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:
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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.
Debbie says
Tried this, great flavor. I didn’t have that many onions so I used green onion & celery in addition to the onions I had. I also don’t have an immersion blender so I strained & put them in my regular blender on puree. Turned out great. Thanks for the recipe, I will make again.
LBL says
Could you make this in an instant pot instead of slow cooker? If so, reccomended time?
I love the way my roasts turn out in pressure cooker, and definitely wanted to try this!
Hillary Butler says
Did not taste like bbq brisket
Tori Avey says
Hi Hillary – sorry it wasn’t to your expectations, however this is a savory brisket recipe, it’s not meant to taste like barbecue. I do have a slow cooker barbecue brisket recipe if you would like to try it, but you should also understand that a slow cooker cannot really replicate a barbecue grill flavor, as it’s a completely different cooking method. Here’s the link if you’re interested: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/slow-cooker-barbecue-brisket/
Kristin says
My first time making a Passover brisket. This was a HUGE hit. My family inhaled it. I only had access to a flat brisket. I did brown it first and had to cut it and overlap it in the slow cooker. It was pretty lean (no fat cap) so I added a bit of beef stock to the slow cooker but otherwise followed the direction. Cooked on low for 10 hours and then put it in the fridge overnight and followed the make ahead instructions. Served with rosemary cauliflower potato mash and roasted carrots. Delicious.
Ari says
Hi, if I wanted to make this in an oven, would I use the same amount of liquid or more? I noticed in your Savory Herb-Braised Brisket recipe that you used a quart of broth. Thank you!
Tori Avey says
Use the same amount that is called for in the Herb Braised recipe – over cooking is drier than slow cooking.
Benji says
Could you sub tapioca starch for the potato starch?
Tori Avey says
I’m not sure about that Benji, sorry.
Leah Levi says
Shalom-
Any recommendations for corn starch substitute?
How do you order brisket in Hebrew? ??
Ashley at ToriAvey.com says
Hi Leah, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. We usually suggest using potato starch in place of corn starch.
Michelle says
1/2 cup of water is the only liquid that I need to use?
Tori Avey says
Correct. The brisket has fat which renders while it cooks, producing lots of liquid.
Darlene says
I would like to try this recipe for Passover this year. I only have an instant. How long/what temp would I use for the oven. Any other changes I should make?
Thank you.
Tori Avey says
Follow the slow roasting instructions in this post: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/savory-herb-braised-brisket/
Mary Louise says
I made this recipe today for our dinner tonight. It was wonderful! I had been afraid to cook brisket in fear of it being tough. Not with this recipe.
Drew says
I couldn’t find any meat in the grocery store due to Coronavirus, with the exception of a brisket. I grabbed that just so we’d have some good protein for a few days. Just cooked this recipe tonight for dinner and it was delicious! Thanks so much for sharing it!
Dave says
Looking to make this for Passover this year – sounds great. I’m planning on making ahead of time – thanks for the tips. How would one reheat this if I didn’t want to use the slow cooker that day? Can you reccommend tips for reheating in the oven that won’t dry this out and ruin all of the great flavors?
I think our slow cooker will be doing double duty that day and won’t be available to reheat. Thanks!
Tori Avey says
I recommend using the instructions on this recipe, starting at Step 17: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/holiday-brisket/
Linda Nguyen says
Hi,
I’ve made this recipe twice in a slow cooker and the crowd went wild for it. I recently got an Instant Pot pressure cooker and now I’m a convert. Would this recipe work with a pressure cooker if I cooked for 10 min per pound? Thanks!
Tori Avey says
Hi Linda, I have not had a great experience cooking brisket in the Instant Pot – but honestly I haven’t tried it many times. The times I did, it pulled out too much liquid and left the meat feeling dry and flavorless. I much prefer slow cooking for brisket. However, if you decide to try it and have a different experience, please report back so other readers can learn from you!
Justin Cosden says
Not the most experienced chef here, what temperature should I put my slow cooker on?
Tori Avey says
As it says in the recipe, cook on low setting for 8-10 hours.
Øystein Borge says
Hi. This recipe looks great. In the picture it seems you have finely chopped herb of some kind or something. What is it?
Tori Avey says
Chopped fresh parsley.
Laura says
Hi! I want to make this for NYE dinner tomorrow night. Can I prepare the entire thing (brown the brisket, make the sauce on the stove and pour it over) and then let it sit in fridge overnight BEFORE placing it in slow cooker tomorrow?? Thanks!!!
Tori Avey says
I’m not sure I would do that for food safety reasons… once you start cooking, you should probably continue cooking without interrupting the process. If you want to make ahead, I would use the “Make Ahead Directions” above. Good luck!
Johnny B says
Made this two days ahead for Christmas Dinner. Monitored temp and turned off at 200 degrees. That is the temp I always use when I smoke brisket. I refrigerated the entire slow cooker bowl for two nights, then removed the brisket and sliced while cold. Added the sliced brisket back to bowl and put on high for about two hours. Turned out perfectly moist and tender. No knife required. Absolutely perfect! Great recipe!
Rachel Pomeranz says
Wow!! I would give this recipe more stars if I could! This was the first brisket I ever attempted or even tasted, and I don’t think that I will ever have to try another recipe! It was so incredibly easy, but it tasted like I had slaved over it for hours. I left out the cayenne pepper and added a few sprigs of rosemary to the pot to customize it for my mom who doesn’t like anything spicy. Yum!!! Thank you for the amazing recipes, as always!
Tori Avey says
Fabulous! Happy to hear it. 🙂
Darla says
This recipe was a huge hit with our big family. We’ve saved it to make it again and again. Thank You!
Veronica says
We love the flavor of another rub recipe I’ve always used. However, I always do it in the oven and I don’t have one available this year, so was looking for slow cooker recipes. Do you think it’d work the same if I use the seasonings of the other rub vs. the seasonings here and follow all the other directions? I mean, I don’t see why not, but I certainly don’t wanna waste a $35 piece of brisket! 🙂
Tori Avey says
I don’t see why not either, as long as you keep the liquid and other elements from this recipe intact (onions, etc.).
Veronica says
Thanks! I very much appreciate appreciate it.
Nima says
I made this and it’s delicious. However, I didn’t realize that my guests coming over tomorrow are expecting a sweeter, not savory, brisket. Oops, but also not a big deal because it tastes great. However, can anything be added to this during the reheating process that could make it a little sweeter?
Tori Avey says
It depends on what kind of sweet brisket they’re talking about. You could add 1 1/2 cups of honey barbecue sauce with 1/3 cup brown sugar, but if they’re expecting a traditional Hanukkah brisket that might not be their speed. If they’re looking for a more sweet-and-sour style brisket, you could try making the blender tomato sauce in this recipe: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/holiday-brisket/ cook it down on the stovetop until it’s a bit thickened and fragrant, then add that to the slow cooker. I haven’t tried it myself but it would probably work, just can’t promise the end result will be perfect. Good luck!