This crockpot brisket recipe is fall-apart tender with crispy caramelized edges smothered in tangy BBQ sauce! Pile high on a bun or serve with mashed potatoes.
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Crock Pot Brisket Recipe
When I think about slow cooker brisket, it’s about fall-apart tender meat dripping in a sweet and tangy homemade BBQ sauce. I often sandwich it in a bun and make slow cooker BBQ brisket sandwiches, but it’s just as good with mashed potatoes.
Made with a simple dry rub and your favorite BBQ sauce, making brisket in a crock pot is one of my favorite easy slow cooker recipes. Set it, forget it, and come home to the best smells coming from your kitchen!
Why I Love This Recipe
- Tender meat. The low and slow cooking yields the same tender meat as braised short ribs and my easy pot roast. It just melts in your mouth.
- No turning on the oven. Crockpot brisket can be made any time of the year. Comfort food during the winter, and no heating your kitchen in the summer!
Slow Cooker Brisket Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Dry rub: Brown sugar, kosher salt, paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- Onion: Adding sliced onion to the crockpot adds plenty of flavor, and when they’re cooked down and caramelized, you can serve them with the meat.
- Beef brisket: A tough cut of meat that does really well with low heat and longer cooking times to really tenderize it.
- BBQ sauce: Use your favorite homemade or store-bought barbecue sauce.
How to Make Crockpot Brisket
Combine the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl.
Use your hands to rub it evenly around the brisket. Then, let the meat rest for 15 minutes.
Add the sliced onions to the bottom of your slow cooker, and then place the meat on top. Make sure the fat side is facing up. Pour the BBQ sauce on top and cover with the lid.
Cook on low for 8–9 hours until fork tender. It should fall apart easily. Let it rest on a cutting board for 5–10 minutes before slicing.
Tips and Variations
- Do not trim the fat. It helps keep the meat moist and gives it even more flavor.
- Slow-cooker beef brisket becomes quite tender and easy to shred. If you want shredded meat, then cut it along the grain. If you’re looking for thin slices, cut against the grain.
- To keep it moist, you can either pour a little liquid from the slow cooker over the sliced brisket or put it back inside the slow cooker to rest in the juices.
- Switch up the flavor with this dry rub for pork tenderloin or dry rub for ribs.
Serving Suggestions
- Love it with simple comfort food sides like sweet cornbread with honey and homemade mac and cheese, or potato salad with a side of green beans.
- We also enjoy it piled high Hawaiian Rolls.
- You can also use leftover brisket for brisket tacos or swap the shredded pork for beef in these BBQ nachos.
More tender meats to pile high on a bun include BBQ pork sandwich, crockpot BBQ chicken or Instant Pot shredded beef.
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Crockpot Brisket Recipe
Video
Equipment
- 1 Crockpot
Ingredients
Rub
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Add to slow cooker
- 1 onion , sliced
- 3 ½ pounds beef brisket
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Make rub: Combine 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Rub: Press the rub into the brisket evenly around the top and sides. Allow to rest for 15 minutes.
- Combine: Place the sliced onions in the bottom of your crockpot. Then place the brisket, fat side up on top. Pour 1 cup bbq sauce on top.
- Slow cook: Cook on low for 8-9 hours or until fork tender.
- Rest: Remove meat and place on a cutting board. Allow meat to rest 5-10 minutes before slicing. Slice thin. Pour a little sauce from the slow cooker over top or place back inside the slow cooker.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
Keep leftover brisket stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Definitely! Freeze it for up to 3 months in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating.
You can. While it does do its best work under low and slow circumstances, if you’re short on time, you can speed it up with high heat for 4-5 hours. If you notice it’s not tender yet, keep it cooking a little while longer.
Categorized as: American, Beef, Crockpot, Crockpot, Dairy-Free, Dinner, Gluten-Free
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Hello!
I tried this Recipe last weekend and it was GREAT.
My husband said it’s so addictive he couldn’t stop eating it.
This will be a keeper,it was easy peasy to do and this was my first time doing a brisket.
Thanks ❤️
Loved to hear this, so glad you enjoyed it!
I never have enough time to cook a good brisket until now! This slow cooker recipe is perfect! I can start it in the morning and have a perfectly tender brisket for dinner without all the work. Plus the flavor is amazingly delicious!
Agreed on all! Thanks for the review!
This brisket was so tender and easy to make. Can’t wait to make this again!
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the review!
I could taste the love in this recipe, it turned out absolutely perfect and made the best sandwiches the next day.
So happy to hear that you loved it and it could be used for multiple meals!
Served for a family gathering and got rave reviews!
So glad everyone enjoyed it!
This brisket turned out so tender and delicious! I was able to put it together and cook overnight (8 hours on low, plus 1 hour on keep warm) and it was perfectly done. – Recipe tester
Glad it worked out for the timing you needed it for!