Slow Cooker Beef Brisket BBQ (Printable Version)

Tender brisket slow-cooked in smoky homemade BBQ sauce for effortless dinners

# What You'll Need:

→ Beef

01 - 3.3 lbs beef brisket, trimmed

→ BBQ Sauce

02 - 1 2/3 cups tomato passata or ketchup
03 - 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
04 - 1/4 cup brown sugar
05 - 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
06 - 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
07 - 2 tsp smoked paprika
08 - 1 tsp garlic powder
09 - 1 tsp onion powder
10 - 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
11 - 1/2 tsp salt
12 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

→ To Serve

13 - Fresh herbs (parsley or chives), chopped
14 - Soft rolls or mashed potatoes

# How to Make It:

01 - Pat the brisket dry with paper towels and season lightly with salt and pepper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together tomato passata, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper until well combined.
03 - Place the brisket into the slow cooker. Pour the BBQ sauce over the meat, ensuring it is well coated. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours, or until the beef is very tender and shreds easily with a fork.
04 - Remove the brisket from the slow cooker and let rest for 10 minutes.
05 - Pour the cooking liquid into a saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat for 10–15 minutes to thicken, stirring occasionally.
06 - Slice or shred the brisket against the grain. Return to slow cooker and toss with thickened sauce, if desired. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs and serve with rolls or mashed potatoes.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The homemade BBQ sauce strikes that perfect balance between tangy and sweet without being cloying
  • This is the ultimate set it and forget it meal that makes you look like a kitchen genius
  • Leftovers, if they even exist, transform into the most incredible sandwiches the next day
02 -
  • I once forgot to trim the fat cap and the sauce turned greasy, so do not skip that trimming step even when you are feeling lazy
  • Letting the meat rest before shredding makes a bigger difference than you might think, those juices need to settle
  • The sauce will taste too tangy before cooking, but the long heat mellows it into something perfect
03 -
  • A few drops of liquid smoke in the sauce will make people think you spent all day tending a smoker
  • If the sauce is too thin after cooking, just simmer it longer on the stove until it reaches your desired consistency

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