Brisket Barbecue // Crockpot Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Does brisket have to be covered in liquid in a slow cooker? ›

Should brisket be submerged in the slow cooker? The meat doesn't need to be swimming in broth, but yes, it should be at least partially submerged. Here, 2 1/2 cups is plenty for a 3-pound piece of meat. A bit of cornstarch whisked into the liquid helps add body to the sauce.

If you overcook meat, it becomes dry and tough. Often people using a slow cooker and don't check when the food is actually done. If a recipe says cook for 8 hours on low, people may not check the food for 8 hours. A slow cooker will not do what you want.

Browning the beef in a hot skillet before braising is commonplace for oven-cooked briskets — you've already got a hot pan, so it makes sense to use it to add a little more flavor to the finished dish. For a slow cooker braised brisket, browning is optional depending on the recipe.

It will be large so you will have to squish it in. Not all of it will be under the liquid. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours until brisket is very tender, flipping over half way through cooking.

Honestly, we don't consider that the best way to cook brisket. Some ovens can be unreliable at the low temperatures required for such a long cooking time. If you want to cook a brisket overnight, do so in a slow cooker. Those instructions are below.

Add Moisture

After two or four hours of cooking, you can lightly spray your brisket with water, hot sauce, apple cider vinegar, or apple juice. You can do this every 30 minutes or every hour, based on preference.

The temperature of the meat begins to rise again -- which you want because brisket gets more tender the longer you cook it.

All brisket, no matter which cut you choose, is a tough cut of meat that needs to be cooked low and slow: think oven, slow cooker or indirect heat on a grill.

"Browning, or caramelizing, meat before putting it into a slow cooker isn't 100 percent necessary, but it is well worth the effort for the most flavorful and full-bodied end result," he says. "The caramelized surface of the meat will lend rich flavor and color to the finished dish."

Why is my beef brisket not falling apart? ›

A perfectly cooked beef joint makes a wonderful centrepiece for a Sunday roast or Christmas dinner. To cook it until it's so tender it falls apart, you'll need to choose a joint like chuck and blade or beef brisket and either braise, slow roast or slow cook it for at least a couple of hours.

Place the seasoned beef brisket into the slow cooker, making sure it is submerged in the liquid mixture. Add a little extra salt to taste, if desired. Cover the slow cooker, and cook on low heat setting for approximately 8-10 hours, or until the beef brisket is tender and easily pulls apart.

Because pressure cookers utilise steam to cook food very quickly, they are the perfect choice for cooking meals such as beef brisket that can take a much longer time than slow cookers, yet provide almost identical results.

A 2-4 Hour Rest Makes Brisket & Pork Butt Better

Because they contain connective tissue that is converted to gelatin after many hours of “low & slow” cooking, and it's this gelatin that rehydrates the meat during the resting period.

Don't Drown Your Brisket

To braise properly, you don't want the meat to be all the way covered with stock and wine—liquid should come up about halfway on the brisket.

When cooking meat or poultry, the water or liquid level should cover the ingredients to ensure effective heat transfer throughout the crock. Some manufacturers of slow cookers recommend adding liquid to fill the stoneware 1/2 to 3/4 full.

To keep a pot roast from drying out, your slow cooker needs liquid to create a moist environment, and that can include meat or vegetable stock, wine or water. This doesn't mean the meat should be submerged; a cup or two of liquid will be enough, since the cooker is covered and liquids stay trapped inside.

A slow cooker does not need any liquid added at the beginning of the cooking process, because it will generate steam, which will become liquid in the bowl. For recipes that use liquid, and have not been written specifically for a slow cooker it make sense to reduce the amount of liquid by half.