: Store leftover brisket in a sealed container or bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Store in freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheating: Cover with foil and bake in the oven at 325 degrees F for 15 minutes or until warmed. If using a microwave wrap in a damp paper towel to help hold in moisture.