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 isn’t all bad! 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. And of course, brisket is a fantastic source of protein!
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. Grass fed brisket can also take longer to become tender, so allow extra cook time just in case.
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 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.
Can you make this brisket ahead?
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 serve 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.
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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)
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.
NOTES
Nutrition
Used this recipe for the first brisket I ever made. It was perfect.
Trying it today for the first time. Went through many recipes on the net but yours sounded the best and really appreciate the instructions with photos. Have done everything according to the recipe except I added some curry powder to give it my favourite East Indian spicy flavour. Now have to wait to see how it all turns out. Will report back. Again, thank you for the great recipe.
JUKOOGI MUMTAZ
My husband and I visited Israel for the first time a few weeks ago. After coming back I was looking for a recipe of an egg dish I had and loved it and found it on your website ~ shakshuka. I’ve yet to make it. Although I did make your brisket for Easter and my son-in-law loved it! And we’re making it again for our grandson’s birthday party this weekend. Looking forward to making more of your recipes. And thank you for explanations/stories of Jewish culture. I loved Israel and look forward to visiting again.
Anna
Made this for Passover. Came out delish! Only thing, I think about a 1/2 – 1C of Honey would add some nice sweetness to this.
Made my first brisket, this turned out so delicious. Thank you!
Oh my!!! Made this for the first time for passover tonight and it was such a hit! By far the easiest brisket I’ve made and it was spectacular. Everyone raved about it. Followed the make-ahead directions. Browning it was a game changer for taste as well.
Only issue I ran into was the brisket was SO tender, transferring it into another pan was entertaining – required my husband to use multiple spatulas. Hysterical! After we re-heated it, the slices almost melted away because of how tender it was… there were no need for knives at dinner! I will be adding this to my passover “must-make” list for seder next year! Thanks so much for sharing such a wonderful recipe.
I made this one this year too!! 🙂
Hi! I am making this tomorrow, so I’m not sure if you’ll get this in time but I’m confused about the gravy part. Are you supposed to discard the onions or use them when you serve the brisket?
This recipe looks amazing! Just one question: Nobody mentions if it turns out spicy from the turmeric and cayenne…savory is good, but my daughter does not like spicy food. Sounds like the flavors mellow out. True?
Thanks – and will make this tomorrow for Tuesday’s seder!
Happy Pesach!
I would describe it as both mellow and flavorful… you can cut the cayenne if you don’t want any spice at all. The turmeric isn’t “spicy” (hot) really, it just lends flavor.
Can I add carrots and mushrooms to the slow cooker as I would have if I were making this in the oven?
Yes, no problem.
I am making this tomorrow for Passover. However, I have 2 – 4.25 lb briskets. Can I stack them in my crockpot and double the ingredients?? Then how long do I cook? Will the 10 hours be enough?
Hi Sherry, I have never stacked them before. Assuming it would probably work but it might create quite a lot of liquid when the fat renders; if you have a very large slow cooker it should be ok, but I can’t promise because I haven’t tried it myself.
Thank you!
I usually cook my brisket in the oven but this year I am going to give the slow cooker a try. Your recipe looks good and simple and for me that’s plus. My question is; can I add carrots and mushroom to the onions like I do when I cook it in a pan in the oven? I realize that cooking time in the crock pot is a lot longer than in the oven so I was thinking of perhaps adding the cut up carrots and mushrooms half way into the cooking time. Any thoughts will be appreciated, thanks.
maria
Hi Maria– yes, that would be fine– and it should be fine to add the carrots at the beginning, if they are larger chunks.
Hi, I didn’t have nearly as much liquid in my browning pan as you did, so really, I just had the amount of water and spices called for in the recipe. Do I need to add more liquid? I know one comment said no additional liquid is needed, but my “browning liquid” was so much less than pictured. Thank you!
No additional liquid should be needed, as long as you have a fat cap on your brisket.
It seems strange to have so little liquid in the pot… it that correct?
Yes, it’s correct– the brisket renders fat as it slowly cooks, which creates a lot of additional liquid.
can I cook a 3.9lb brisket in a 3.5 quart slow cooker?
As long as the brisket fits into the slow cooker (even if the sides are a bit crammed in there) you’ll be fine.
Can I marinate the brisket overnight before setting it in the crockpot?
Yes! 🙂
How much liquid should be on the brisket in the crock pot? Fully covering brisket ? Or half way?
Hi Jamie, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. The liquid in the recipe ingredients should be all that you’ll need. We do not add any additional cooking liquid to this recipe.
Made this yesterday exactly according to your recipe…no additions, no tweeking. I was absolutely delicious and easy to make. Will definitely do again.
Thanks for this recipe! I’m eager to try it. What changes would you suggest so I can use a Dutch Oven (I don’t have a slow cooker or crock pot). Also, what changes would you suggest in cooking time for a 8-9 lb brisket?
Hi Rachelle, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. You can cook the brisket in a 300 degree oven for 1 hour per pound of brisket, so in your case 8-9 hours, though you will need to test for doneness.
I’m going to make this for Passover a night or two ahead. When reheating it, what setting are you using? My slow cooker doesn’t have a “warm” function (only settings are low or high, it’s quite old), is it ok to reheat on the “low” seating? Or is it better to reheat in the oven?
Thanks so much! Your recipes get me through a seder 🙂
Hi Nicole, Tori’s assitant Ashley here. To reheat, place the brisket on a cutting board, fat-side up. Slice the meat cold—first cut the fat cap off the brisket, then cut the brisket in thin slices against the grain. Pour sauce into the slow cooker and set to high heat. If you strained the sauce and didn’t blend it, mix together 1 tbsp cornstarch (use potato starch for Passover) with 1 tbsp of cold water, and stir it into the strained liquid in the slow cooker. Place brisket slices into the slow cooker, cover with sauce, and reheat for 45-75 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve warm.
Nicole,
Whichever setting – high or low – will bring the sauce to a boil. If you want to reheat in the oven that would work, too. You can even put the sauce into a sauce pan on the stove, bring it to a boil so it will thicken and then pour it over the meat and warm the meat in the oven or slow cooker until the meat is warmed through.
Chag Sameach!
So excited…making this tomorrow…I have loved all of your recipes so far…I know I will love this one also…
OMG good. The dogs got only a bite, because this brisket was gone!