Savory Slow Cooker Brisket – The Best Brisket Recipe with Onion, Garlic and Spices Made in the Crock Pot. Includes Recipe with Step-by-Step Video. Kosher for Passover.
Want to know one of my biggest prep secrets for making the best brisket during the holidays? Two words – SLOW COOKER, or CROCK POT, if you’re so inclined! With my stove and oven in overdrive, there is nothing better than having a brisket slowly cooking in the background while I deal with everything else. It frees up oven space, and the results are every bit as tender and delicious as brisket in the oven.
We usually cook brisket for Passover. For larger Seder meals we have hosted in the past, I have been known to plug in four slow cookers at the same time, borrowed from family and friends! Over time I learned to make a couple of briskets ahead– the flavor improves when the meat sits in the refrigerator for a day or two before serving. It’s also easier to slice the meat cold, and reheating is a breeze.
Is Brisket Healthy?
While not exactly “healthy,” brisket does indeed have some surprising health benefits! You might be surprised to learn that researchers at Texas A&M have found that brisket does have some unexpected health benefits. According to Dr. Stephen Smith, Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist, brisket has high levels of oleic acid, which produces high levels of HDLs, aka “good” cholesterol. Oleic acid produces HDLs which may lower your risk of heart disease, while lowering LDLs, aka “bad” cholesterol. I recommend buying organic grass fed brisket when you can find it, and choosing a cut that is not too lean. Grass fed cuts tend to be lean, so choose a fattier cut if you can find it – and skip the trimming.
Should You Wrap a Brisket?
When storing brisket, it’s a good idea to wrap it to seal in the juices. After it has a chance to cool, brisket should be wrapped in plastic wrap (or an eco-friendly wrapping option of your choice). Never use aluminum foil, which can react to acid in your sauce. If reheating in the oven, foil is safe to use. I prefer to use parchment topped with foil on the roasting pan, so that the foil doesn’t come into contact with the meat.
I’ve offered make-ahead directions for cooking the brisket below, as well as instructions for serving straight from the slow cooker. Either way, you will love this brisket… it is fork tender and flavorful, with delicious pan juices… everything the best holiday brisket should be!
Check out my separate tutorial for all things brisket here. For more Passover recipe ideas, hop on over to my Passover Recipe Index, where you’ll find delicious inspiration for a variety of dietary restrictions, including Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Gluten Free, Vegetarian and Vegan diets.
What Should I Cook With Brisket?
Looking for some side dishes to pair with your brisket? Here are a few delicious ideas!
Oven Roasted Roasted Root Vegetables
Butternut Squash and Crispy Kale Bake
More Brisket Recipes
Here are some other tested, tasty brisket recipes for you to try.
Recommended Products:
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Video by Entice Films
Savory Slow Cooker Brisket
Ingredients
- 4-6 pound brisket , first cut recommended
- 10 whole garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 whole onions sliced
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne ; if you are very spice sensitive, just use a pinch
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch, optional (use potato starch for Passover)
You will also need
- Slow cooker, large skillet, immersion blender (optional)
NOTES
Instructions
- Place half of the chopped onions, 5 of the garlic cloves and the bay leaves in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Rinse the brisket and pat dry. Sprinkle both sides of the meat lightly with black pepper and salt. If you're using a kosher salted brisket, or if you are salt sensitive, skip the salting here -- there will be plenty in the sauce after cooking.
- Note about this next step-- if you're in a hurry you don't need to brown the brisket before placing it in the slow cooker, just mix the spices with the water and pour over the brisket in the slow cooker. However, if you do have time to brown it first the flavor will be much better! Drizzle 2 tbsp of olive oil into the pan and heat a large skillet over high heat until it just begins to smoke.Brown the brisket on both sides—it will take a few minutes per side. A large brisket may overlap the edges of the skillet; you can brown it in stages, letting half the brisket overlap the edge, then adjusting it to brown the other half. Make sure you get some nice dark brown bits on there, it really adds to the flavor.
- Once the brisket is browned, place it in the slow cooker on top of the onions and garlic.
- Drain the fat from the skillet, leaving behind any brown bits in the skillet. Return the skillet to the stove. In a small bowl, mix together the water, 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, turmeric and cayenne. Pour the water and spice mixture into the skillet and heat over medium until hot and bubbly, using the liquid to deglaze the pan and loosening brown bits gently from the bottom of the skillet with a spatula.
- Pour the contents of the skillet over the brisket.
- Top brisket with the remaining sliced onions and garlic cloves. Cover and cook on low for 8- 10 hours, or until fork tender. Tenderness will increase as it cooks, so take it out when it's tender to your liking. Most people like it very tender but not so soft that it is falling apart. You want it firm enough to slice but tender enough that the edges shred with a fork.I recommend making this brisket ahead; allowing it to sit in the refrigerator for 1-2 nights will improve the flavor. If you would like to do this, check the notes section for the “Make Ahead Directions.” If you are not making ahead, continue reading.
- Remove brisket from the pan and let it rest on the cutting board fat-side up for 20-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, skim fat from the surface of the cooking sauce.You may strain the sauce to separate the solids out and discard— if you do this, return the sauce to the slow cooker, mix together 1 tbsp potato starch or cornstarch (use potato starch for Passover) with 1 tbsp of cold water, and stir it into the strained liquid in the slow cooker. Alternatively, you may thicken the cooking sauce by first removing the bay leaves, then using an immersion blender to blend the sauce with the garlic and onions directly in the slow cooker (careful, the liquid is hot-- protect yourself with a towel and take care with more delicate ceramic slow cooker inserts).
- Once your sauce is ready, cut fat cap off the brisket.
- Then cut the brisket in thin slices against the grain.
- Return slices to the slow cooker and cover with sauce. Heat the meat slices on high setting in the sauce for 30-60 minutes more until sauce is hot, bubbly and thickened around the meat. Serve sliced brisket hot with sauce.
Nutrition
It’s hard to get any type of reaction out of my husband, especially about food. I made this for my family on Christmas and when I asked how it was he replied, “I’d roll around in it if I could.” And my son asked if I could make it again the next night. Thank you so much for a delicious and easy holiday meal recipe that I can make ahead of time! I’ll be making this again next Christmas…if not sooner.
Ha! Fabulous.
I have made this recipe at least 5 times over the past year. It is excellent! I love the flavor of the braising liquid, and the beef is always super tender. The beef rendered about 3 cups of braising liquid so I needed more starch to thicken, but otherwise this was incredibly delicious. Your directions are clear and very helpful to ensure success. Thank you Tori!
Glad to hear it!
I’ve made this several times and it’s always a hit. I was wondering if I could cook it on high for only 4-6 hours if I were in a hurry. Would this be possible with a smaller (3lb max) cut?
Yes on the high cooking – but take care if using a leaner cut, grass fed and trimmed/lean brisket really does best with low and slow for most tender results. For a traditional first or second cut, the fast cook will work just fine.
Any thoughts on replacing the water with beef broth and/or red wine?
You can do either! I prefer the more savory flavor that comes from using broth, rather than wine, but that’s a personal preference. If you’re watching sodium intake, you may want to use low sodium broth. It’s such a small amount of liquid, that I usually just use water – it makes its own delicious broth as it cooks.
This recipe is phenomenal. I have used it not only for brisket but for pot roasts following the same directions and it comes out tender, juicy, and flavorful every time without fail. This is my go-to recipe for when we have guests over for dinner. Thanks for sharing! ❤
Tried this recipe for Passover…by FAR the best brisket I ever made. Family tested and approved….EVERYONE wants the recipe…thank you thank you!
Best brisket ever! This is my 2nd time making it. Also, the root veggies were fantastic as well!
Tori,
Currently I have this brisket in my slow cooker, very very little liquid as your recipe just calls for 1/2 cup. I see that the onion are staring to burn like. Can you please tell me what additional liquid I can use there’s like 61/2 hours to go. Please email me back.
Thanks!
Hi Lenora – it shouldn’t be burning, are you on low temperature setting? You can add more water or low sodium broth as needed. If you have some fat on your brisket, the fat should start to melt as it slowly cooks – but if your cooker runs hotter than normal, maybe it’s not rendering as fast as they onions cook?
Hello, I am going to cook this today and just have a question after reading the directions, please.
In the section, “should you wrap a brisket?” is the below:
If reheating in the oven, foil is safe to use. I prefer to use parchment topped with foil on the roasting pan, so that the foil doesn’t come into contact with the meat.
Should this actually be:
If reheating in the oven, foil is safe to use. I prefer to use foil topped with parchment on the roasting pan, so that the foil doesn’t come into contact with the meat.
I am reheating and curious…..thank you in advance.
Hi Mark – no, what I mean is that you would put the brisket in a dish (with liquid), cover the dish with parchment paper, then cover the dish with another layer of foil – so that the foil doesn’t touch the food. Hope that clarifies.
This was delicious! After smelling it cook all day, I couldn’t wait to eat it so sliced just what we needed for dinner and did the rest with the make ahead version. It is much easier to cut and remove the fat when it is cold. I did the immersion blend for the sauce instead of straining and loved the taste of the sauce so much.
First time cooking brisket, and it came out excellent! Easy to prep and so tasty. I used butter instead of olive oil, and will add more salt the next time, but this will be my go-to recipe for sure!
this has been my “go to” recipe. I especially like it because I enjoy how it fills the house with delicious aroma for the whole day – and then I appreciate how much everybody enjoys the flavors. Easy and tasty ! Perfect. Thank you.
Very nice recipe! I had to make a few very minor changes simply due to ingredient availability…minced garlic and extra dried onions. The outcome was still very good. Thank you for the information and recipe. This is a family keeper!!
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for the wonderful recipe, helpful tips and for the all the compliments I received.
Hi! I absolutely adore this recipe, from the flavors and melt in your mouth texture to being able to slowly prep this and not have to use an oven! One question, this year I’ve read that second cut is fantastic for slow cooking, can I use that instead of first cut? Or will that have a negative affect?
Glad you’re enjoying this! I generally use first cut, but ask them not to trim the excess fat (so an untrimmed first cut). Second cut generally ends up too fatty for my taste; all of that fat renders during the slow cooking and makes the sauce too oily. There is usually less meat servings with a second cut, too, because so much of it is fat. That’s just a personal preference, though.