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This is the most delicious, fall apart brisket recipe made easy in the slow cooker! You will love how easy it is!

We know that not everyone has a smoker to make our smoked brisket recipe, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have delectable brisket! Enter the trusty slow cooker to save the day!

The brisket is so juicy and flavorful and has never been easier to make! All you need is a dry rub, a BBQ sauce and 9 to 11 hours to cook it.

A BBQ brisket that has been sliced. The brisket is glazed with BBQ sauce.
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Table of Contents

What is Brisket?

Brisket is a cut of beef from the breast or lower chest of a cow. It is one of the toughest cuts of beef because of the connective tissues, but when it is cooked low and slow, it renders into juicy, tender and flavorful beef bliss. All you need is time and a slow cooker.

A brisket has a lean side and a fatty side to brisket, and you need both to make a perfect brisket. The lean side of the brisket has a tighter grain and is harder to make tender.

Ingredients Needed for Slow Cooker Brisket

This recipe is super easy, but the list of spice is quite long because we are making the dry rub and BBQ sauce from scratch. If you want to really make this recipe easy, you could buy a BBQ dry rub and sauce at the store.

  • Beef Brisket
  • BBQ Rub
    • Kosher Salt
    • Brown Sugar
    • Pepper
    • Garlic Powder
    • Onion Powder
    • Chili Powder
    • Smoked Paprika
    • Thyme
    • Cumin
    • Nutmeg
  • BBQ Sauce
    • Ketchup
    • Apple Cider Vinegar
    • Honey
    • Brown Sugar
    • Smoked Paprika
    • Garlic Powder
    • Honey Mustard
    • Worcestershire Sauce
    • Molasses
    • Pepper
  • Oil

Head down to the recipe card for all the measurements.

A BBQ slow cooker brisket on a cutting board with a brush next to it.

How to Make our Slow Cooker Brisket Recipe

I just love the ease of a slow cooker! It is my favorite thing when I know I’m going to have a busy day or things are going to be hectic around dinner time. This brisket recipe is a great one to start in the morning because you can set it and forget for the whole day. Here are the basic steps:

  • Prep the brisket (see section below).
  • Make dry rub.
  • Coat the entire brisket in the dry rub.
  • Let the brisket sit uncovered in the fridge overnight (this step is optional but we highly recommend it).
  • Make the BBQ sauce.
  • Put brisket in slow cooker on low for 9-11 hours.
  • Add the the BBQ sauce for the last 2 hours of the cook time.
  • Roast brisket in the oven on a cookie sheet to get a nice crust on top.
  • Simmer the juice left in the slow cooker on the stove in a saucepan to make a sauce for basting.
  • Remove the meat from the oven and let it rest before serving. Don’t skip this step!

How to Pick a Good Brisket

Check grade of the beef. It will either be prime choice, or select. Prime is the best quality and also the most expensive. If it’s in the budget, go with prime, but choice will also be a great option.

You also want the brisket to have good flexibility. If the slab is flexible, it is less likely to tough hidden fat in the middle. It is also ideal if it is untrimmed so that you can trim it yourself.

Prepping Your Brisket for Cooking

Place your brisket on a large cutting board fat side down and trim off any silver skin or excess fat that is on the flat end of the muscle. Square the edges so that the meat will cook more evenly, and then flip the brisket over and trim the fat cap down to about 1/4 inch.

A partially sliced BBQ brisket with a glaze of BBQ sauce on top.

Why Does a Brisket Need to Rest?

All meat needs time to rest after being cooked. It allows for the juices to be redistributed and makes for a more tender and juicy finished product. You don’t want to skip this step! Your brisket should be falling apart and practically melting in your mouth!

How to Slice Smoked Brisket

There are two different muscles layered in a Brisket so slicing can be tricky. The best way is to slice against the grain and then before coming to the point, completely cut that end off and turn it to slice against that opposite grain. Some pieces will not look as nice but it will be more tender.

Slicing against the grain breaks down the muscle fibers to give you a tender slice of beef. If you don’t slice against the grain you’ll have a less tender result.

What to Serve with this Brisket Recipe

Now you have your perfectly juicy slow cooker brisket ready to devour, but what should you eat with it? We love to eat it with all the classic comfort food sides, such as:

If you’re feeling really ambitious, make your own hoagie rolls and make brisket sandwiches! Hubba hubba! That’s my favorite way to eat brisket.

[faq]

Can I Cook a Brisket in the Oven?

If you need to cook this brisket in the oven, go for the same amount of time at 225 degrees.