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.
Melody Rodriguez-Levine says
Followed this recipe exactly with the exception that I used an Instant Pot instead of a slow cooker. I also added mushrooms and it was fantastic. My husband loved it and now I’m nervous that my mother in laws brisket has been replaced! Thank you so much for this recipe it will definitely be used for many years.
Tori Avey says
Glad to hear it!
Danielle says
Hi! If I’m only making a 2 lb brisket, should I reduce the cooking time? Thank you!
Tori Avey says
Most likely yes. I would start checking around 6 hours – once it’s fork tender, it’s ready.
P W says
Made this Monday, had it Wednesday for supper. My husband and I both loved it. I did not use corn starch as I have to watch my carb intake. I used 3/4 tsp xantham gum; it worked beautifully. Great keto recipe that way.
Taters says
I made this yesterday. I’ve never had brisket before. Delicious, thank you for sharing your recipe. I would cook this if we had guests to dinner.
Pinchas Eliyahu says
“ Use a spoon to scoop the fat bits out of the sauce and discard.” why? It’s the best part.
Tori Avey says
Leaving them in makes the sauce too oily and fatty for my taste. If you like them feel free to keep them in!
Matthew Kenny says
Turned out great! Great flavor and texture. The immersion blending of the veggies and broth after made a wonderful sauce.
I’ll eat it throughout the week. Anyone know if leftovers should be refrigerated in the sauce? It’s fully submerged right now.
Tori Avey says
That’s how I do it, yes. 🙂
Lorelei says
Very good! My family loved it. We think it has better flavor than recipes with tomatoes or tomato sauce added. We could not resist tossing in a few carrots and potatoes ?
Gionnon says
Great recipe used it many times. I even got the all clad slow cooker ??
Tori Avey says
Awesome! Happy you’re enjoying it.
Barbara H. says
This was my first brisket and I will definitely be doing it again! I was worried at first, but this was a no-fail recipe. I only tweaked a couple of the spices, based on what I had in my pantry. Pan searing was a great recommendation. I made a small 1.5 lb. brisket because it was for two of us. Now I look forward to buying a bigger cut and making it for guests, once we’re more comfortable socializing again. Thanks so much!
Nina says
I am not an enthusiastic meat eater, but I’ll make an exception for this delicious brisket. Thanks for a great recipe! It’s definitely a keeper.
Andrea Norman says
Absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe and used cornflour (is that the same as cornstarch in the US?) as a thickening and disposed of the onions and garlic as I was worried it would be too strong a flavour to blend them though I was really tempted. Next time I’m going to try the make it ahead and let it sit in the fridge a couple of days and then reheat on the day – I’m sure it will be great and a good time saving option for feeding a crowd!
Mary R. says
This was a hit with my family. I made exactly as the recipe described. The sauce is a bit spicy, so if you want the kick, go for it. If not, probably tone down the cayenne pepper. At the end, I put all of the juices and solids through a blender and didn’t need to add cornstarch. I printed this recipe and would use again. Thank you.
Lauro Cruz says
Im trying this recipe tonight for Easter, and it looks like its gonna be a winner. Can i use a left over packer of General choa’s chicken as the sauce because its ready and has a great flavor , i wonder. Well thanks alot and Happy Easter.
Etta Mae Milhoan says
I found this recipe and I am making it for Easter Dinner. Due to the “stay at home” it will be just me and my husband but we will honor Easter. The timing to find this was perfect. Thank you and stay safe.
Jill says
So, I set this to “4” for the servings because my meat is 2.5 lbs and it calls for just 1/4 cup of water which ended up making a paste, not the nicely colored liquid showing in the photo above (after the meat is browned). Which is to say, there is zero liquidy-liquid. I just started the slow cooker and feel like I should add a tiny bit of water – should I??
Tori Avey says
Is your brisket trimmed of fat? If there is no fat there will be very little liquid, so yes you may need to add a bit. I recommend getting brisket untrimmed, or just lightly trimmed, as fat allows a sauce to form during slow cooking.
Danae says
Perfect! This came out awesome!!!!
Rachel Barry says
This was absolutely spot-on perfect. I never made brisket before but wanted to make sure my husband had a great Passover dinner. This did the trick, thank you! Simple comfort food at its best.
Jody Sackmann says
I’m making this for Passover tonight. It’s in the pot and the house smells delicious. Thank you, thank you!
Adam says
If I wanted to throw in some potatoes and mushrooms into the slow cooker, should I add them at the beginning or middle of cooking? Or is it recommended that I just cook the potatoes and mushrooms separately? Thanks!
Ashley at ToriAvey.com says
Hi Adam, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. You can add the potatoes and mushrooms in the beginning with the other ingredients. You may (emphasis on may) need a bit more liquid as the potatoes will absorb quite a bit, so keep an eye on the liquid levels throughout cooking.
Samantha says
I am planning to try this for Passover, but had two questions I was hoping someone could answer. First, the brisket I have is too long for the slow cooker,so I was thinking of cutting in in half and overlapping it. Do you think that would work, or do I need to cook it in the oven instead? Second, what type of onions do I need to use – I only have sweet onions right now and am wondering if those would work instead of yellow or white. Thank you! I love your recipes!
Tori Avey says
You can definitely overlap, no worries. Sweet onions will work just fine. Enjoy!