Cooker Barbeque Beef Brisket

If you’ve never made beef brisket before, in all its savory and saucy goodness, now is the time. It’s a simple as creating a rub for the meat, pouring a homemade barbecue sauce over the top and letting it cook low and slow. At the end of the day, you’ll have a tender and flavorful cut of beef that tastes great on its own or on a sandwich. Here’s how to do it: 

First, make the rub. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, spices like chipotle chili powder, cumin and garlic powder, plus some salt and pepper. Rub it all over and into the brisket and place it in a slow cooker. If the cut of meat you purchase doesn’t fit well in the slow cooker, you can cut it into more manageable chunks, as I did.

Combine ketchup with onion, Worcestershire and apple cider vinegar in another small bowl and pour it evenly over the brisket in the slow cooker. Pour in some broth or water, too, then cover the slow cooker.

Cook the meat on low for at least six hours, until a meat thermometer inserted in the center of the largest cut of meat reads at least 160°F.

Transfer the brisket to a cutting board and let it rest for about 10 minutes so it can reabsorb some of the juices before you slice it. Use a sharp serrated knife to slice the meat against the grain into thin, long slices. Add the remaining ketchup to the sauce in the slow cooker and stir until smooth and slightly thickened.

Serve the brisket with the sauce poured over the top. It tastes great as a side dish to classic barbecue accompaniments including potato salad, cornbread and coleslaw, but my favorite way to serve it is as a sandwich with creamy coleslaw on top. You’ve got to try it!

Ingredients

• 3tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
• 2teaspoons ground cumin
• 1teaspoon celery salt
• 1teaspoon garlic powder
• 1teaspoon salt
• 1/2teaspoon pepper
• 4to 5 lb fresh beef brisket (not corned beef)
• 1 1/2cups ketchup
• 1/4cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4cup low-sodium beef, chicken or vegetable broth or water

• Ingredients

  • 3tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • 1tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
  • 2teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1teaspoon celery salt
  • 1teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1teaspoon salt
  • 1/2teaspoon pepper
  • 4to 5 lb fresh beef brisket (not corned beef)
  • 1 1/2cups ketchup
  • 1/4cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4cup finely chopped yellow onion
  • 1tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 3/4cup low-sodium beef, chicken or vegetable broth or water

  • Directions

    • 1In small bowl, mix brown sugar, chipotle chili powder, cumin, celery salt, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
    • 2Spray inside of 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place brisket in slow cooker; rub mixture all over brisket.
    • 3In another small bowl, mix 3/4 cup of the ketchup, the apple cider vinegar, onion and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over brisket along with broth.
    • 4Cover and cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours or until meat thermometer inserted in center of brisket reads 160°F.
    • 5Transfer brisket to cutting board; let stand 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add remaining 3/4 cup ketchup to sauce in slow cooker; stir to combine.
    • 6Thinly slice brisket; transfer to serving plate. Spoon sauce over top.