The scent of barbecue brings a flood of memories rushing back to me… memories of family and friends, some now departed, and the fun we had at my great uncle’s cattle ranch in the rolling hills of San Luis Obispo, CA. I have farmers on both sides of my family, and my childhood was full of Santa Maria-style barbecue cookouts. Uncle Dennis and his friends would stand over a huge iron oak-filled fire pit, slowly smoking the meat till it was tender and perfectly done. Aunt Pauline would make vats of ranch beans and salad. She’d spread French bread with copious amounts of garlic butter. Just before the meal, Uncle Dennis would throw the bread onto the fire pit till it soaked up the smoky oak flavor and grill marks were seared in. With the scent of garlic bread and barbecue in the air, we’d dig into the feast.
I miss those sunny afternoons. I miss sitting with my family and chatting about this, that and the other thing. I miss my Aunt Pauline and her sister, my Grandma Carolyn. What a blessing to grow up in a small town, surrounded by a loving family. Simple pleasures. Now that I live in the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, I appreciate it all the more.
While I grew up adoring those barbecue cookouts, my diet has changed quite a bit over the years. Now I eat flexitarian style, meaning the majority of my nutrition comes from vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes. That said, once in a while my family craves meat. Every month or two we indulge in some organic steak or brisket. Sadly I don’t have a giant iron oak-filled fire pit in my back yard, so this has become one of my go-to recipes for preparing barbecue-style beef brisket. The slow cooker keeps the meat from drying out, and it requires very little effort… just set it up in the morning and let it slowly cook all day long. The meat cooks up meltingly tender. The longer you cook it, the more it takes on the consistency of tender chipped beef, which I love. The idea originally came from a friend who recommended that I slow cook a brisket smothered in barbecue sauce. Over time, I’ve added some seasonings to the method to enhance the flavor. This recipe has been perfected over time; it was one of the first recipes I ever posted on my blog, but I am resharing it today because the modifications take it from good to awesome. It couldn’t be easier. Stick it in the slow cooker in the morning, and by the time you get home you’ll be minutes away from a hearty and satisfying meal. Serve with mashed potatoes or a baked potato and a salad on the side. You can also pile the beef onto hamburger buns and make barbecue beef sandwiches.
This brisket will fill your home with the scent of barbecue, so be prepared. I actually love the smell… it reminds me of afternoon cookouts, my small town childhood and the love of my family. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Note: this recipe is gluten free if you use a certified GF honey barbecue sauce.
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Slow Cooker Honey Barbecue Brisket
Ingredients
- 5 pounds beef brisket, first cut
- Salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (use 1/2 tsp for more heat)
- 1 1/2 cups honey barbecue sauce
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
NOTES
Instructions
- Sprinkle brisket with salt and pepper. Mix the onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl. Dry rub both sides of the brisket with the seasoning mixture.
- Stir together the honey barbecue sauce and brown sugar.
- Pour half of the sauce into the bottom of your slow cooker. Place the seasoned brisket, fatty side up, into the slow cooker. Don't worry if it's a little big for the cooker, the brisket will shrink as it cooks. Cover the top o the brisket with the remaining sauce.
- Cover the slow cooker and set heat to low for 9 hours, or until fork tender.
- When the brisket is cooked, remove it carefully from the slow cooker and place it on a cutting board.Pour the sauce from the slow cooker into a large bowl and let it cool.
- Slice off the fat cap from the top of the brisket and discard.
- Flip the brisket over so the leaner side faces upward. You'll be able to see the direction of the meat grain better on this side. Slice the brisket against the grain, at a slight diagonal, creating thin slices of meat.
- Skim the fat that has risen to the top of the sauce in the large bowl. It will appear lighter in color than the sauce, like droplets of oil on the surface. Skim as much fat as you can.
- In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch and 1 tbsp of water till completely smooth. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the bowl of sauce and stir to combine.
- Pour half of the sauce back into the slow cooker. Layer the slices of brisket meat on top of the sauce. Pour the remaining sauce over the brisket.Turn slow cooker to high for about 1 hour, till the meat and sauce are heated through and the sauce begins to bubble and thicken. Keep on warm setting till ready to serve.
- Note: the longer you cook this brisket, the more it will take on the texture of shredded or "chipped" beef. If you'd like for the meat to retain its sliced shape, no need to return the meat to the slow cooker. You can reduce the sauce quickly in a saucepan on the stovetop, then pour it over the slices in a casserole dish before serving. The leftovers make great BBQ beef sandwiches.
Catherine Hiner says
I made this tonight using some home made bbq sauce instead of the honey store bought sauce and it was OMG delicious! Thank you for the recipe. This is a new family favorite!
Tori Avey says
Great Catherine! So happy to hear that.
Chandon says
Wow – when we got home after work our two German Sheppards had gotten up on the counter, flipped the top off the slow cooker had eaten the whole 4 1/2 lb. brisket. There was a huge mess all over the kitchen floor!!! Both dogs were licking their chops and paws and didn’t show slightest amount of guilt. It was so funny we couldn’t get mad at them. Locking the doggy door next time !
Tori Avey says
LOL well I can’t really blame them Chandon! It’s so delicious, how can they resist? Thanks for the laugh!
Jesse says
Hi Tori,
Is there any benefit to seasoning the meat overnight?
Tori Avey says
Hi Jesse– it couldn’t hurt, but this meat is super flavorful as-is, so no need to unless you want to take that extra step. Enjoy!
Carolyn says
Hi Tori, I like your website. I made this and the flavor was great, but it was very stringy. What do you think happened?
Tori Avey says
Hi Carolyn– first off, when you slice the brisket, you want to make sure you do so against the natural grain of the meat. If you cut with the grain, you’ll end up with a lot of stringiness. Also you may want to cook it for slightly less time next time– it may have been overcooked a bit (different slow cookers cook at different temperatures), which can lead to stringiness.
jenny says
Tori, I don’t think that the corned beef is in a brine and is not seasoned.
Tori Avey says
Hi Jenny, as far as I know all corned beef has been salt-cured even if it is not in a brine when you buy it. The salty flavor of the corned beef may clash with the sauce– but I really can’t say for certain because I haven’t tried it myself. If you do try it, let us know how it turns out!
Jenny says
Well Tori you were correct! The corned beef seasoning did not work well with the sauce at all. So now I will only use brisket as it is such a stellar recipe. Hope you enjoyed the chaggim!
Tori Avey says
You too Jenny! Sorry the corned beef didn’t work out. Glad you’re enjoying the recipe!
Batya says
Hi Tori!
I owe you a hundred thanks! I’ve been stressing about a Rosh Hashana menu for WEEKS and stumbled across your site about 3 weeks ago. Well, I’ve been visiting multiple times daily ever since! You were speaking to ME when you said a slow-cooker recipe was good for keeping the oven free for all those hours- so I took the plunge and did my first attempt at brisket. I was preparing for a lot of company, so I did 3 of these very briskets over the past weeks. (confession: they didn’t all make it to the Rosh Hashana table. My husband and I had to sample each one as it was ready…) They were AMAZING. I also did a small challa-baking demo before yom tov and everyone LOVED your woven challa look. So professional looking yet comes out great even on the first try! So, thank you. Mostly for the guilty pleasure I get every time I type in ‘the shiksa’ on my homescreen 🙂
Oh, and wouldn’t you know, one of our guests commented that the brisket seemed much like her own- and we discovered she’s a TheShiksa junkie too!
Wishing you a fantastic, healthy, sweet new year!
Tori Avey says
Batya, this comment made my whole weekend. So happy your holiday meal turned out great! Happy new year to you as well!
jenny says
Hi Tori,
I’ve made this before and it’s fabulous! Do you think that I could make this with corned beef as I have one in my freezer?
Tori Avey says
Hi Jenny– you know, I’ve never tried it myself, but I don’t think corned beef would work well here. Something about the saltiness of the corned beef and the spices might clash with the barbecue brisket… I think it all might be a little “too much.” Know what I mean? I could be wrong though.
Eileen says
This is great! I’ve got it back in the slow cooker now. I used a sweet and spicy bbq sauce for a kick and added dried cranberries for some fruity goodness.
Tori Avey says
Glad you like it Eileen. 🙂
Melissa says
I’d like to try this for Rosh Hoshana and thought about setting up the slow cooker to do its thing overnight. What about reheating several hours later that day? Any advice? I’m thinking of pairing it with saffron rice (because the BBQ sauce will already have sweetness) along with carrots roasted in the oven with olive oil and garlic. And challah, of course, with raisins.
Judy Mccann says
I hope to try this tonight sounds like a easy recipe!
Derek says
Sounds great except I am from South Africa and do not get Honey Barbeque sauce here. Can someone give me an alternative recipe for the sauce.
Cindi Gilland says
I only have 6-7 hours to cook this, will I ruin it if I cook it on high?
Tori Avey says
I always cook this on low because brisket should really be cooked low and slow for best results. Technically it can be cooked on high, but the meat will not turn out as tender. If you try it let me know how it works for you.
Tim says
NO!!! Don’t ever cook a brisket on high!! Fast and high heat cannot break down the muscle as well as low and slow cooking. You will never get as tender as when you use low and slow. Trust me, I ran a BBQ joint for 3 years…low and slow is the way to go.
Debbie Majerovitz says
Just made this – it is absolutely delicious!!
Rachel says
is the brisket supposed to be thawed prior to putting in crockpot?! Thx
Tori Avey says
Yes, most definitely!
Richard says
As a rule, ranch beans are pintos. Guess Santa Maria is an exception.
Tori Avey says
Or perhaps our family is the exception. Either way, pinquitos it is! 🙂
Richard says
Given ranch beans are a general category, we just should let people know about pinkitos, special for Santa Maria.
Richard says
How can you talk about Santa Maria BBQ and leave out the biggest side dish? Pinkito beans… Not ranch style. For shame!
Tori Avey says
Richard, we grew up calling pinquito beans “ranch style.” It’s a Central Coast/family vernacular thing. 🙂
Brenda says
I just made this brisket, abousolutely delicious. Definitely a keeper!
Tori Avey says
Fabulous Brenda! So pleased you liked it.
Irene Solnik says
It was fabulouse. I added a smattering of ginger and a bit more cayenne.
Tori Avey says
Great!
Annette Dubrouillet says
I just tried this for our Memorial Day dinner. Wowie! It was incredible. I don’t have a slow cooker so I put the 4 lb brisket in the oven at 325 for four hours in my Creuset dutch oven. Turned out perfectly, didn’t have to worry about moisture at all. Thanks for another wonderful recipe.
Tori Avey says
Fabulous Annette! Thanks for reporting back. I do love this recipe, it’s a perfect choice for Memorial Day.